Is teamwork different online versus face-to-face? A case in engineering education

Julian Goñi, Catalina Cortázar, Danilo Álvarez, Uranía Donoso, Constanza Miranda

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Teamwork has been systematically studied in engineering education as an educational method and a learning outcome. Based on the recent advances in socially-shared regulation as a framework for teamwork processes, this study explores the impact of the transition to online learning. The purpose of this study is to understand if face-to-face and online team dynamics differ concerning the prevalence of personal goals, team challenges, and individual/social strategies. The Adaptive Instrument for Regulation of Emotions (AIRE) Questionnaire was used to compare two semesters in project-based learning engineering courses that were face-to-face (2019) and then converted to an online modality (2020) due to the COVID-19 crisis. Our results show that both modalities report mostly the same prevalence of goals, challenges, and strategies. However, online students tend to manifest a significantly lower prevalence of specific challenges and strategies, suggesting that online teamwork may have involved less group deliberation. These results provide evidence for the "equivalency theory" between online and face-to-face learning in a context where all systemic levels transitioned to a digital modality. These findings raise the question of whether online teaching encourages the emergence of team conflict and deliberation needed for creative thinking.
Original languageEnglish
Article number10444
Pages (from-to)1-18
Number of pages18
JournalSustainability
Volume12
Issue number24
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Dec 2020

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • online learning
  • teamwork
  • engineering education
  • digital teamwork
  • socially-shared regulation of learning
  • team conflict
  • project-based learning

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