Best practice explored - Team teaching approach in one online course (a case study)

Abstract

In recent years, team teaching has been considered an important part of course delivery to enhance class interaction, and improve the teaching and learning environment for both facilitators and students. Team teaching specific to the online environment is somewhat under-examined, but research on the method suggests that it can be beneficial to students if implemented effectively. This paper reports on the effort at The University of the West Indies Open Campus (UWIOC) in utilizing the team teaching approach in one online course. The purpose of the case study was to identify the effectiveness of team teaching and determine if such collaboration would be beneficial to students and facilitators. Using the course as a case study, qualitative and quantitative data were collected from facilitators and students to get their perspective on the experience. The main theme from the findings is the timely feedback that students received. The findings revealed that the experience gave facilitators a stronger sense of collegiality, and helped to improve their instructional practices. For the students, the experience was very good as they received more individual attention, timely feedback, and learning was enhanced. The endorsement of the approach by the students was evident by the 100 percent consensus, that, if offered again, they would enrol in another team teaching class. The findings will be shared with the Programme Delivery Department team for discussion, as they suggest that team teaching is an element of best practice that can be explored as a means of improving teaching and learning at The UWIOC.