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Teamwork

Check out PATHS introduction to teamwork video

About this PATHS attribute

Group work and teamwork, terms often used interchangeably, involve two or more individuals collaborating to achieve a common goal. 

Where to start? Follow this pathway for a complete learning experience or pick the scenario that applies to your course. Each section includes: 

  • A description of the learning object and associated learning outcomes 
  • Estimated activity time 
  • Instructor notes and helpful suggestions 
  • Options to download or embed resources 
  • Video transcripts and accessible document versions 

For examples of how to organize content in eClass, visit our demo site.

New to H5P? Learn more about using and adapting H5Ps in eClass here.

Expand to explore

Incorporating teamwork

Estimated Reading Time: 1 minute

Be Intentional

  • Identify opportunities to incorporate teamwork in your course. 
  • Decide what you want to achieve through the team activity and how the activity relates to your course objectives, learning outcomes and course content.
  • Consider the following:
    • "What is the objective of the activity? How will that objective be furthered by asking students to work in groups?
    • Is the activity challenging or complex enough that it requires group work? Will the project require true collaboration?"1
    • Will this be a brief activity? A small, in-class activity? A larger activity over several weeks?

Be Clear

  • Talk to students about the benefits of working in teams and developing teamwork skills, explain why these skills are important and why you are incorporating teamwork activities and group assignments in the course. Clarify your role as the facilitator.
  • Introduce students to teamwork by incorporating PATHS learning objects and tools into your course.

Be Mindful

  • Select meaningful opportunities that align with the course learning objectives and let others go. Students should not be overwhelmed with strategies and activities. 
  • Ensure activities and opportunities are presented in accessible and inclusive formats. 

End Notes:

  1. University of Waterloo, Centre for Teaching Excellence. "Implementing Group Work in the Classroom".

Ryerson University, Learning and Teaching Office. "Best Practices on Groupwork"

University of Waterloo, Centre for Teaching Excellence. "Implementing Group Work in the Classroom".

Explore strategies

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

Description and ExamplesPATHS Tools
Explain the big picture or final goal of the team activity and why you have structured the activity a particular way (e.g. designed with several steps and smaller activities).1Scaffolded Learning and Timely Feedback
Talk to students about their past experiences with teamwork. Together, discuss challenges and what worked well, and allow them to establish some ground rules for successful collaboration in the classroom.
Help build a team atmosphere. Have students introduce themselves to their team and share something about themselves before attending to their task. For longer activities, consider introducing an ice breaker and incorporating a team charter.Develop a Team Charter
Devote time to discussing and developing teamwork skills and provide students with guidance, tools and resources to help them practice developing effective teamwork skills.Prepare Students for Teamwork

Support Students Working in Teams
Nudge students to supports and resources that will help them overcome challenges as teams.Help Students Navigate Challenges in Teams
Description and ExamplesPATHS Tools
Introduce students to teamwork early on with small team activities (e.g. discussing the syllabus, Buzz Groups, Jigsaw, Think-Pair-Share)2
Make real-world connections with case studies and authentic learning or problem based learning activities and ask students to generate ideas and solutions as team. Connections to Real-World Experience Pathway
Use teamwork to help students tackle larger, complex tasks and generate ideas (e.g. brainstorming, mind mapping, presentations, podcasts, research).
Create study teams to support student learning and leverage the benefits of learning as teams.
Description and ExamplesPATHS Tools
Rubrics: Provide students with a teamwork rubric that will be used to evaluate the team outcome and their participation. Teamwork Rubric
Team Check Ins: Use feedback and formative assessment tools to help students receive and use feedback to improve performance.  Checking in as a Team
Peer and self-evaluation: Ask students to submit peer and self-evaluations for summative purposes. Peer and Self-Evaluation Tool
Team evaluation: Ask teams to submit a team evaluation as a summative assessment. Teamwork Rubric

Helpful Considerations

  • How will teams be formed and how many students will be on each team? How will you ensure diversity? Team size can depend on the number of students in your course, the size of your classroom and type of course (online, asynchronous, hybrid, in-person), the variety of voices needed within a team, and the complexity of the task assigned. Randomly assigning students to teams is suggested, however, to ensure diversity across teams this may require you to assign students more strategically. 
  • How will students be physically arranged in groups if the team activity takes place in the classroom? "Will it be easy for groups to form and for all students to be comfortable? Consider how the layout of your classroom will impact sound volume in the space. Will students be able to hear one another and communicate clearly?  How can you moderate the activity to control volume?"2 
  • When will teams do the bulk of their work and how much time will the team activity take? Will students have sufficient time to collaborate and complete the activity as a team? Will students work together during class time at all?2
  • It is important to ensure accessible and inclusive opportunities for students to complete activities and practice developing their self-regulation skills. 

