Is Teamwork Different Online Versus Face-to-Face? A Case in Engineering Education

Julian Goñi, Catalina Cortázar, Danilo Alvares, Uranía Donoso and Constanza Miranda
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Julian Goñi: DILAB School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 7820436 Santiago, Chile
Catalina Cortázar: DILAB School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 7820436 Santiago, Chile
Danilo Alvares: Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 7820436 Santiago, Chile
Uranía Donoso: DILAB School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 7820436 Santiago, Chile
Constanza Miranda: DILAB School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 7820436 Santiago, Chile

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: online learning; teamwork; engineering education; digital teamwork; socially-shared regulation of learning; team conflict; project-based learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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