Bridging the Gap Between Industry and Higher Education: Training Academics to Promote Student Teamwork

The need for graduates who are prepared for employment and skilled in teamwork has been widely advocated over the last decade, in Britain and across the world. This paper outlines a rationale for the development of groupwork in higher education and describes a BP (British Petroleum)-sponsored programme and its impact in 10 institutions across England and Scotland. The major aims have been to provide academics with professional development in teaching such skills, and to deliver courses to students to give them an idea of the potential and the difficulties of teamwork. A series of (mostly) outdoor problem-solving activities is used, with a specific focus on understanding the benefits of working with others, reflecting upon how each task has been performed, and learning about the theoretical principles of teamwork and team review. 1 A case-study of a programme run in a department of Law is briefly outlined. Summaries of progress in other universities highlight problems of institutional change. Although discussion is set within the context of the BP-funded programme, the issues are far wider than this one initiative. For example, the benefits of strategic teamwork for students, the explicit training of both students and staff in teamwork skills, the strengthening of professional development in teaching skills, effective partnership with external bodies and the difficulties of institutional change are all issues that are worthy of attention throughout higher education.