STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: EXPECTED GAINS AND UNEXPECTED BENEFITS OF COLLABORATION
The collaborative nature of how our department develops assignments is essential, not only to the success of our curriculum, but also to the strengthening of the program as a whole. Specifically, creating assignments with colleagues allows us to draw on each other’s strengths, learn from colleagues with more expertise, model the collaborative process of science for our students, and divide work to allow us to be more time efficient. The benefits of this collaborative approach further extend to fostering a sense of connectedness and inclusion among faculty members, particularly adjuncts. By maintaining consistency of assignments and expectations across courses taught by multiple faculty, we are better able to accommodate student needs. For example, during a field-based research project, students may attend any one of multiple trips to collection localities with participating instructors.
The extent of collaboration may vary across departments (of different sizes and dynamics), however, we believe that all programs can benefit from adopting/embracing a similar collaborative environment.