Description

The project has implemented a project-based virtual collaboration between students at Coventry University (CU, UK) and Ryerson University (RU, Canada) with the aim to develop the people management skills and enhance important STEM learning issues such as engagement, retention, participation, experience and satisfaction. Students use a variety of communication technologies and other software to form virtual international teams combining different subject disciplines, in a simulation of professional learning activity based on a specific project scenario. At this stage, the project has yielded interesting findings regarding the current practice of virtual teamworking, and has a very positive impact on student experience with the proportion of satisfied students increases by 17% from last year. The existing work has a real potential to refine the existing models of global multi-disciplinary learning in built environment education.

Media

Status

The project activities are still on-going, beyond the two years of funding. In this academic year, we concentrate on the core activities of virtual team collaboration with around 200 students impacted.

Findings & Achievements:

We have obtained both qualitative and quantitative data, including 23 interviews, 43 personal reflection essays, 309 completed questionnaires from undergraduate students (69 from phase 1 and 240 from phase 2), individual student and group marks for phases 1 and 2, 114 assessment written feedback, and completed module evaluation questionnaire from all students. Several key findings are presented as follows: virtual collaboration seems to have no significant impact on student performance, but has improved planning for future work; the intervention has impacted positively on student satisfaction. Key indicators showed that overall satisfaction for the module had actually increased 17% from the previous year (from 64% to 81%); trust building and “professional ethos of the students” emerge as “single greatest factor” of collaboration success; and the participating students felt that the activity would have a positive impact on their future employability.

Project Network:

Collaboration within Catalyst:

Our collaboration exists outside of Catalyst with Ryerson University, Canada.

Suggestion Box:

We wish to thank the organizers for their enormous to make this work!!