2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This GIFTS paper describes a structured approach to teaching conflict resolution skills to first-year STEM students through a portable intercultural module (PIM) implemented in a large introductory course. Recent industry data underscores the critical need for such training - while 98% of employers rate teamwork as a critical career readiness competency, 73% report difficulty finding graduates with essential soft skills like teamwork and conflict resolution. This gap is particularly concerning as only 77% of recent STEM graduates rate themselves as proficient in teamwork, and 60% of STEM employees never receive basic conflict resolution training.

This paper addresses this critical skills gap by presenting a comprehensive 90-minute asynchronous module on “productive conflict” that was integrated into a first-year course enrolling over 120 students. The module introduces students to foundational concepts of conflict styles, trust, and psychological safety while providing practical strategies for bridging differences and managing emotions in team settings. The implementation took place during Fall 2022 at a large Midwestern university as part of a project-based learning course where students worked in randomly assigned teams of 4-6 members throughout the semester. The module’s learning objectives focused on five key areas: (1) understanding different conflict styles and their impact on team dynamics, (2) reflecting on personal conflict styles and their influence on interactions, (3) exploring concepts of trust and psychological safety, (4) developing strategies to bridge differences and manage emotions during conflicts, and (5) applying theoretical knowledge through a capstone reflection. The module’s structure includes interactive components on conflict styles, types of trust and psychological safety, and practical strategies for bridging differences. A culminating capstone reflection required students to analyze a fictional team conflict scenario and propose resolution strategies.

To assess the effectiveness of this intervention, a detailed rubric was developed, adapted from established frameworks in the literature. The rubric evaluates six key categories: dispute resolution, feedback implementation, information sharing, versatile leadership, empathy, and ethical behavior. Each category was scored across three levels (Basic, Proficient, and Advanced) with specific criteria for each level. Students’ capstone reflections were analyzed using this rubric to measure their understanding and application of conflict resolution concepts.
This work contributes to the growing body of knowledge about integrating soft skills development into STEM education, particularly in addressing the critical need for conflict resolution training in first-year programs. The module's portable nature makes it easily adaptable for various STEM disciplines and institutional contexts. By focusing on first-year students, this intervention helps establish foundational teamwork skills early in students’ academic careers, potentially improving their performance in future team-based courses and preparing them for workplace challenges. This work addresses multiple priorities identified in the First-Year Programs Division, including innovative approaches to first-year engineering education, assessment of learning objectives, project-based learning, and insights into teaming and group work. By sharing this module, the paper aims to provide other educators with a framework for developing similar programs at their institutions, ultimately contributing to better-prepared STEM graduates who can effectively navigate team dynamics and conflicts in their future careers.
Keywords: teamwork, conflict resolution, STEM, undergraduate, team dynamics, professional skills, intercultural competence, soft skills, higher education