Collaborative project-based learning approach to the enculturation of senior engineering students into professional engineer practice of teamwork

Working in teams is a vital component within the chemical engineering profession [1]. For senior chemical engineering students, the capstone design course provides an opportunity for students to work in teams to develop their teamwork skills in preparation for their future career. To better emphasize that necessary professional skills, especially teamwork, the Penn State Chemical Engineering capstone design course was redesigned for the 2017-2018 academic year. This paper aims to investigate student perceptions on their teamwork experiences during capstone design yielding insights to further scaffold students in the future. We conducted a questionnaire with both closed- and open-ended items. Descriptive statistics and qualitative coding helped investigate students' perception of the role of teamwork, themes from their reported teamwork experiences, and tensions between the themes. Given the conflicting perspectives on teamwork and problematic experience, conflict resolution strategies were absent from student responses, which we identify as a gap in the student's perceptions of teamwork. Thus, in moving forward, we recommend incorporating conflict resolution into curriculum as a critical part of teamwork.