End Notes:

  1. University of Waterloo, Centre for Teaching Excellence. "Implementing Group Work in the Classroom".
  2. University of Waterloo, Centre for Teaching Excellence. Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups and Group work in the Classroom: Small Group Tasks.

Carneige Mellon University, Eberly Center. "Group Projects: What are the best practices for designing group projects?".

George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library. "Team Effectiveness".

Ryerson University, Learning and Teaching Office. "Best Practices on Groupwork"

Using PATHS learning objects

Estimated Reading Time: 1 minute

  • Customize PATHS tools to incorporate  examples and information specific to the course topic, divide information and lessons into smaller activities, and make connections for students between course content and real-word examples (e.g. discuss how professionals in your discipline work in teams). 
  • Include PATHS tools as stand-alone learning objects or supplementary content to support class assignments, activities, and tasks. PATHS tools can be graded or ungraded activities. 
  • Avoid using PATHS tools solely as an "additional resource" for students to explore on their own time. 
  • Explicitly introduce PATHS activities to students. You can do so during class, in your syllabus, online, or as a class announcement. 
  • Identify where you may need to provide alternate versions and accessible documents for students, these options are provided across all PATHS tools. 

Accomplish more by collaborating as teams

Students complete group assignments and teamwork to accomplish tasks through collaboration. Through working with others, students can develop their skills in problem-solving and decision-making, communication and active listening, integrative and critical thinking, maintaining team relationships, and leadership of self and others. 

Learning about group and teamwork

Estimated time: 6.5 minutes

Format: Interactive Video

Description: Students will learn about the distinction between group work and teamwork, why we work in teams, why early experiences with teamwork in the classroom are important and identify skills and characteristics of high performing teams.

Note for instructors: Instructors can assign this interactive video before or as part of the first team assignment in a course. Students can prepare by watching the interactive video, individually or with their team. This learning object can be paired with any of the items in this section or be used as a stand-alone item.

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: YouTube Video, Video Transcript

How do effective teams work?

Estimated time: 7.5 minutes

Format: Interactive Video

Description: Students will learn about team dynamics through Tuckman's model of team development, recognize team dynamics and group conflict, reflect on a past teamwork experience and recognize the importance of teamwork to learning and professional settings.

Note for instructors: Instructors can assign this interactive video before or as part of the first group or team assignment in a course. Students can watch this interactive video, individually or with their team, to prepare. This learning object can be paired with any of the items in this section or used as a stand-alone item.

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: YouTube Video, Video Transcript

Student Learning Object (PDF)

Tuckman's model of team development

Estimated time: 1-2 minutes

Format: Infographic

Description: This learning object provides a high-level, breakdown of Tuckman's model of team development.

Note for instructors: This learning object provides a condescend version of the content provided in the "How do effective teams work?" interactive video. Instructors may choose to use this learning object as a stand-alone item or as supplementary content.

Suggestion: Instructors can share this information as part of an announcement in eClass upon the start of a group assignment or include this learning object in a group assignment document.

Student Learning Object

Download PDF

Building high performing teams

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Format: Activity (Interactive Presentation)

Description: Students will have the opportunity to make connections to real-world examples by learning about Google's research about high-performing teams. Students will also be introduced to strategies that promote psychological safety in teams. 

Note for instructors: Instructors can pair this learning object along with any other items in this section. Instructors can also separate the components of this learning object by first focusing on the traits of successful teams, and then introducing students to strategies that support psychological safety. 

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: Audio Transcript, Word Document, Infographic

Learning the fundamentals of teamwork

Providing guidance through effective tools and templates can help students get a positive start to teamwork and prepare them to navigate more complex tasks and assignments later in their studies.

