Identifying Student Team Leaders and Social Loafers in a First-Year Engineering Cornerstone Robotics Design Project

Abstract

This research to practice work-in-progress paper discusses the potential use of team formation survey responses to predict the development of leaders and social loafers in a first-year engineering team design project. At a large Midwestern university, a robotics cornerstone design project is offered. This project-based and collaborative learning project involves teams designing an autonomous robot. The teams are self-driven and must utilize time and project management skills. To create the teams of four, a team formation survey is administered to the students via the CATME team formation software. Students self-identify levels of prior experience with robotics and technical skills, and levels of preference about leadership, ideas, and details. The instructional staff does not impose specific roles upon team members, but teams are formed so that each team can complete all elements. Anecdotally, this model has allowed for the emergence of both leaders and social loafers within the groups. Students who exhibit leadership qualities keep their teammates on task and schedule, maintain communication and participation, and ensure teammates get help when needed. Students who exhibit characteristics of social loafing, a term used in social psychology, put forth fewer ideas and less effort, require more direction to complete tasks, and do not communicate as well with the team. The absence of leadership or the presence of social loafing can hinder a team's performance and detract from the student experience. Thus, the instructional staff is interested in identifying potential leaders and social loafers on teams early so that appropriate guidance can be given to improve the experience. Throughout the project, students also complete peer evaluations and submit weekly timesheets. This work-in-progress paper presents a methodological plan for analyzing these data to determine if a correlation can be found from specific responses on the team formation survey to student team performance.