Co-Teaching in Nuclear Medicine Technology

3012 Objectives: Like most everything in 2020, COVID-19 suddenly changed teaching and learning in higher education. With each passing month, it became clear that online learning was going to become mainstream in education. There are several NMT programs around the country that were already conducting a portion or all of the program via distance learning prior to the pandemic; however, for the majority of the programs this was a new endeavor. The challenge for many educators was learning how to make the switch from face-to-face teaching to online learning. This not only included the logistics of online learning, but also the how to teach online. Clinical placements, labs, graduation and completion of the program dates, and certification board eligibility was all in question. There was never a better time for educators to collaborate with one another in order to provide the highest quality of education for the future technologists of our profession. Co-teaching is not a new concept or idea in education1,2. Co-teaching allows the faculty members to greatly expand their individual skills and knowledge to a greater audience2. In the New England region, the geographic locations of programs are close so the idea to collaborate and co-teach across programs was ideal. This study explored the views of two program directors in the overall outcome of a class that was co-taught by them from different programs with a senior class in both programs. Methods: Two programs in New England within 60 miles of each other co-taught a high-level comprehension procedures course together in the fall 2020 semester. Between the two programs, there was 17 students in the course. The two program directors have a strong professional working relationship and extremely involved in the professional organizations. When the decision was made by both programs’ institutions that the fall semester 2020 would remain online, the two program directors begin talking in how to enhance their online teaching. After reviewing the curricula together, it was clear that each program had a course in their final year that was directed toward the boards and more specifically, centered on procedures review. In the summer 2020, the PDs began developing and planning for the course together. This included aligning the course objectives, materials to be used, the syllabi, organization of the course and content, assignments, and examinations. Both schools used the same learning management system, which assisted with the online course structure. Zoom was used to facilitate the synchronized sessions. Results: Both program directors felt that the overall outcome was positive. It allowed for the strengths of both PDs to be utilized. The students gained experience from others that they do not work or learn with understanding different methods for performing the procedures or to learn from other’s experiences in less seen procedures. In the first few weeks there were some obstacles to overcome, especially with connecting the students from both programs. However, the students were divided into four groups mixed from the two programs to develop case studies and eventually made strong connections which was demonstrated during the groups’ presentations. The course evaluations completed by the students were positive. The PDs’ perceptions were that they learned more about the various topics versus if the course was taught individually. Conclusions: There is research on co-teaching, but usually resides within the same department or same institutions. This study, from the perceptions of the PDs, demonstrates the need to look co-teaching from multiple programs specific to NMT to continue to expand and enhance learning for the students. Incorporating different strategies into the curriculum allows the students to potentially achieve higher learning expectations. Additional research beyond just one semester and one course between two programs should be completed in NMT education.