Engaged Learning: Transforming Learning for a Third Century - No. 4 - Focuses on Fostering and Assessing Collaboration, Teamwork, and Communication

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

Engaged Learning: Transforming Learning for a Third Century examines how to foster and assess collaboration, teamwork, and communication in higher education. It connects interdisciplinary learning goals with practical models that help students value diverse contributions, cooperate toward shared purposes, and communicate effectively with teammates, clients, or stakeholders. The paper reviews literature that defines teams and contrasts collaboration with related concepts, then outlines approaches for supporting these competencies and evaluating them in student development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Collaborative Learning & Teamwork

DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF COLLABORATION, TEAMWORK, AND COMMUNICATION Stephanie M. Kusano Amy J. Conger Mary C. Wright Citizen Interaction Design is a novel approach to learning that partners the local government of Jackson, Michigan with University of Michigan student teams. The students found great value in the collaborative learning environment fostered by the interactions with the course professor and the community. Giving the opportunity for students to act as consultants allowed them to learn even more from the faculty, and enhanced their learning experience through interaction with their peers (project groups) and the community.1 The objective of the Medical Device Sandbox (MDS) is to promote engaged interdisciplinary learning between medical learners and students from a variety of other disciplines...It consists of a coordinated space and environment for engineering students and medical trainees to interact both with medical technology and with each other. These learners will perform teambased analysis and brainstorming on use of current [medical] equipment, with the goal of identifying design improvements.2 The purpose of Michigan Engaging Community Through the Classroom is to provide multi-disciplinary, experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing professional careers that involve direct public service or that engage work on behalf of public clients and non-governmental organizations…Success in these professions increasingly requires that professionals have the ability to collaborate intelligently with professionals from other allied disciplines.3 1 Clifford Lampe, Scott TenBrink, and Kelly Kowatch,“Citizen Interaction Design.”TLTC grant, funded 2015. 2 John Gosbee, Rachael Schmedlen, and Jan Stegemann,“The Medical Device Sandbox: A Creative Learning Experience for Engineering Students and Medical Learners.” TLTC grant, funded 2015. 3 Richard Norton, Elisabeth Gerber, Gail Hohner, Patricia Koman, and Jim Kosteva,“Michigan Engaging Community through the Classroom (MECC) .” TLTC grant, funded 2015. Stephanie M. Kusano is a TLTC Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the University of Michigan. She has a Ph.D. in Engineering Education. Amy J. Congeris the Assistant Vice Provost for Global and Engaged Education. She has a Ph.D. from the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. Mary C. Wright is Director of Assessment and an Associate Research Scientist at CRLT. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology. Engaged Learning: Transforming Learning for a Third Century No. 4 Center for Research on Learning and Teaching Occasional Paper No. 35 This Occasional Paper focuses on fostering and assessing collaboration, teamwork, and communication. This involves encouraging students to appreciate and leverage diverse contributions to a task, developing their ability to cooperate with others towards common purposes, and increasing their capacity to communicate effectively with teammates, clients, or stakeholders (Third Century Initiative Student Learning, [http://](http://)[ ](http://)[thirdcentury.umich.edu/student-learning/](thirdcentury.umich.edu/student-learning/)). While equally important, this paper does not address students’general oral or written communication skills. Should that be of interest, available resources include the Sweetland Center for Writing ([https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland](https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland)) and the Council of Writing Program Administrators ([http://www.wpacouncil.org/whitepaper](http://www.wpacouncil.org/whitepaper)). Aligned with previous TLTC Occasional Papers, we begin with a discussion of how the literature currently conceptualizes collaboration and teamwork, the role of communication skills during collaborative work, and a discussion of the importance of this goal for student development. A summary of different approaches to promoting this goal and a dis

FAQs

What is the focus of the Occasional Paper?

It focuses on fostering and assessing collaboration, teamwork, and communication, including how students learn to leverage diverse contributions and communicate effectively with others.

How does the paper define collaboration for its purposes?

For this paper, collaboration refers to learning or work achieved through an interactive process toward a common goal, either internally or externally.

What relationship does the paper describe between teams and collaboration?

Teams are described with shared identity, common goals, interdependence, and distinctive roles, while collaboration is treated as a broader concept whose definitions vary by discipline, organization, or culture.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret