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Combining groupware and total quality management principles to improve engineering students' teamwork skills

Studies have revealed industry's concern that engineering graduates lack the ability to communicate effectively and work in team settings. In response to these concerns, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a successful format to address these problems. The format integrates engineering students, a total quality management (TQM) philosophy and groupware technology. A Georgia Tech TQM class utilized a groupware system for brainstorming and ranking priorities. Specifically, the students responded to the question: "Given your understanding of the TQM principles of continuous improvement, if you could make one recommendation to the President of Georgia Tech about how he could improve the Tech experience, what would you recommend?" The study was conducted in 14 one-hour lab settings with an average group size of eight students. The groupware system was configured for anonymity. Within each session, the students could see and respond to each other's comments in real time. The groupware enabled them to observe their communication process, to "listen" to one another and realize the benefit of team dialogue. Each group developed a prioritized list, along with supporting comments, of recommendations for improvement. The results were forwarded to the administration of Georgia Tech for consideration in its strategic planning process.