3.3.8 Interdisciplinary Team Teaching

Benefits of Interdisciplinary Team Teaching

Some courses, particularly survey courses or senior seminars, lend themselves to team teaching. Courses taught by instructor teams are more likely to stress the interconnectedness of subject matter than those taught by a single instructor. Through team teaching each professor can offer unique perspectives, allowing for contrasting views and alternative positions. This reduces compartmentalization of learning. Students can see how different views interrelate, gaining better breadth of knowledge. Moreover, team teaching should model positive team dynamics found in industry, supporting the same teamwork and communication competencies within students.

Team teaching can also stimulate professional development. Participating faculty members have a chance to interact across disciplines, leading to more collegiality. Team teaching can also promote cross-disciplinary research. Furthermore, if new faculty members are combined with more experienced faculty, mentorship opportunities may arise. All participating faculty can enhance their own teaching by observing the teaching techniques of others (4.1.11 Peer Coaching).

Types of Team-Taught Courses

The literature discusses three basic models of team-taught courses: interactive, participant-observer, and rotational. There is also a hybrid model (Helms & Avis, 2005), which involves a combination of the three. Interactive team-teaching is a format in which multiple professors teach concurrently in front of the class. This model allows for the most interactive exchange of ideas (Galley & Carroll, 1993; Nead 1995). Similarly, in the participant-observer model, all professors are present for every class; however, only one professor presents autonomously during each class with little discourse from the passive partner(s), unless a student requests additional commentary. The team of instructors alternates lead responsibility for teaching in some predetermined fashion (Flanagan & Ralson, 1983). The rotational team-teaching model requires the least interaction between individual instructors. Each instructor teaches his or her share of the classes alone without attending his teammates’ lectures (Morlock, 1988; Nead, 1996). This team-teaching approach requires less time per instructor but requires a class leader to manage the syllabus development, rotation schedule, and evaluation. Table 1 summarizes similarities and differences between these team teaching models.

Building the Team

Usually one or two instructors begin with an idea for a team-taught course. This idea must be outlined in order to begin choosing team members. It is important that faculty members who are selected to participate on the team have the expertise in the area they will teach and are open to others’ perspectives. Once the team is identified, regular meetings should be held to support course design and delivery. Methods for coordination between faculty as well as conflict resolution must be established. To structure the team’s work, it is good to assign roles and responsibilities for each member of the team (3.4.2 Designing Teams and Assigning Roles). Within these roles, the team can break down the work into tasks with deadlines. Technology such as Blackboard or WebCT can assist the team in sharing documents and capturing asynchronous communication.

Course Design

Course Implementation

To facilitate selection and sequencing of activities, and to efficiently allocate time across themes, it is advisable to use self-contained modules. Regardless of the team-teaching model selected, the use of self-contained modules is wise because it allows the possibility of dual use in other courses or seminars. Moreover, modules can be re-sequenced during the course, thereby offering added flexibility. Each module should have a set of consistent elements and should align with one or more course outcomes. Modular designs allow each member of the teaching team to develop his or her module based upon one or more of the pre-selected course topics.

Workload issues often come into play between departments. The credit for a team-taught course must be divided among several faculty members. This can be difficult since it is different from the common practice of one instructor per course. Often administrative policies must be developed to deal with this issue. Additional administrative support is often required to help settle institutional policy issues the first time the team-taught course is offered.

Course Assessment and Evaluation

During activity development and after classroom implementation, activities can be strengthened using the two tools given in the module 2.4.17 Assessing Learning Activities. Mid-course surveys of faculty and students can also be helpful in aiding the team to get objective feedback and assessment (3.3.6 Mid-Term Assessment). Another best practice that can aid a team is the use of an advisory board. Samples of course work or projects could be provided to advisory boards who can assess the degree to which the course outcomes have been met.

The faculty team must carefully coordinate student evaluation throughout the course to avoid sending mixed messages (4.1.2 Distinctions Between Assessment and Evaluation). Quizzes, exams, and projects should reflect the team-taught nature of the course. Moreover, there is evidence that students benefit from an evaluation process that involves multiple graders (Gopinath, 2004). Therefore, it is important faculty agree on a consistent approach to performance measurement (2.4.10 Course Grading Systems).

Concluding Thoughts

Interdisciplinary team-taught courses lead to more exciting enriched learning environments. While there certainly are challenges to overcome, collaborative team teaching offers many benefits for both students and faculty. Students can be exposed to a more diverse and broader spectrum of expertise, and can observe how experts in different disciplines interact with each other. Team teaching also provides opportunities for faculty growth, faculty mentorship, and knowledge exchange across disciplines. It is the experience of many Guidebook authors that Interactive and Participant-Observer team teaching has been a catalyst for rewarding interdepartmental team building, cross-disciplinary projects, and enhanced publication.

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