Virtual Teams in The University: A Critical Literature Review and A Research Agenda

The incentives for the internationalization of universities and the digitalization of teaching driven by the situation of COVID-19 have increased the operation of virtual work teams in higher education institutions, both in terms of groups of students and groups of researchers. The objective of this study is to explore the evolution of academic research concerning virtual teams within university settings, aiming to delineate prominent research trajectories and outline a prospective agenda for future inquiry in this domain. This work involved a systematic review of the literature in the WoS and Scopus databases to identify what, when, who, where and how virtual teams in universities have been researched. The PRISMA method was used to guide the data collection process. Forty-seven articles were identified as relevant for analysis. Despite the significant development of academic research on virtual teams since the end of the last century, the necessary attention has still not been given to the specific case of virtual teams in universities. Most of the research has been conducted in the United States; however, previous research reveals that cultural aspects are relevant variables in the performance and efficiency of virtual teams, so it is advisable to extend this type of research to other countries and cultural contexts. In addition, we can also see that most of the works identified have analysed work teams formed by students, and there are very few studies on virtual teams of researchers, despite the importance of these teams in the context of encouraging the internationalization of research networks. Moreover, the review of the content of the articles as well as the future lines of research have been organized around a life cycle model, considering three categories: inputs, operating process and outputs-results. The second category is the most developed to date

Teaching and Learning in Cross-Disciplinary Virtual Teams

Virtual teams collaborate across distances using information communication technologies (ICTs). A distinctive set of communication skills is needed by people who work successfully in virtual teams, and few universities or companies provide structured education and training in virtual teamwork. At a midsized southeastern Masters Comprehensive University, professors from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education came together to explore how they might use cross-disciplinary student teams (groups comprised of students with different backgrounds and educational goals) to teach concepts in their own disciplines while providing students with the opportunity to become more pro?cient in virtual team communication. Can cross-disciplinary student team projects successfully support learning in virtual team communication as well as address the learning objectives of speci?c courses? (2) What can faculty learn from a cross-disciplinary teaching model that can be applied to virtual teams? Experiential learning is based on performing real tasks and re?ecting on that process; it bene?ts learners by engaging them in complex, authentic situations. Virtual teams are signi?cant because they support a great deal of the work currently taking place in our global economy; they are signi?cant in higher education because students need to develop skills in international virtual communication before they are introduced to high-stakes work environments. In previous cases, students have collaborated across national cultures to develop project deliverables, such as websites, reports, and usability studies and present them in virtual environments using such tools as WebEx, Skype, and live streaming. The ?ndings from this case are based on individual student re?ections, which were used to create a data matrix for each project, and instructor observation and evaluation. In Spring 2013, six faculty from the same university worked together to incorporate virtual teams into their classrooms. These six faculty members were divided into two groups of three with each group representing three colleges mentioned earlier. The faculty developed two interdisciplinary projects (one on infographics and another on social media) that enabled rich and diverse student collaboration. In both groups, the three faculty leaders worked together to de?ne a project scope that students could achieve and that would relate to learning goals in each discipline. The lessons learned from this experience are that: (1) technical challenges will occur; (2) students from all disciplines must receive the same information; (3) instructors must balance respect for their colleagues and support for their students; (4) team assignments need to be consistent and fair; (5) instructors need to establish appropriate and fair assessment measurements for their own students; and (6) projects need to be realistic in order to show the students the value of virtual wor

The Nature and Influence of Relationship on Success in a Virtual Work Environment

The evolution of technology in the 21st century has led to a greater understanding of the benefits and the challenges of expanding work relationships across geographical boundaries. This expansion has contributed to the development of a global society with over three million employee teleworkers (Global Workplace Analytics and the Telework Research Network, 2013). In spite of the advances in connecting across the globe technologically, the importance of successfully working together in a virtual work environment is grounded in relationships that foster individual growth and group cohesion. The human elements of connectivity are primary to the success of organizations as well as fulfillment of the individual. This study explores the importance of relationship within the world of virtual work and investigates the various aspects of virtual work environments to understand overall virtuality. The Relational Health Indices (RHI) were used as a foundation to build the means for measuring relationship quality among teammates. These were then explored as a means to provide insight into the importance of relationship within the world of virtual work. The primary research question for this study was: What is the nature and influence of relationship on success in a virtual work environment? Success is defined here as perceived team goal achievement, job satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction. The research design consists of a mixed-methods, descriptive, and correlational study looking at the nature and influence of relationship on success in a virtual work environment based on a hierarchical multiple regression analysis of data collected from an online survey. A content analysis of participant responses to open-ended survey questions was employed. Major findings include: the development of a tool to measure relationship quality teammates; the factors that influence perceived success; demographic differences in relationship quality; difference in importance of relationship versus the existence of relationship in virtual work environments; and the wide variation in the work environments of virtual workers. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, http://www.ohiolink.edu/et

