NTU’s Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC) curriculum features an innovative team teaching approach through CC0007 Science & Technology for Humanity, where interdisciplinary excellence is cultivated through thoughtful collaborative instruction. Led by a diverse group of academics including Dr Jennifer Cash (History), Dr Felix Lena Stephanie (Engineering Management), Dr Fannie Yifan Zhang (Biomedical Engineering), Dr Pritpal Singh (Biology), and Dr Jeremy Sng (Communication Studies), this interdisciplinary teaching team demonstrates how structured collaborative teaching can transform educational experiences. Their combined expertise creates a rich learning environment that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries while offering students multiple perspectives on complex issues. This practical examination of team teaching methodology reveals valuable insights for educators seeking to implement collaborative instruction in higher education settings.
Introduction: Theoretical Foundations of Team Teaching
Team teaching represents more than just multiple instructors in a classroom. At its core, educational theorists define it as a pedagogical approach where two or more teachers share responsibility for planning, instruction, and evaluation. CC0007’s implementation builds on several established team teaching models while introducing innovative elements suited to its interdisciplinary context.
The course’s approach synthesises three classical team teaching models identified in the literature: parallel teaching, where instructors work with different student groups simultaneously; complementary teaching, where instructors bring different expertise to shared learning objectives; and supportive teaching, where lead and support instructors create layered learning experiences. This integrated approach creates a dynamic learning environment that maximises the benefits of each model while addressing their individual limitations.
Collaborative Teaching Models in Practice
CC0007’s distinctive team teaching structure operates through what we term “layered facilitation,” a model that extends traditional team teaching approaches. Lead instructors coordinate overall pedagogical direction, guide cross-cluster activities, ensure assessment consistency, and model interdisciplinary dialogue. Meanwhile, co-instructors facilitate cluster-level discussions, provide disciplinary expertise, support student engagement, and participate in assessment implementation.
The implementation of this layered model creates a dynamic ecosystem of teaching and learning. Lead instructors serve as pedagogical architects, designing overarching learning experiences and establishing connections across disciplinary boundaries. Co-instructors offer insights from their areas of expertise while ensuring that their guidance aligns with desired learning outcomes, and fostering student engagement.
Research on team teaching challenges identifies several common issues, which CC0007 addresses through systematic approaches. Coordination amongst multiple instructors requires careful attention to both structure and flexibility. The course implements regular structured planning meetings and shared digital platforms for communication, whilst maintaining clear protocols for decision-making and documented roles and responsibilities.
Assessment consistency presents another significant challenge in team teaching environments. CC0007 addresses this through standardised rubrics that retain flexibility for teaching style, regular calibration sessions amongst instructors, and collective marking of benchmark cases. This balanced approach ensures fairness whilst honouring the diverse expertise within the teaching team.
Professional Development through Team Teaching
The CC007 teaching team evolves as new members join and experienced co-instructors step up into lead instructor roles. This creates a professional development pathway within the course that is aligned with “learning in practice.” One critical skill that instructors can only develop through practice is the ability to perform up to a dozen pedagogical roles in a single 2-hour class in coordination with the other instructors.
The journey from co-instructor to lead instructor follows a structured progression that includes mentoring by experienced instructors, graduated increase in responsibilities, and regular reflection and feedback. This approach ensures sustainable team development whilst maintaining teaching quality.
As the teaching team matures into a community of practice, the members are developing a shared repertoire of teaching strategies that highlight interdisciplinarity and teamwork – the very two core objectives for student learning in the course! The team models, with increasing sophistication, what students are expected to learn.
Future Directions
The CC0007 Team is keen to explore our 3 modes of team-teaching further. What are the relative strengths of the parallel, complementary, and supportive models in our interdisciplinary course? Can we improve our layered facilitation through deliberate practices? How can we better prepare students to transfer the best practices of our team teaching into their own team-based learning: in our course? In subsequent courses, lab work, and projects? We will be exploring these questions and others in the next few semesters.
Conclusion: Advancing Team Teaching Practice
The success of CC0007’s approach suggests promising directions for the future of team teaching in higher education. As universities increasingly embrace interdisciplinary learning and collaborative teaching models, CC0007’s experiences offer valuable insights into effective implementation strategies. Most importantly, it shows how thoughtful application of team teaching principles can create rich learning environments that benefit the development of both students and instructors.
