Sharing module responsibilities in Geography.
Our challenge: resilience
Team teaching is now a normal practice in undergraduate teaching in Geography and contributes to the collaborative and open culture in Geography. Dr Adam Badger describes how module responsibilities are shared.
Our approach
In Geography, teaching typically involves lectures plus seminars/workshops that are supported beyond the classroom via office hours. Normally the teaching is split between 3-4 contributors each delivering a series of linked sessions making up a theme or sub-topic in a module.
The module leader remains visible to students for key tasks like mid-module feedback or assessment briefings. They are also responsible for the overall Canvas page set up and structure, whilst team members upload their own sessions within this framework. Regarding assessment, large cohorts are team marked (with divisions drawn-up by the module leader) and students are able to speak to their marker; the module leader, or; their personal academic tutor for elaboration on feedback.
For the UG geography degree, modules are grouped and owned by “hubs” that are overseen by hub leads reporting to the Degree Programme Director and Director of Undergraduate Studies. For example, one of the hubs “social and cultural geography” is responsible for 3 modules on the programme. The hubs draw on colleagues’ expertise to meet the teaching commitments across modules and the module leader is responsible for coordinating and sequencing teaching within the modules.
The results
The approach brings a number of benefits:
- The hubs own more modules than are offered, making it easier to rest, rotate, or retire modules as needed.
- It is easier to induct colleagues who are early in their careers. They can contribute to teaching on modules immediately, and learn more about quality assurance processes and annual rhythms without the pressure of leading modules.
- The hub approach makes it easier to establish norms and have consistency across the programme (e.g. regarding the use of Canvas). Students value this consistency.
- Colleagues value teaching to their areas of interest and expertise, and students resonate with staff teaching on topics they are most passionate about. Students also express positive feedback for seeing research undertaken by staff being used to form the basis of some teaching activities.
- Design decisions are made with “more thinking at the table”.
- Colleagues have opportunities to reflect on teaching with colleagues and to learn from each other. The connections at module level contribute to openness and collaboration across the teaching team.
Tips for colleagues
- Plan time to discuss and co-ordinate activities, especially to review assessment plans and scaffold this for students. Share teaching/content plans openly to expose gaps, overlaps and review the progression of concepts. Geography use Module Handbooks to give an overview of teaching content and discussion points – this acts as a helpful artefact before teaching commences for staff to plan activities and for students to see overall structure of the course and how individual sessions relate to the broader module programme.
- Module leaders can’t be overly prescriptive and need to be open to new ideas
- Don’t feel the need to over-homogenise in terms of personal style of teaching – variety can be good for students.
- Recognise that you will not get the depth of relationship with students from teaching a 4 week block that you would from a complete module. Students will need extra encouragement and opportunities to interact/ask questions.
- Senior colleagues need to be aware that they will need to collaborate with more junior colleagues in content design and delivery. Where a junior colleague is supporting a senior colleague team member in composing and delivering teaching, senior colleagues must treat junior colleagues with respect to their role here.
Education for Life Strategy
Alongside this, Geography has strong academic tutoring, ensuring students have both long-term, ongoing support and rapport with staff to discuss intellectual and pastoral matters, in addition to exposure to leading experts in specific areas of sub disciplinary teaching.
Further resources
Team Teaching – Learning and Teaching Website
Read more about Geography’s structured approach in a linked case study from Dr Gareth Powells, Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Authors
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Adam Badger Lecturer in Economic Geography School of Geography, Politics & Sociology |