The Nature and Influence of Relationship on Success in a Virtual Work Environment

The evolution of technology in the 21st century has led to a greater understanding of the benefits and the challenges of expanding work relationships across geographical boundaries. This expansion has contributed to the development of a global society with over three million employee teleworkers (Global Workplace Analytics and the Telework Research Network, 2013). In spite of the advances in connecting across the globe technologically, the importance of successfully working together in a virtual work environment is grounded in relationships that foster individual growth and group cohesion. The human elements of connectivity are primary to the success of organizations as well as fulfillment of the individual. This study explores the importance of relationship within the world of virtual work and investigates the various aspects of virtual work environments to understand overall virtuality. The Relational Health Indices (RHI) were used as a foundation to build the means for measuring relationship quality among teammates. These were then explored as a means to provide insight into the importance of relationship within the world of virtual work. The primary research question for this study was: What is the nature and influence of relationship on success in a virtual work environment? Success is defined here as perceived team goal achievement, job satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction. The research design consists of a mixed-methods, descriptive, and correlational study looking at the nature and influence of relationship on success in a virtual work environment based on a hierarchical multiple regression analysis of data collected from an online survey. A content analysis of participant responses to open-ended survey questions was employed. Major findings include: the development of a tool to measure relationship quality teammates; the factors that influence perceived success; demographic differences in relationship quality; difference in importance of relationship versus the existence of relationship in virtual work environments; and the wide variation in the work environments of virtual workers. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, http://www.ohiolink.edu/et

A global outlook to the interruption of education due to COVID-19 Pandemic: Navigating in a time of uncertainty and crisis

Uncertain times require prompt reflexes to survive and this study is a collaborative reflex to better understand uncertainty and navigate through it. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic hit hard and interrupted many dimensions of our lives, particularly education. As a response to interruption of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this study is a collaborative reaction that narrates the overall view, reflections from the K12 and higher educational landscape, lessons learned and suggestions from a total of 31 countries across the world with a representation of 62.7% of the whole world population. In addition to the value of each case by country, the synthesis of this research suggests that the current practices can be defined as emergency remote education and this practice is different from planned practices such as distance education, online learning or other derivations. Above all, this study points out how social injustice, inequity and the digital divide have been exacerbated during the pandemic and need unique and targeted measures if they are to be addressed. While there are support communities and mechanisms, parents are overburdened between regular daily/professional duties and emerging educational roles, and all parties are experiencing trauma, psychological pressure and anxiety to various degrees, which necessitates a pedagogy of care, affection and empathy. In terms of educational processes, the interruption of education signifies the importance of openness in education and highlights issues that should be taken into consideration such as using alternative assessment and evaluation methods as well as concerns about surveillance, ethics, and data privacy resulting from nearly exclusive dependency on online solutions

Elementary Stakeholder Perceptions of Data Team Discussions Influence on Instructional Adjustments

Federal law requires schools to conduct formative, summative, and diagnostic assessments to inform instructional strategies. However, the collection of student accountability compliance data has not always resulted in improved student academic achievement. The research problem addressed in this study is that little is understood about how data team discussions influence elementary teachers’ instructional adjustments. The purpose of this basic qualitative study is to gain an in-depth understanding of elementary teacher and leader perceptions of how data team discussions influence teachers’ data-driven decision making (DDDM) instructional adjustments. The conceptual framework for this study is based on the theory of planned behavior, which holds that attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence teachers’ DDDM instructional adjustment intentions. Research questions explored how elementary teachers and school leaders perceive the influence of data team discussions on teachers’ DDDM instructional adjustments. Data sources included semistructured interviews with 11 elementary teachers and five school leaders, which were analyzed qualitatively through a priori and open coding, followed by thematic analysis. The findings revealed that teachers’ instructional adjustments were positively influenced when teachers take ownership of their data but negatively influenced by limited access to valid and timely student data due to the global pandemic. The study results may contribute to a positive social change when elementary stakeholders make informed decisions on data team discussions and teacher instructional adjustments, which in turn can help improve student outcomes

A global classroom? evaluating the effectiveness of global virtual collaboration as a teaching tool in management education

We evaluate the effectiveness of global virtual student collaboration projects in international management education.Over 6,000 students from nearly 80 universities in 43 countries worked in global virtual teams for 2 months as part of their international management courses.Multisource longitudinal data were collected, including student and instructor feedback, course evaluations, assessment of changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors following the experiential project, and various indicators of individual and team performance.Drawing on experiential learning, social learning, and intergroup contact theories, the effectiveness of the experiential global virtual teambased approach in international management education was evaluated at the levels of reactions, learning, attitudes, behaviors, and performance.The findings show positive outcomes at each level, but also reveal challenges and limitations of using global virtual team projects for learning and education. Implications for international management education and suggestions for future research are discussed