Abstract
In a basic engineering design class, first year engineering department students learn about engineering design relevant theories and carry out simple projects in teams. By doing a group project in this subject, students develop basic skills such as creativity, teamwork, communication, and problem solving. Before, class proceeded in a way where teams were randomly configured in the beginning of semester and students began working on their project immediately. However, this research introduces a new method where at the beginning of the semester, students are assigned group assignments. Teammates are randomly chosen and constantly switched so that students get a chance to work with different people and experience diverse styles and characteristics. Then, they autonomously form into teams with people they work best and carry out their project. We present the behavior of a monkey robot that recognizes emotions as a case of applying the proposed method. The feedback from the students suggest that this proposed team forming method serves to be effective especially since students who were not aware of other students' characteristics can get to know one another better and form a productive team.
