Team Teaching in an Integrated Business Course

Authors

  • Christopher M. Scherpereel
  • Mary Y. Bowers

Abstract

Although the business community has long expressed a strong need for graduates with horizontal management and cross-functional skills, undergraduate business education continues to deliver curriculum that reflects conventional vertical approaches to organizational structure and business functions. The silo delivery of course content is reinforced by the traditional solo teaching methodologies used in business education. In order to provide the horizontal, cross-functional education desired by business stakeholders, it is necessary to integrate coursework in a manner that reflects the contemporary business team environment. To address this need for cross-functional integration, the College of Business at Northern Arizona University has designed and implemented a team taught class known as BizBlock. This paper presents the teaching methodologies used by the BizBlock faculty and addresses the significant issues associated with team teaching: discipline content, power differences, and the disincentives of team teaching.

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Published

2014-02-24