Since 1997, Building Engineering Student Team Effectiveness and Management Systems (BESTEAMS) faculty members have researched engineering student project team performance and developed modules for training instructors on how to effectively use teams in their own classes. The original BESTEAMS partnership includes faculty members from Howard University, Morgan State University, the United States Naval Academy, and the University of Maryland, College Park.  Together, these teachers and researchers built engineering team-centered curriculum that supports effective project team experiences throughout the entire undergraduate academic program.

Effective team performance is promoted through a series of teaching modules that cover three key aspects of teamwork at increasing levels of complexity (introductory, intermediate and advanced).  The modules are designed for maximum flexibility and can be adapted to a single class period or longer. The material is distilled and designed specifically for engineering project teams and thus minimizes the amount of time the instructor must take to learn the material related to teamwork. The first level of these modules (Introductory) can be found in the BESTEAMS Curriculum Guide for Faculty, available for purchase at www.collegehousebooks.com.

Please direct BESTEAMS questions to Dr. Linda Schmidt

University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA   301.405.1000