2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Harmonizing Team Dynamics and Personality Strengths in Effectively Managing a Large Educational STEM Program

Presented at Engineering Management Division (EMD) Technical Session 3

It has been argued that technical competence and leadership alone are not the keys to project success outcomes; team dynamics and personality composition are other indicators that synergistically affect project outcomes. This paper investigates how team dynamics and personality strengths can be harmonized to effectively manage a large educational STEM program comprising multi-departmental projects. Using evidence from reviews, personal correspondence, and surveys, the paper describes how personality strengths and team dynamics have been synergistically blended based on a personality theoretical framework. The paper shows that this approach has led to successful program outcomes during the past four years, especially in improving key constructs associated with STEM student success, such as academic performance, motivation, self-efficacy, and identity. The paper also discusses the implications of this study for STEM teacher education and professional development.

Authors

Adekemisola Olufunmilayo Asahiah http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7363-6742 Morgan State University
Dr. Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E. Morgan State University [biography]

Dr. Oludare Owolabi, a professional engineer in Maryland, joined the Morgan State University faculty in 2010. He is the director of the Sustainable Infrastructure Development, Smart Innovation and Resilient Engineering Research Lab as well as the director of the Undergraduate programs in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Morgan State University
Mr. Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4969-9591 Morgan State University [biography]

Pelumi Abiodun is a current doctoral student and research assistant at the department of Civil Engineering, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland. Pelumi got his BSc and MSc degree in Physics from Obafemi Awolowo University, where he also served as a research assistant at the Environmental Pollution Research unit, in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. As part of his contribution to science and engineering, Pelumi has taught as a teaching assistant both at Morgan State University and Obafemi Awolowo University. With passion to communicate research findings and gleaned from experts in the field as he advances his career, Olaitan has attended several in-persons and virtual conferences and workshop, and at some of them, made presentation on findings on air pollution, waste water reuse, and heavy metal contamination.
Oyinkansola Aladeokin Morgan State University
Hannah Abedoh Morgan State University [biography]

Hannah Abedoh is a highly motivated doctoral student in Business Management, specializing in Information Science and Systems. She is actively engaged in advanced research, focusing on the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on learning.
Dr. Olushola V. Emiola-Owolabi Morgan State University [biography]

Olushola Emiola-Owolabi graduated from the Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy at Morgan State University with a PhD. She had her first and second degree in journalism at the University of Lagos Nigeria. She worked as a public relations officer in a

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