{"638489":{"#nid":"638489","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Meltem Alemdar and Christopher Cappelli: Collaborative Interdisciplinary Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/about\/staffdirectory\/meltem-alemdar\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDr. Meltem Alemdar \u003C\/a\u003Eand \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/about\/staffdirectory\/christopher-cappelli\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMr. Christopher Cappelli\u003C\/a\u003E are no strangers to collaboration \u2013 they\u2019ve been working together for nine years! They discovered early-on that their individual strengths naturally complement each other, and over time they\u2019ve developed a seamless workflow.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith strengths in Input and Analysis, Cappelli loves discovering new information and often goes \u201cdown the rabbit hole\u201d with research. As an Achiever and an Arranger, Alemdar enjoys synthesizing data and getting things done. With their combined strengths they are detail-oriented while also focused on the big picture, and together they catch things the other has missed. Alemdar explains, \u201cWith different strengths, people don\u2019t have to be the same, and they don\u2019t have to do everything.\u201d For this reason, they are enthusiastic about the benefits of CliftonStrengths for team dynamics. As Cappelli puts it, \u201cthe StrengthsFinder helps avoid and mitigate conflict, because you better understand others, which creates a better team environment.\u201d By appreciating each other\u2019s strengths, team members collaborate instead of competing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlemdar and Cappelli are passionate about the benefits of diverse interdisciplinary research teams. \u201cDiverse teams lead to different perspectives,\u201d Cappelli remarks. \u201cInterdisciplinary research moves the field forward and gets beyond narrow perspectives \u2013 creating new knowledge that\u2019s not siloed.\u201d Race and gender diversity as well as disciplinary diversity, Alemdar adds, are key to driving innovation in collaborative research: \u201cIt\u2019s a modern way of problem-solving.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor such teams to be effective, thoughtful cross-disciplinary communication is essential \u2013 translating unfamiliar terms, asking questions, and actively listening. Cappelli draws upon his Individualization Strength to understand other people\u2019s points of view, and Alemdar draws upon her Communication Strength to synthesize data for researchers across the social sciences and hard sciences. Cappelli\u2019s experiences collaborating with assessment teams in graduate school showed him that \u201ccommunicating about projects is vital to success on cross-disciplinary teams\u201d because there are so many \u201cdifferent perspectives with different lingo.\u201d For example, he elaborates, \u201cthe term \u2018assessment\u2019 means something different across fields. In Education, it means testing, whereas, in another field, it might mean evaluating.\u201d To avoid communication pitfalls with key concepts lost in translation, he says, \u201cyou need to learn how to talk to someone and ask the right questions.\u201d Alemdar agrees: \u201cListening leads to better outcomes.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to their research partnership, Alemdar and Cappelli work in multiple teams on a daily basis. As the Associate Director and Principal Research Scientist at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorgia Institue of Technology\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECenter for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC)\u003C\/a\u003E, Alemdar supervises collaborative teams doing data analysis. As a Research Associate at CEISMC as well as a doctoral student in Educational Policy Studies, Cappelli does almost all of his assessment work with teams of cross-disciplinary evaluators. And in their roles doing assessment work (Alemdar as co-PI and Cappelli as a team member) for the NSF-IGE grant-funded project \u201cIntegrating Team Science into the STEM Graduate Training Experience,\u201d they collaborate with a cross-disciplinary team of researchers to innovate team science training for graduate students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith their cutting-edge research in curricular assessment, Alemdar and Cappelli not only bring valuable leadership to the Effective Team Dynamics Initiative but also model harmonious teamwork dynamic in action.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs Alemdar puts it, \u201cCollaboration is a 21st-century skill \u2013 you have to collaborate!\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECappelli agrees: \u201cPractice what you preach \u2013 we\u2019re directly using the skills we\u2019re teaching.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWritten By\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/etd.gatech.edu\/index.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEffective Team Dynamics (ETD\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is the first article in a two-part series featuring Meltem Alemdar and Christopher Cappelli. The next post will cover their assessment work on the NSF-IGE grant-funded project \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=1735017\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EIntegrating Team Science into the STEM Graduate Training Experience\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Effective Team Dynamics (ETD) initiative at Georgia Tech was developed with the intention of reshaping team experiences in a positive way through research-driven methods and reflective evaluations of thought and behavior patterns.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":" Cutting-edge Research in Curricular Assessment Helped Develop a Seamless Workflow to Form a Model of Harmonious Teamwork in Action"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDr. Meltem Alemdar and Mr. Christopher Cappelli of the Georgia Institute of Technology Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing\u0026#39;s Research and Evaluation Group are no strangers to collaboration. Their strengths naturally complement each other. Their cutting-edge research in curricular assessment helped develop a seamless workflow to form a model of harmonious teamwork in action.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":" Cutting-edge research in curricular assessment helped develop a seamless workflow to form a model of harmonious teamwork in action."}],"uid":"34901","created_gmt":"2020-08-27 16:30:07","changed_gmt":"2025-02-20 17:09:33","author":"smalone33","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"638490":{"id":"638490","type":"image","title":"Meltem Alemdar and Christopher Cappelli","body":null,"created":"1598545894","gmt_created":"2020-08-27 16:31:34","changed":"1598545894","gmt_changed":"2020-08-27 16:31:34","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242794","name":"meltem-alemdar-christopher-cappelli-1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/meltem-alemdar-christopher-cappelli-1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/meltem-alemdar-christopher-cappelli-1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":318414,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/meltem-alemdar-christopher-cappelli-1.jpg?itok=Y_nt1Eq7"}}},"media_ids":["638490"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/evaluation.ceismc.gatech.edu","title":"Research and Evaluation Group at Georgia Tech - CEISMC"},{"url":"https:\/\/etd.gatech.edu\/index.html","title":"Effective Team Dynamics"},{"url":"https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu","title":"Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing"}],"groups":[{"id":"361651","name":"Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC)"},{"id":"598218","name":"K-12 Connection"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"365","name":"Research"},{"id":"2012","name":"Team"},{"id":"1331","name":"evaluation"},{"id":"288","name":"Leadership"},{"id":"185765","name":"Effective Team Dynamics"},{"id":"411","name":"CEISMC"},{"id":"185766","name":"ETD"},{"id":"166988","name":"Meltem Alemdar"},{"id":"175218","name":"Christopher Cappelli"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMeltem\u0026nbsp;Alemdar, Ph.D.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EAssociate Director for Educational Research \u0026amp;\u0026nbsp;Evaluation\u003Cbr\u003EPrincipal Research Scientist\u003Cbr\u003ECenter for Education Integrating Science, Math and Computing (CEISMC)\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr\u003EAtlanta, GA\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 30332-0282\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:meltem.alemdar@ceismc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emeltem.alemdar@ceismc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EPhone:\u0026nbsp; 404-894-0297\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/evaluation.ceismc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/evaluation.ceismc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["meltem.alemdar@ceismc.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}