Minimizing Communication Challenges Faced by Virtual Project Teams

Nathaniel Blalock; Alexis Rae Walsh; Daniel Patrick Mountain; Sarah Emily Norris; Courtney June Faber

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Conference: 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual Conference
Publication Date: July 26, 2021
Start Date: July 26, 2021
End Date: July 19, 2022
Conference Session: Student Division Technical Session 6
Tagged Division: Student
Page Count: 20
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--37509
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/37509
Download Count: 498

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Paper Authors

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Nathaniel Blalock University of Tennessee at Knoxville

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Nathaniel Blalock is pursuing a Chemical Engineering degree with biomolecular and pre-medicine concentrations from the University of Tennessee. He performs engineering education research with Dr. Courtney Faber, metabolic engineering with Dr. Cong Trinh, protein engineering research with Dr. Eric Boder, and neuroscience research with Dr. Larry Millet.

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Alexis Rae Walsh University of Tennessee at Knoxville

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I am a fourth year Industrial Engineering student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where I will be graduating this May.

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Daniel Patrick Mountain University of Tennessee - Knoxville

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Daniel Mountain is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a BS in chemical engineering, and is currently a master's candidate in chemical engineering at the University of Tennessee as well.

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Sarah Emily Norris

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Courtney June Faber University of Tennessee at Knoxville

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Courtney is a Research Assistant Professor and Lecturer in the Cook Grand Challenge Engineering Honors Program at the University of Tennessee. She completed her Ph.D. in Engineering & Science Education at Clemson University. Prior to her Ph.D. work, she received her B.S. in Bioengineering at Clemson University and her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. Courtney’s research interests include epistemic cognition in the context of problem solving, and researcher identity.

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Abstract

During the 2020 spring semester, courses rapidly transitioned online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid transition online and transformation of team projects presented a unique opportunity to study team dynamics, specifically communication challenges, within virtual team projects. For most students, the 2020 spring semester was the first time they had to complete a virtual team project; however, with the rise in remote work in industry, many students will have jobs that include virtual work on teams. As such, investigating the communication challenges undergraduate engineering students experienced provides important insights to guide classroom instruction and tips for students working on virtual teams. Furthermore, this work has the potential to improve both virtual and in-person team project designs and increase the impact of team projects on the education of engineering undergraduate students by encouraging effective communication. We collected open-ended survey responses and conducted interviews with a range of engineering majors and class standing. We analyzed the data with a conventional qualitative content approach allowing for the development of emergent codes. Throughout the coding process, inter-rater reliability was assessed until an agreement across researchers for each category was higher than 80% and overall IRR was higher than 90%. The data from the interviews showed students perceived poorer team communication in the virtual environment, limiting team’s effectiveness in completing tasks. Students also mentioned that the environment had negative effects on the collaboration and relationship formation of the group members. Some students described strategies they adapted for improving communication, including approaches for establishing clear expectations, streamlining meetings, and building trust. Results indicate that designing a meeting structure with thorough planning documentation that designates time for social interactions to foster trust between team members is a powerful method for encouraging effective communication and overall project success.

Citation
Format

Blalock, N., & Walsh, A. R., & Mountain, D. P., & Norris, S. E., & Faber, C. J. (2021, July), Minimizing Communication Challenges Faced by Virtual Project Teams Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--37509

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - During the 2020 spring semester, courses rapidly transitioned online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid transition online and transformation of team projects presented a unique opportunity to study team dynamics, specifically communication challenges, within virtual team projects. For most students, the 2020 spring semester was the first time they had to complete a virtual team project; however, with the rise in remote work in industry, many students will have jobs that include virtual work on teams. As such, investigating the communication challenges undergraduate engineering students experienced provides important insights to guide classroom instruction and tips for students working on virtual teams. Furthermore, this work has the potential to improve both virtual and in-person team project designs and increase the impact of team projects on the education of engineering undergraduate students by encouraging effective communication. We collected open-ended survey responses and conducted interviews with a range of engineering majors and class standing. We analyzed the data with a conventional qualitative content approach allowing for the development of emergent codes. Throughout the coding process, inter-rater reliability was assessed until an agreement across researchers for each category was higher than 80% and overall IRR was higher than 90%. The data from the interviews showed students perceived  poorer team communication in the virtual environment, limiting team’s  effectiveness in completing tasks. Students also mentioned that the  environment had negative effects on the collaboration and relationship formation of the group members. Some students described strategies they adapted  for improving communication, including approaches for establishing clear expectations, streamlining meetings, and building trust. Results indicate that designing a meeting structure with thorough planning documentation that designates time for social interactions to foster trust between team members is a powerful method for encouraging effective communication and overall project success.
AU  - Nathaniel Blalock
AU  - Alexis Rae Walsh
AU  - Daniel Patrick Mountain
AU  - Sarah Emily Norris
AU  - Courtney June Faber
CY  - Virtual Conference
DA  - 2021/07/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Minimizing Communication Challenges Faced by Virtual Project Teams
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/37509
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--37509
ER  -