Having engaged in a semester-long co-teaching experience in a special topics course that was dual-listed as Business 390L and Library and Information Technology 399C (Place Making and Community Engagement), I was prompted to draft a report, summarizing some of the benefits and challenges of such an interdisciplinary undertaking. This report summarizes current educational literature that focuses on co-teaching as a legitimate form of teaching practice. Further, this document examines the very specific circumstances that shape a co-taught classroom, outlining structural realities and important pedagogical considerations. It is my hope that the experiences and research documented in this report offer inspiration, and ideas about the ways our expertise as professors can be integrated in innovative, creative, and critical ways.
Although there are numerous ways to co-teach, this report is focused on synchronized co-teaching where both professors participate in the teaching and assessment fully for the duration of the course. It is assumes that such work enhances the learning community within the classroom in powerful ways. Within this context, this report considers issues relating to authority, timetabling, workloads, and classroom dynamics, providing a general assessment of the challenges and benefits of co-teaching practice. The report concludes with recommendations for the institution and for faculty considering co-teaching.
