Methods to improve teaching interdisciplinary teamwork through computer conferencing.

This study evaluated how initiatives that oriented students to the virtual classroom and faculty feedback that promoted increased student interaction affected teaching teamwork skills in a 6-week, interdisciplinary health professions module. Outcomes from a control group were compared with those from an experimental group that had greater technical support, a print-based study guide, enhanced faculty guidance, and weekly grades rewarding student interaction. Two researchers independently recorded the number of messages each student wrote and coded faculty message content. A t test compared the difference in students' pretest and posttest scores on the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) between groups. Fisher exact test was used to compare the total student messages, total faculty messages per team, and faculty message content between modules. The experimental group had greater IEPS belief changes and more faculty messages per team but no difference in total student postings. Faculty messages in the experimental group contained fewer vague messages and more messages containing introductions, restated assignments, reinforcement, and technical information. Providing students with resources to aid their orientation to the virtual classroom and coaching faculty to increase student interaction improved learning outcomes. Faculty messages that restated assignments and contained reinforcement, introductions, and technical information impacted student participation the most.