Effective Student Teams: A Faux Hiring And Peer Evaluation Process

Abstract

Student team projects provide benefits to the education process and provide experience valued by employers, but they can also be a source of conflict, free-riding and are fraught with ‘fairness’ issues. The advantages of using teams for faculty are that they provide opportunities for synergies and collaboration, while also simulating group work processes. However, due to free-riding, scheduling problems and differing goals, there are fertile grounds for team conflicts. Therefore, there exists a need for better methods of forming teams and a process to assure shared goals by team members. This research proposes an innovative approach to team creation where students participate in a ‘hiring’ process that increases team cohesiveness and ultimately team performance. Preliminary empirical validation is also provided that supports this approach.