Moving Beyond "Breaking Ice" to "Building Bonds" in Engineering Classrooms: An Evaluation Framework for Team Building Activities

Engineering curricula frequently require students to engage in group work and interact with practitioners. To facilitate team building and cohesion, engineering instructors often propose and facilitate “icebreakers” or team-building activities. However, not all activities are designed with inclusivity as the focus and could inadvertently lead to reinforcing biases or students feeling excluded. This workshop introduced the participants to a framework developed using evidence-based approaches to team building, with a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Participants evaluated an existing activity based on the framework, proposed modifications to refine the framework, and were provided an opportunity to sue it in identifying areas for improvement in one of their own activities.