Collaboration across disciplines presents challenges, as technical language and approaches to knowledge generation vary among fields of study. The challenge of collaborative work compounds when occurring across diverse institutional contexts. Varying pressures and support for research encourage largely single-PI studies, and virtual engagement necessitated by geographical dispersion can impede team member motivation and progress.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, a group of Research Development (RD) professionals in Florida sought to overcome these collaborative challenges by providing faculty research teams with dedicated support through “Team Science Coaches.” Coaches received professional development and guidance from team science experts.

As part of the program, one RD staff member was assigned as a coach to each newly-formed, interdisciplinary team of faculty researchers from across the state and guided them through various ideation and teaming activities. These facilitated activities have now been tested across two cohorts of faculty teams and with two cohorts of coaches. Faculty reactions to and coach feedback on these activities have been captured. Additionally, evaluation by external experts in team science and those who study teams more generally was solicited to further improve these activities.

This presentation will share about a selection of these team science-informed activities, termed “learning objects.” Input from various engaged audiences–faculty, coaches, and external experts–on how these activities can be used and adapted will also be shared. Takeaways from this presentation for attendees will be access to the featured activities and others from the program, as well as ideas for how to adapt and use these and similar activities for facilitating interdisciplinary and virtual teaming in their own research environments.