Utilizing art exhibits as a low-stakes activity to improve teamwork experiences

Engineering students may obtain the technical skills required of them upon graduation, but many students still need development in the interpersonal skills necessary for teamwork and team efficiency. This research proposes that the low-stakes activity of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) can be used as a tool to practice communication and active listening. VTS is a tool for observers to have guided interactions with artwork and has shown to promote observation and listening skills in participants in the medical field, though little research has been done on the impact in the engineering field. This research found that implementing VTS activities in a small pilot course was an effective way to increase students' preference towards teamwork, as measured by the Collective Orientation instrument. This mixed-methods study shows 16 out of 22 participants increased their Collective Orientation score and positive interview data was collected from the diverse population that participated, which varied in year, major, race/ethnicity, and gender. This study shows VTS can be a powerful, free, low-stakes tool to help increase team cohesion and efficiency in any course.