, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs typically provideinsufficient instruction for doctoral students electing to pursue a career in higher educationinstruction. Often, doctoral students who teach classes are required to offer lectures or even fullcourses without any formal training1, 2. Therefore, a doctoral student’s transition to a facultyposition may raise concerns from a university administration concerned with maintaining thequality of its course delivery. This paper documents the account of three doctoral students andtwo engineering faculty members while co-teaching/teaching a project-centered first-yearintroductory engineering course. The implementation of a preparatory teaching program fordoctoral students in the