09/09/2026
OPINION | ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ
Co-teaching has a clear intention: to accommodate the number of sections given the limited number of professors available to handle the course load. In a course with four sections and only two professors handling it, it is reasonable to divide the class sections between them and co-teach in at least one section of the course.
At first glance, there appears to be no issue with this.
However, the problem arises when two professors handling the same course do not have the same approach in teaching, the same scope, and the same assessment standards.
Itโs not necessary for the professors to have the same teaching style. Every professor has their own approach in teaching. There are professors who focus more on lectures and practice regular quizzes, while some may do short lectures but be heavy on quizzes. Differences in teaching style are normal.
What should not be normalized is the difference in academic experience that the students have to go through in a single course.
๐ช๐๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฆ, ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฌ.
There are different ways in which co-teaching can be implemented. In some cases, one professor may handle the lecture while the other handles the laboratory. Alternatively, one professor may teach from the prelim period through the first half of the midterm, before the course is turned over to the other professor until finals.
There is nothing wrong with any of these arrangementsโif coordination is clear and orderly.
However, when the professor changes, itโs not only the professorโs face that changes. The method of discussion may change as well, pacing in lessons, types of quizzes and exams, and the expected level of knowledge among the students.
This is where a simple question becomes important: Do the professors have the same basis for determining what the students are expected to know?
If the answer is No, then it is no longer about the difference in teaching styles. It becomes a matter of fairness.
An example of this is a student who experienced this type of system. In the first part of the course, the teaching is primarily centered on lectures and quizzes. Afterwards, when the responsibility was transferred to the second professor, there were short lectures before a comprehensive final examination was given.
The problem is not simply about the difficulty of the final exam.
The bigger problem is when a topic is present in the exam when it has not been discussed enough before it was included.
In this situation, itโs easy to say, โthe students should already know that.โ But what if the teaching system itself fails to provide sufficient opportunities for students to learn it?
๐ฆ๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ง ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก.
Students have the responsibility to study. There is no doubt about that.
However, professors also have the responsibility to ensure that every topic included in the exams is consistent with the lessons discussed and aligned with the course syllabus.
The students should not be the ones who bear the consequences of the difference in teaching styles between two professors.
If Professor A has a different pacing than Professor B, then there should be a clear coordination on the lessons that need to be discussed. If Professor B handles the final examination, he/she should know what was actually discussed in class. And if there is a topic that needs to be included, there should also be enough time and opportunity to discuss it.
After all, the students are not assigned exclusively to Professor A or Professor B.
The students are enrolled in the course.
The course should have clear and consistent academic standards, regardless of which professor handles it.
The professors are not the same, but it doesnโt mean that the standards should be different too.
It is important to clarify that there is no expectation for all professors to have the same personality, teaching style, or approach.
They do not need to lecture in the same way. They do not need to use the same methods for giving quizzes. Nor do they need to give up their individual teaching approaches
What matters is their consistency in direction.
If there is one syllabus, one course, and a set of learning outcomes, there should be a clear standard on what needs to be learned by the students before theyโre tested for assessment.
Because if the first half of the semester is centered on one learning system and is suddenly changed by the next professor without a proper transition, the students are left to bear the burden of adjusting to a problem they did not choose to be in.
The issue becomes particularly serious when students ultimately receive lower or failing grades as a result.
A failing grade is not a small thing. Especially for major subjects that have 5 units, it creates a huge impact on a studentโs academic standing, on their loads in the following semesters, and even on their graduation timeline.
Thus, it is only reasonable that before saying โthey didnโt study enough,โ professors should first consider whether the system itself provided students with sufficient and fair opportunities to learn.
๐๐ข-๐ง๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ , ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ฆ.
Co-teaching is not inherently problematic. In fact, it can be beneficial when there is good coordination among the professors. It can bring together different areas of expertise, teaching approaches, and experiences, making the course even more effective.
However, even a good concept can become problematic when coordination is poor.
Co-teaching should not be a reason for different interpretations in coverage, different expectations, or quizzes that are not consistent with the actual pacing of the class.
If there are two professors teaching in a course, they donโt have to be the same.
However, it needs to be clear where they are aligned.
Because students should not bear the burden of guessing what the next professor wants, adjusting to a new system in the middle of the semester, and then being blamed for failing to meet standards that were never clearly communicated.
High standards are important. However, high standards should be accompanied by clear teaching, good coordination, and fair assessment.
Otherwise, the co-teaching that is supposed to be a solution to limited teaching personnel can be an unnecessary problem that the students have to bear.
And perhaps, that is the question that those responsible for overseeing such a system need to reflect on:
When there are two professors teaching in a course, who should be held accountable when their instruction differsโthe students who failed, or the system that gave them different standards?
Words | Karagatan
Illustration | Moh'd Gazali N. Saripada
