NEH Distinguished Teaching Professors

Cristina Della Coletta
Project Summary (2002-2005)

Cristina Della Coletta is working on three interconnected projects, each one exploring a specific chapter in the broad volume of interdisciplinary studies: team-teaching, team-learning, and the use of computer technology as an interdisciplinary instructional tool.
Issues to be addressed include these:

• How can faculty members rely upon each other to enhance and diversify their teaching?
  
• What are the most effective ways to combine different interests and methods in order to achieve new understandings that could not be derived from working alone?
  
• How do teaching and learning teams work most effectively?
  
• How can computer technology help attain a course’s interdisciplinary objectives?
  

Della Coletta’s project examines how team-teaching and team-learning can best promote multiple lines of inquiry, allowing its practitioners to share perspectives and methodologies to reach a deeper understanding of the objects under investigation. She also plans to explore how computer technology can support team-teaching and team-learning and help achieve a course’s interdisciplinary objectives.

Through discussion panels and a conference involving faculty members from U.Va. and other universities, Della Coletta will test a variety of team-teaching and team-learning models and evaluate different forms of interdisciplinary partnerships. The goal is twofold: disseminate ideas about theories and practices of team-teaching and initiate new professional collaborations among faculty members within and outside of the University of Virginia.