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Multi-disciplinary Teaching to Instill Integration in a Multi-disciplinary Classroom

Introduction

One of the missions of our college is to engage students in multi-disciplinary activities. This is a goal for our department also, primarily because many of the instructors graduated from the college, worked elsewhere, and have returned to share their academic and professional experiences with students. There are class room models available for integrating multiple disciplines into a single project – some linear, some parallel, and some truly integrated. Regardless of the model it is beneficial to have instructors who have a passion for what they teach and who want to work together, and have a team of instructors who can bring multiple perspectives to a given topic. It is not uncommon for college level courses to be team taught, but it is not the norm. Instructors involved in team teaching typically have two options available for implementing the course. • A tag team approach where one instructor may teach the first half of the class and the second instructor the later half • A collaborative model where each instructor attends each session and lectures at each session. Classes which utilize the first option optimize teaching resources, but without meticulous coordination, the students can be left with a disjointed learning experience. Students may comment about conflicting design philosophies, varying nomenclature, adjustment to varying teaching styles and assessment techniques, or simply a repeat of material covered in a previous lecture. The most successful teaching endeavors have occurred when the teaching team collaborates before, during, and after each lecture topic. While this may require additional hours to prepare the course material, the learning benefits and learning experience have proven to be positive based on student evaluations and feedback from professional advisory councils. The author has implemented two new design courses which incorporate multi-disciplinary teaching teams for multidisciplinary studios or labs, as well as, participated in and observed the effects other models of team teaching. This paper will explore the advantages and disadvantages in team teaching to enhance student learning in a multi-disciplinary environment. Using new and existing courses as case studies for describing the pros and cons of the two team teaching models, the paper will highlight how multi-disciplinary teaching teams have helped encourage students to participate in design studios which promote an integrated delivery approach

Uni-disciplinary Teams – Uni-disciplinary Class

One model for team teaching is the tag team approach where one instructor may start the term and another will finish the second half. The instructors typically do not attend lectures led by the

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Dong, K. (2008, June), Team Teaching To Instill Integration In A Multi Disciplinary Classroom Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--4398