Modern scientific discovery depends on teamwork, yet most students rarely have opportunities to develop effective collaboration skills without intentional instructional design. The Science of Team Science of Team Science (SciTS) has identified key mechanisms that enable research teams to collaborate productively, while Team-Based Learning (TBL) provides a structured instructional design that creates similar collaborative dynamics in the classroom. Together, these perspectives offer a powerful framework for intentionally teaching teamwork.

This session introduces a unified model for teaching collaboration organized around these interacting elements: methods, mindsets, and impacts. Methods refer to the structures and shape teamwork (e.g., team formation, interdependent decision tasks, and structured discussion). These methods influence team mindsets, such as shared understanding, accountability, and productive engagement. In turn, these mindsets produce impacts including stronger team reasoning, improved learning outcomes, and the development of collaboration skills essential for modern interdisciplinary research. 

The session will incorporate brief TBL-style application exercises to illustrate how different instructional choices influence team interaction and outcomes. These examples highlight how principles from the Science of Team Science can inform the design of collaborative learning environments and help faculty think more intentionally about the relationship between instructional methods, team mindsets, and learning impacts.

In this way, TBL can be understood not only as an instructional strategy, but also as a structured environment that mirrors the collaborative dynamics studied in the Science of Team Science. 

Learning Outcomes:
Participants will be able to:

• Explain how principles from the Science of Team Science will help illuminate why structured team learning methods are effective. 
• Analyze how instructional design choices influence team mindsets such as participation, accountability, and shared reasoning.
• Evaluate alternative approaches to designing collaborative learning activities using the Methods → Mindsets → Impacts Framework.
• Identify ways to align classroom teamwork with the dynamics of effective interdisciplinary research teams.