University of Melbourne: A Programme-Wide Framework for Teaching, Practicing and Assessing Teamwork

In this chapter we describe a framework for teaching, practicing, and assessing teamwork (TPAT) across a degree programme. Teamwork is crucial for engineering graduates, yet current curricula often lack a consistent, programme-wide approach to developing teamwork skills. Students are often expected to work in teams without sufficient explicit instruction. Additionally, degree programmes might lack design of scaffolding for and assessment of the incremental development of teamwork. Our framework, designed for The University of Melbourne’s Infrastructure Engineering programme, addresses this by providing a systematic approach to support and assess attainment of teamwork competencies and skills throughout a student’s degree journey. The framework was developed through a process, beginning with a review of key literature on teamwork in engineering education. From this literature review a common definition of teamwork was synthesised, comprising seven dimensions (adaptability, feedback, communication, coordination, collectivism, leadership, and empathy) and several associated behaviours. These were mapped across the degree programme to ensure structured skill progression. Feedback from module coordinators helped refine this mapping to align with the existing curriculum and teaching needs. Teaching and assessment activities were then identified and aligned with each behaviour to support academics looking to implement the framework.