2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

From Self-Perception to Team Success: Analyzing Collaborative Team Dynamics and Interdisciplinary Teamwork in a Sustainability Capstone Course

Presented at Energy Conversion, Conservation and Nuclear Engineering Division (ECCNE) Technical Session 3

Teamwork is crucial in interdisciplinary projects as it brings together diverse perspectives, skills, and approaches, making it essential to evaluate how personal traits and the varying expertise of students from different majors influence the overall team performance throughout the project. Students’ roles within a team are highly influenced by their self-image, as the way individuals perceive their own strengths and weaknesses directly affects how they contribute to team dynamics.

In this context, the CATME (Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness) tool was employed to form teams, considering various self-assessments provided by the students. The self-assessment criteria included key areas such as writing skills, hands-on skills, commitment level, leadership role, leadership preference, big-picture versus detail-oriented tendencies, and previous hands-on experiences. These factors helped in creating balanced teams where students could complement each other’s abilities, ensuring a well-rounded approach to project work. This research compares students’ self-assessments with their team dynamics, as observed through the CATME system, and the overall outcomes of the project, including grading and performance. By analyzing these relationships, the study aims to uncover patterns between self-perceived abilities and actual contributions within a team setting. Understanding these connections could lead to more effective team formation strategies in the future, as well as provide insights into how students can be better equipped for collaborative work environments.

Since the Sustainability Capstone course is interdisciplinary, this research also explores how students from different majors perform regarding team dynamics and project outcomes. This aspect of the study is particularly valuable because students with diverse academic backgrounds bring different perspectives and skill sets to the table, which may influence team effectiveness and project success. By investigating these interdisciplinary interactions, the research seeks to provide recommendations on optimizing team performance, especially in environments that require collaboration across various fields of study. The findings could offer guidance on how to maximize the potential of student teams, leading to more cohesive teamwork and improved project results in interdisciplinary courses such as a sustainability capstone.

Authors

Dr. Tony Lee Kerzmann http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9445-3814 University of Pittsburgh [biography]

Dr. Tony Kerzmann is an Associate professor of mechanical engineering with over a decade of experience specializing in renewable energy systems, sustainable design, and engineering education. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and has since become a leading voice in the advancement of solar energy technologies and energy efficiency.

Dr. Kerzmann has published on topics such as solar power integration, sustainable infrastructure, and interdisciplinary approaches to solving environmental challenges. In addition to his research, Dr. Kerzmann is dedicated to mentoring engineering students, incorporating real-world sustainability challenges into his courses to prepare them for the evolving demands of the field. He actively collaborates with universities, industry partners, and communities to drive forward initiatives that promote both educational excellence and environmental stewardship.
Dr. David V.P. Sanchez http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7398-3130 University of Pittsburgh [biography]

David V.P. Sanchez is an Associate Professor in the Swanson School of Engineering’s Civil & Environmental Engineering department and the Associate Director for the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh. He serves as the Program Director for the Master’s in Sustainable Engineering, the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability, the John C. Mascaro Faculty Fellows, and the Sustainability Global Engagement grant. He is the faculty lead for the University Honors College Food Ecosystem Scholar Community.

His research lab, Sustainable Design Labs, focuses on fusing analytical chemistry, sustainability design principles and data analytics to address Water and Sustainability grand challenges. Current thrusts focus on Smarter Riversheds, Microbial Fuel cells and advanced oxidation and separation processes.

Focused on co-creating long term partnerships that synergize community vision with Pitt’s core competencies of research and education, Sanchez has built up Pitt Hydroponics in Homewood, founded Constellation Energy Inventor labs for K-12 students, and re-created the Mascaro Center’s Teach the Teacher sustainability program for science educators in the region.

As a teacher he designed and created the Sustainability capstone course which has annually partnered with community stakeholders to address sustainability challenges at all scales. Past projects have included evaluating composting stations in Wilkinsburg, studying infrastructure resilience in Homewood, enabling community solar in PA, improving energy efficiency in McCandless Township, and improving water quality in our rivers. He teaches core Sustainability courses, labs in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, electives in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program, the First-Year Engineering program, and International Study Abroad programs.
Suraya Rahim University of Pittsburgh

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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