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Multiple perspectives on implementing a team-teaching model Abstract

Multiple perspectives from two pairs of faculty that used a team teaching model for freshman engineering courses at Virginia Tech are presented. The first group (Goff and Gregg) taught a set of introductory engineering courses to a select group of 15 rising freshmen in the summer of 2002. The second group (Lo and Lohani) have team taught an introductory engineering course “Engineering Exploration” to multiple 150+ seat sections in spring 2005, fall 2005, and fall 2006. Content of these engineering courses include design, problem solving, ethics, graphing, technical communications, engineering graphics, and computer programming.

Some notable sample experiences are based on gender, age and educational background differences of participating faculty. In addition, these two pairs provide an interesting contrast due to the size of the class sections that were team taught as well as classroom environment. Goff and Gregg taught a special study abroad offering that included using classrooms in both the United States and Europe. Lo and Lohani taught in large, stadium style classrooms at Virginia Tech. The paper reports the advantages and disadvantages to team teaching and presents faculty perspectives that can be useful to faculty who are considering a team-teaching approach.

Team-Taught Courses: Background

Virginia Tech requires that incoming engineering students take a set of required introductory- level engineering courses during the first year of studies. Faculty in the Department of Engineering Education (EngE) are responsible for the first year engineering courses. The first semester course, Engineering Exploration EngE1024, involves ethics, problem solving, algorithmic development, programming, graphing, teamwork, design, and technical communication. The second semester course primarily focused on the design process, technical communication, project management, teamwork, sketching, and computer aided design. In 2005, the second semester course was reformulated into two tracks. One track focuses on introductory design related needs for students bound for electrical and computer engineering as well as computer science. The other track covers introductory design related skills required for remaining nine engineering departments at Virginia Tech.

Prior to spring 2005, the two introductory-level engineering courses were taught as 50-minute, 32-seat lectures that met twice a week and were taught by EngE faculty. A format change was piloted in spring 2005 by Lo and Lohani for EngE1024, primarily due to increased research responsibilities for faculty as well as the introduction of graduate teaching assistants to the pool of available teaching resources. This change included piloting: a weekly 50-minute, 150-180- seat lecture led by faculty with a weekly 90-minute, 32-seat workshop led by a graduate teaching assistant. In fall 2005, this new format was successfully implemented for the entire freshman engineering class of approximately 1200 students1.

In summer 2002, the university implemented a special pilot offering of a 4 credit hour class, based on a combination of the two aforementioned introductory engineering courses. This recruitment effort was in its earliest formative stages in late fall 2001. The course, led by Goff

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Lo, J., & Lohani, V., & Gregg, M., & Goff, R. (2007, June), Multiple Perspectives On Implementing A Team Teaching Model Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2216