Team learning for innovation in higher education: a mixed methods study

In Higher Education, many changes towards more student-centred and interdisciplinary education are designed and implemented. In order to design such educational innovations, teachers in higher education have to work together in teams. In this research we study these teacher collaboration processes from a perspective of team learning. Team learning consists of a compilation of processes that circularly generate change or improvement. The three basic team learning processes described in the literature are sharing, co-construction and constructive conflict. The nature of these processes differs in different contexts. Until now, quantitative studies have yielded ambiguous results concerning the distinction between team learning processes, and qualitative research about team learning is relatively scarce. In our study, we therefore aim to provide a comprehensive description of the nature of team learning in higher education, using a mixed method design. Our study takes place at a Dutch research university, that is implementing a change towards modular (15 ECTS) and project-based bachelor courses. Teacher teams are responsible for designing these modules. In a qualitative part of our study, we followed ten teacher teams during their module (re) design, and recorded their team meetings. In the quantitative part of the study we administered a questionnaire to 120 teacher teams. Preliminary analyses indicate that a different operationalization of the basic team learning processes is needed, in order to better describe team learning in teams of more than three persons. In our poster session we will present this new operationalization