The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 24, 2000 - 3 MLI fosters teamwork Natalie Plosky Daily Staff Reporter According to a study conducted by the Office of Career Planning and Placement with employment recruiters, the chief quality desired in prospective employees is the ability to work on a team effective- lv. In response to these findings, a project launched by Michigan Leadership Initiatives, a division of Student Affairs at the University, is seeking to improve the quality of teamwork education in classes. The project began in 1996, following a 1995 report on a task force conducted across the University on team building skills which indicated that students were not receiving proper instruction on team- work. The study was replicated by dif- ferent departments on campus, the National Advisory Board, and the Industrial and Operations Engineering Department and the con- clusions were the same - all fresh- men students at the University need to be proficient in working in teams. Since then, several teams under MLI have been working to develop a method to teach teambuilding skills in classes. By October 1998, a model for incorpo- rating team building skills was intro- duced into the engineering curriculum. Soon after, Engineering 100 became the first freshman class to teach teamwork skills using the coursepack of materials developed by the MLI teams. This past year, the project materials were used in Engineering 100 classes, and some sections of Math 115, but the project received little exposure in other academic areas and the materi- als were not accessed as the project leaders had expected. To remedy this problem, MLI con- ducted research in 1999 in student focus groups with students who had used the teamwork materials in their classes. Based on student feedback about the pro- gram, MLI has been working to revise their approach. Students in the focus groups said they enjoyed working in groups when the type of assignment required a group to get results, such as in foreign language and writing. But students were frustrated by working in groups when the assignment did not require a group to complete the project, like math. "Professors often assign things that don't require group work," a focus group student, who wished to remain anony- mous, remarked. "It's frustrating because it doesn't seem like you are doing group work for a real reason." The summer 2000 group named itself Teamwork Education at Michigan and is composed of a group of students, faculty and staff from different schools and departments at the University. T.E.A.M. has been collaborating twice a week over the summer to revise the materials from last year. The coursepack of materials has been reworked several times by MLI teams and this summer it is in its fourth revision. To supplement the coursepa- ek, T.E.A.M is redesigning a Website to reinforce teamwork learning. Katie Foley, a student member of T.E.A.M. for the past two summers, said the project was significant because it fos- ters leadership abilities. "The involvement in leadership in things outside the classroom is one of a college student's most valuable learning experiences, and if we can bring that to the classroom in small ways, our time at U of M will only improve," Foley said. "This year is especially important for the project because we will be testing out new materials in courses," she added. "If they work, we can hopefully move forward and incorpo- rate these things into many more classes and possibly other schools. In the fall, T.EA.M. plans to continue using their materials in Engineering 100 classes, and to expand into such areas as nursing and psychology. But, the project will be directing their efforts away from math classes. T.E.A.M. will also be work- ing with target professors to assess how effective teamwork instruction is in sev- eral academic areas. Joanne Alnajjar, a student member of TE.A.M., outlined the goals for T.E.A.M. "Hopefully, students will embrace teamwork skills and will apply those skills to their extracurricular and employ- ment experiences," Alnajjar said. x- - A view of the fair from Burton Tower. An estimated 500,000 people flocked to Ann Arbor this week to purchase and view the works of art filling the streets. 7air spans 26 blocks ART FAIR Continued from Page 1 conditions" Along with the large number of visi- tors to Ann Arbor comes a substantial amount of extra revenue for local busi- esses. Best said the fair has an esti- ted Sl I million direct impact on the city, including higher numbers in restaurant sales, hotel guests and car rentals. The Ann Arbor Art Fair, which is commonly referred to as one of the best in the country, boasts over 1,100 artists from all over the country. Some artists traveled all the way from Texas and California to display and sell their rk. "I've heard great things from the artists," Best said. "Some are happy that the consumer here seems more educat-- ed and has a greater interest in talking with the artists about their work." Art vendor Lynn Creighton spent four days driving from California in order to be a part of the Art fair. Although this is her first appearance in Ann Arbor's fair, she said she would gladly come back if she were invited. "1'm here to have the interaction and 1rease the selling of my work,", Creighton said. Specializing in bronze feminine sculptures, Creighton said her work is special because it has a message. "The work has something to say - women can celebrate who they truly are," Creighton said. "Women are too complacent. They h. aeve lost contact with the power of, teir own sexuality; they need to own and explore their energy and speak the truth that they hold inside of" them." Manv of the artists in Ann Arbor attach special meaning to their work. Steve Howell has been traveling from Gainesville, Florida for the Art Fair reg- ularly since 1985. "To sell, I do ceramics," Howell said. "I also paint, but I don't want to sell those. I don't want that work to become commercialized." While many people come to Ann Arbor to purchase arts and crafts for their own personal use, others find it a good opportunity to see a wide variety of artistic works. Jason Allen, a senior in the School of Art and Design has been coming to the Art Fair for five years. "I like to look at others' techniques;' Allen said. "It's fun to see what people do with their talents and great to see people making a living doing the things they love." Other students at the University find the extra congestion the fair brings to be a nuisance. "I enjoy it to go look around, but it's a pain if you're trying to get some- where" LSA senior Brandon Silsester said. Patrick Williams, an SNREjunior, is also bothered by the crowd. "It's a great annoyance when you're not there for the Art Fair," Williams said. "It took me 30 min- utes to go a distance that normally takes ten." Crowds and congestion aside, most people still enjoy the excitement and interestrrg crowd that the Ann Arbor Art Fair brings about. Theresa Pappas, a junior in the School of Art and Design, sees the Art Fair as being beneficial to nearly every part of the Ann Arbor community. I bet the squirrels love it," Pappas said. "They probably get fed really well durin the fair. THI.& MDNTH ONLY,.! self-serve, 8.5x11, 20# white, one-sided Offer expires 7/31/00. Grade A Notesp11 1100 S. University, Above National City Bank - 741-9669 annarbor@gradeanotes.com e-www.gradeanotes.com CPYCN ER