GUNTHER ROLAND: So teamwork is extremely important,
both in 8.13 and 8.14.
And again, that's one of the things that many of them
really learn in Junior Lab for the first time,
that they have the partner and they really
have to figure out how to make sure that the two of them
join forces in doing this.
So it's not just dividing the work,
but really working together to make the most out
of their time.
And I think it's really the most successful teams
are the ones that work closely together
and don't just meet in the lab and then split up afterwards.
And I think impressing that on the students, the value
of collaboration, is one of the goals
that we have in 8.13 and then in 8.14.
At the beginning of 8.13, we have lectures on collaboration
by one of the WRAP instructors.
And the students at the beginning
are sometimes a little bit bemused at these lectures,
because they spell out concepts that seem rather natural.
But once this gets translated into practice in 8.13,
I think--
I hope that the students realize that these concepts really
are important for their work and to be able to be reliable,
to be able to trust the other person,
to be able to take criticism from their partner,
to be able to really split the work in an effective way,
but then also collaborate on cross-checking
each other's work.
These are things that we discuss at the beginning
and then try to monitor continuously
throughout the semester.
And I find that, often, that the students that find their time
management towards the end of the semester the most
challenging are the ones who didn't really
develop a good style of collaboration
with their partner.
So this is sort of one of the predictors
of what causes difficulties towards the end
of the semester, when many things come due
in a very short time.