Abstract:

This study examines the implementation and pedagogical impact of co-teaching in the context of higher education in maritime studies, specifically through the team teaching methodology. The initiative was developed during the 2024–2025 academic year. Concretely, for the practical sessions of the course Ship Safety and Pollution Prevention, taught in the second year of the Bachelor's Degree in Nautical Science and Maritime Transport and the Bachelor's Degree in Marine Engineering at the School of Engineering of Bilbao (University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU). The teaching model adopted the team teaching approach, in which two instructors jointly designed and delivered all practical sessions to groups of no more than twenty students, resulting in a student-to-teacher ratio ranging from 7 to 10. The study involved the entire population enrolled in the course (32 students, aged 19–33 years) and aimed to evaluate the students’ perceptions of classroom management, personalized attention, knowledge construction, and overall satisfaction with the methodology. Data collection followed a quantitative approach and was carried out through a structured survey, organized into three dimensions (mentioned above) and assessed on a five-point Likert scale.

The results show strong consensus among participants, with high levels of student agreement across all dimensions (scores consistently above 4.6 and low standard deviations). Classroom management received particularly high ratings, reflecting effective coordination, shared pedagogical criteria, and increased student motivation. Personalized attention was also highly valued, highlighting faster and more effective resolution of doubts and more individualized guidance. In terms of knowledge construction, students reported enhanced content understanding, exposure to multiple perspectives, increased critical thinking, and more engaging learning dynamics.

These findings suggest that team teaching constitutes an effective pedagogical strategy in maritime higher education, especially in practical sessions, as it enhances instructional quality and perceived learning outcomes. Thus, the study supports the incorporation of co-teaching models as a viable approach to improving teaching and learning processes in higher education contexts.

Keywords:

Co-teaching, Team Teaching, Cooperative Teaching, Higher education, Practical lessons, Maritime Studies.