Course content

In Experts in Teamwork, students develop teamwork skills by reflecting on and learning from specific situations of cooperation while carrying out a project. Students work in interdisciplinary teams with participants from diverse programmes of study. Interdisciplinary teamwork is used as an opportunity to develop collaborative skills that make teamwork more productive. Relevant problem areas from civic and working life form the basis for teamwork, and the results achieved by the teams are used to benefit internal and external partners. Students in EiT are divided into villages of up to 30 students, and each village is divided into interdisciplinary teams of five to six students. The language of instruction is either English or Norwegian. Each village is headed by a lecturer, called the village supervisor. In addition, two learning assistants in each village facilitate the student teams. Each village has a broad overall academic theme related to societal issues or challenges from working life. This theme forms the basis for the student team’s project work. The village may have external partners that represent the theme, and that may be advisers and recipients of the students’ work. The village themes are presented on the EIT website, and the desired combination of subjects in the villages is specified as a guide to help students choose a village.Students submit their preferences for five villages in order of priority through StudentWeb by 1 November. Students are allocated to the villages on the basis of their preferences, the village’s need for competence in various disciplines, and the number of places in the village. Teaching Methods The learning method in EiT is experience-based. An important part of the learning process is the situations that arise as the team works together. Students develop skills in collaboration by reflecting on these situations throughout the project life cycle. Team members perform reflection activities together, stimulated by facilitation, writing down reflections, exercises in teamwork, and feedback. The EiT staff create the professional foundation for facilitation, which is carried out by the village supervisor and learning assistants. Teaching consists of both teacher- and student-led activities. At the beginning, activities are arranged to introduce the students to each other. The village theme is presented to the students, who draw up a cooperation agreement in their teams. The student teams prepare a proposal for their project based on the village theme and the individual student’s academic competence and interests. After approval by the village supervisor, the student team works with the project throughout the semester or the intensive period. The student team is responsible for following up the cooperation agreement and for revising it if necessary. The members of the student team are facilitated while they work. Facilitation involves being observed and receiving feedback on the interaction in the team. Students write both personal reflections and team reflections. Reflections initiated by facilitation and reflective writing provide the basis for understanding how the individual member’s actions influence the teamwork. The team must initiate actions that increase its awareness of its teamwork, and take action to improve this if necessary. What is meant by "actions" is defined in the assessment criteria. The effect of the actions must be evaluated. Learning outcome - Knowledge Based on their own experience, students can describe the prerequisites for effective interdisciplinary teamwork. They can apply their skills in teamwork, and work together to find solutions to a variety of open problem formulations. They can identify key aspects of their teamwork, and reflect on the essence of these aspects in order to develop their team. They can provide constructive feedback to the people they are working with and to the team as a whole. They can help to change teamwork patterns to make the team more productive and create a positive, constructive and social climate for collaboration. Students can reflect on how their teamwork is influenced by their own behaviour patterns and attitudes, as well as those of others. Students can apply relevant concepts and fundamental group theory to develop a perspective on their own specific collaborative situations. Learning outcome - Skills Students can analyse their teamwork, and on the basis of their insight reflect on how they communicate, plan, decide, accomplish tasks, handle disagreements and relate to professional, social and personal challenges. Students can take initiatives (actions) that encourage cooperation, and they can change their patterns of interaction if necessary. Students can provide feedback to others in the team in constructive ways, and reflect on feedback from the team. Learning outcome - General competence Students extend their perspective on their own specialized knowledge in their encounters with skills from other disciplines. They can communicate and apply skills they have developed in their own field in collaboration with students from other disciplines. Students can collaborate with people from other disciplines, and they can contribute to realizing the potential of their combined interdisciplinary expertise. Mandatory Assignments Attendance is compulsory. Preparation of a cooperation agreement between the members of the student team during the first two village days. Oral presentation of the project and a dialogue about the teamwork in the student team when the teaching ends. The compulsory activities must be approved by the village supervisor before the final reports are submitted for assessment. Participation by the entire student team is a prerequisite. Evaluation: Semester assignment, semester paper, project assignment and similar Resit exam: Semester assignment, semester paper, project assignment and similar Evaluation Final reports consist of a project report and a process report by the students. The project report must describe the student team’s problem formulation and the result of the project work. The process report must describe the collaboration in the team and what the individual has experienced and learnt through shared reflection on relevant situations from the project teamwork. Expectations for the student team’s work and criteria for the evaluation are described in the Guide for Students: Experts in Teamwork. The final project report and process report by the student team are assessed in relation to the grading scale A–F. The team receives one common grade. The project report and the process report are each worth 50% of the final grade. In the event of a fail grade or if a candidate resits the examination having already passed it, the entire course must be repeated. Supporting material allowed on exams Grading A-F. Grade F is a fail Credit reductions Students must expect overlaps between courses and a reduction in credits; however, a complete overview of all topics from NTNU is not currently available. For further information, see www.ntnu.edu/eit and www.ntnu.edu/eit/course-description

Learning outcome

Learning outcome - Knowledge Based on their own experience, students can describe the prerequisites for effective interdisciplinary teamwork. They can apply their skills in teamwork, and work together to find solutions to a variety of open problem formulations. They can identify key aspects of their teamwork, and reflect on the essence of these aspects in order to develop their team. They can provide constructive feedback to the people they are working with and to the team as a whole. They can help to change teamwork patterns to make the team more productive and create a positive, constructive and social climate for collaboration. Students can reflect on how their teamwork is influenced by their own behaviour patterns and attitudes, as well as those of others. Students can apply relevant concepts and fundamental group theory to develop a perspective on their own specific collaborative situations.

Learning outcome - Skills Students can analyse their teamwork, and on the basis of their insight reflect on how they communicate, plan, decide, accomplish tasks, handle disagreements and relate to professional, social and personal challenges. Students can take initiatives (actions) that encourage cooperation, and they can change their patterns of interaction if necessary. Students can provide feedback to others in the team in constructive ways and reflect on feedback from the team.

Learning outcome - General competence Students extend their perspective on their own specialized knowledge in their encounters with skills from other disciplines. They can communicate and apply skills they have developed in their own field in collaboration with students from other disciplines. Students can collaborate with people from other disciplines, and they can contribute to realizing the potential of their combined interdisciplinary expertise.

Compulsory assignments

• Participation
• Oral presentation
• Cooperation agreement

Further on evaluation

The project report and the process report are each worth 50% of the final grade. In the event of a fail grade or if a candidate resits the examination having already passed it, the entire course must be repeated. Supporting material allowed on exams Grading A-F. Grade F is a fail

Specific conditions