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My involvement in the Learning Team environment at the University of Phoenix has been an interesting learning experience. When we were assigned teams at the end of the first week, I did not really know what to expect. I have worked in teams numerous times in my previous college years, both in the professional and private sectors. The teams I have worked on have always been to either produce a product or improve a process in the classroom setting for the real world in which we were preparing for. Learning has always been the purpose of these teams, so I was quite familiar with the process.
The first task my learning team was confronted with was coming up with an effective method of communicating. "High-performing teams have extensive communication mechanisms. They communicate regularly with each other wither in person, via telephone, or through e-mail and keep those unable to attend meetings informed of the group's progress." (Teams in the Workplace, Pg. 317) The problem was that our team was never online at the same time so it was very difficult to communicate with the team. It was always either myself or one other person or no one at all.
Our first official task was to create a Team Charter. One of the questions in this charter was to determine if the team would have a leader and if so, the term of that leader. "All groups need leadership. Without leadership, a group may be nothing more than a collection of individuals lacking the coordination and motivation to achieve a common goal." (Leadership in Groups, Pg.173) Our team never set in stone that we would
Learning Team Experience 3
Officially have a team leader. ...