Abstract:

This work is part of a broader project aimed at promoting four transversal competences throughout the Degree in Food Science and Technology (FST), including Teamwork competence.

Teamwork enhances student learning by generating synergies toward shared goals and fostering principles highly valued in professional context, where graduates must operate within multidisciplinary teams in the food sector. Although Teamwork is integrated into the FST, primarily through active learning methodologies, its evaluation presents significant challenges. These include difficulties of gathering reliable evidence of individual contribution and leadership, implementing meaningful peer assessment, and managing the complex interpersonal dynamics that emerge during collaborative work.

In the initial stage of the project, eight learning outcomes related to Teamwork competence were defined and mapped their expected progression across the four academic years of the degree. As with the other transversal competences addressed in the project, an initial four- level assessment rubric was designed. However, challenges encountered during its implementation prompted a review of alternative approaches described in the scientific literature. Several models were evaluated (BigFive, TeamSTEPPS, TeamUp and Team Value), leading to the selection of TeamSTEPPS- a structured evidence-based team training system focusing on leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication. This analysis highlighted the inherent complexity of designing appropriate activities and collecting robust evidence aligned with the assessment rubric. It became evident that teamwork assessment required deeper reflection and that developing a general rubric applicable to all courses within the degree represented a substantial challenge.

This reflection has led to a coordinated effort to streamline the initially defined learning outcomes, resulting in a synthesized list of observable indicators to facilitate activity design, and redesigning the assessment rubric. The revised model incorporates a mixed assessment approach, combining both group and individual performance components. This work contributes to the improvement of teamwork assessment in technology degrees by providing practical, user-friendly tools for lecturers. Furthermore, it proposes a progressive implementation framework across the FST curriculum that could be adapted to other comparable degrees.

Keywords:

Teamwork, learning outcomes, assessment, evidence-based evaluation, higher education, Food Science and Technology.