Many academics enter faculty positions without formal teacher training, which poses challenges for both student learning and faculty development. Early-career faculty face a steep learning curve, often with few resources to support them, as they transition from intense research and writing to sharing their expertise in a classroom. My institution addresses this challenge through a robust culture of team teaching.
By being part of a teaching team, which can range from two to eight faculty members in size, early career academics see first-hand how experienced faculty design a course, structure assignments, plan a class session and manage classroom interactions with students. Experienced faculty can provide timely, constructive feedback to early-career academics. At its best, team teaching supports a “circular mentorship” model where early-career faculty can offer fresh perspectives that enhance a course. Teaching teams provide a ready-made pedagogical community to address challenges and celebrate the daily joys of working with students. Collaboration builds connections between faculty, helping new hires integrate into the community.
Team teaching also supports student learning. Students benefit from hearing different approaches to the same material. Teaching teams that include faculty from multiple subdisciplines lead to richer courses. For example, a team teaching general chemistry included an atmospheric chemist, a biochemist, an inorganic chemist, a materials chemist and an organic chemist, and this team crafted a course that included in-depth treatment of issues ranging from smog formation to storing renewable energy.
For those considering team teaching, here are the following models my institution uses:
Multiple parallel sections using co-developed teaching materials
We offer sections – instances of the same course at different times with different professors – so that students can choose what works best for their schedules. The chemistry department teaches general chemistry using shared slides, homework and exams. This allows students to attend office hours for any faculty member and receive help more easily. While many institutions use multiple sections, the commitment to co-developed classroom materials, assignments and exams along with common office hours elevates this to a team teaching experience.
Co-teaching small courses
The first-year Introduction to academic writing course is co-taught by two faculty members in different departments. Both instructors are in the classroom and co-lead a section of 16 students. Teaching teams have the flexibility to use an approach that works best for them; some designate a lead instructor for each day, while other instructors lead class collaboratively. Students benefit from hearing how faculty in different disciplines approach writing.
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Multiple instructors in the same room
Passing the baton. Some team-taught courses use a model akin to a relay race. For example, large introductory classes employ a plenary lecture model with a pair of instructors. One instructor lectures and leads the class for the first half of the term while the second instructor observes, and the instructors swap roles for the second half of the course. This model allows new faculty to observe experienced colleagues teach a large course and it also provides new teachers with an experienced observer who offers substantive feedback.
For all its benefits, team teaching brings its own challenges. Many of these are logistical and relate to communication and workflow. Several areas commonly need discussion to help set norms and establish a successful team, three of which are addressed below:
1. Communication among the teaching team
Teams benefit from discussing preferred modes of communication, reasonable expectations for response times and windows of availability. Course plans, including timelines for planning and grading, frequency of meetings and division of responsibilities, are also helpful to consider. Teams can also make contingency plans for coverage and support in cases where an instructor is absent owing to illness or personal emergency.
2. Course policies
Before handing out a syllabus, the team should discuss how it will handle extensions, absences and accommodations, as well as whether there should be a lead decision-maker or whether all decisions need to be made as a full team.
3. Classroom management
When multiple instructors are in the classroom at the same time, clarify each instructor’s role. Discuss how long to wait for student responses before jumping in, how to handle differences in course material interpretation in the classroom and approaches to end-of-semester evaluations.
Team teaching is a long-term investment and requires a commitment to collaboration. However, these long-term shifts can be extraordinarily effective because team teaching offers a holistic way to onboard, support and retain faculty, creates a strong sense of community and supports student learning.
Katherine Van Heuvelen is the R. Michael Shanahan professor of chemistry and associate dean of faculty at Harvey Mudd College.
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