Promoting Collaboration and Team Building through "Fair Game" Problem-Based Exercise

Collaboration among team members is essential for the success of semester-long projects, especially for students who are not familiar with each other, especially in their early academic years.To address this challenge, this study proposes an innovative approach called "Fair Game" for professors to facilitate relationship building, identify individual strengths, and create plans for team success.The "Fair Game" activity is a problem-based exercise that was developed to foster team connection and collaboration.The activity involved students selecting scores, either their own or their teammates', for each problem, which impacted their final grading.The score choices were influenced by students' prior preparation and their understanding of their teammates' readiness, as each student took the test independently.Our research employed both quantitative and qualitative analyses, utilizing actual performance data and feedback gathered through surveys and assessments.These analyses aimed to explore the relationship between students' self-efficacy, individual task performance, and teamwork effectiveness.The results suggest that the "Fair Game" activity can serve as a catalyst for improved teamwork, leading to enhanced project outcomes.