Developing a team charter

Estimated time: 10-15 minutes

Format: Activity (Worksheet)

Description: Students will work to develop a foundational document (Team Charter) that will set team ground rules and expectations , identify goals and set timelines, and determine roles and responsibilities. This document will serve as a reference point for the duration of the project and can help students navigate the processes and challenges of teamwork. 

Note for instructors: Instructors can have teams complete a Team Charter prior to introducing any of the other items in this section and sections below. 

Suggestion: This learning object can be paired with "Support self-regulated learning: Setting SMART(ER) Goals".

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: Word Document

Making decisions as a team

Estimated time: 2 mins

Format: Activity (Interactive Presentation)

Description: Students will learn about common team decision making techniques  and identify which technique(s) they will use as a team. 

Note for instructors: Instructors can assign this activity for students to complete individually or as a team. This tool can be used as a presentation or slide deck  to review the common techniques with students.

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: Word Document

Checking in as a team: Team Huddle

Estimated time: 5-15 mins

Format: Activity (Worksheet)

Description: Students will learn how to assess team environment and performance using the “Stop, Start, Continue” feedback model and identify actions to maintain or improve team environment and performance. Students can apply this tool during a team huddle at their next team meeting. 

Note for instructors: Instructors can pair this learning object with all other items in this section, or introduce this activity separately, ideally early in the team development stage. Instructors can assign this learning object for students individually and then ask students to incorporate this tool as part of normal team meetings.

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: Word Document

Team meeting planner

Estimated time: 5-10 minutes

Format: Activity (Worksheet)

Description: Students will learn how to plan and execute effective and productive team meetings. As a team, students will create an agenda to use at an upcoming meeting and prepare to provide individual updates.

Note for instructors: Instructors can pair this learning object with all other items in this section, or, introduce this activity separately, ideally early on in the team development stage.

Suggestion: This learning object works well with the "Checking in as a team" and "Project and task tracker" learning objects in this section.

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: Word Document

Project and task tracker

Estimated time: 5-15 minutes

Format: Activity

Description: Project and Task Tracker description

Note for instructors: Instructors can pair this learning object with all other items in this section, or, introduce this activity separately, ideally early on in the team development stage.

Suggestion: This learning object works well with the "Checking in with your team" and "Team meeting planner" learning objects in this section.

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: Word Document

Formative mid-term peer evaluation tool

Estimated time: 5-15 minutes

Format: Activity (Worksheet)

Description: Students will  learn about peer evaluation and complete a peer evaluation to provide helpful feedback to their team members. 

Note for instructors: Instructors can use this tool to provide students with teamwork evaluation criteria early during the team formation process, as a helpful reference point for expectations. Instructors can adapt the submission process for completing this activity and receiving feedback based on class size, format and capacity. For example, students can submit a full team evaluation to their instructor and after review, the instructor can provide each team member with personalized feedback to maintain confidentiality.

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: Word Document, Rubric

We can guide students through teamwork

Providing guidance through effective tools and templates can help students get a positive start to teamwork and prepare them to navigate more complex tasks and assignments later in their studies. 

Students can learn strategies to navigate team challenges

Giving students opportunities to learn about strategies to navigate team issues like disagreements, groupthink, or other conflicts, empowers them with tools to overcome these challenges and move forward with their goals. 

Self and peer evaluation tool

Estimated time: N/A

Format: Activity

Description: Students will  learn about the purpose of evaluation, how to provide effective feedback, and will complete a self and peer evaluation after a team activity or group assignment has been completed. 

Note for instructors:  Instructors can use this tool to provide students with  teamwork evaluation criteria early during the team formation process, as a helpful reference point for expectations. Instructors can adapt the submission process for completing this tool and receiving feedback based on class size, format and capacity. For example, students can submit a full team evaluation to their instructor and after review, the instructor can provide each team member with their personalized feedback to maintain confidentiality.

Student Learning Object (H5P)

Other available formats: Word Document, Rubric

Evaluation tools help students gain valuable insights

Evaluation tools provide students with a consistent set of criteria to measure their performance and progress and gain valuable insights about their areas for growth. Instructors can use these tools to provide students with guidance about standards and expectations for teamwork, evaluate student contribution and quality of work, and assess if learning outcomes are achieved.