The final step in the cycle is implementation. Once the craft has been developed, it’s time to put it into practice. This of course involves a lot of practical things. An overview of resources and practical information can be found here. But also in the implementation phase there are some important didactic points to make the course a success.

Getting Started

Often you will not teach a course on your own, but will have fellow teachers (e.g., Teachers 4) and/or student assistants. Several points are important to pay attention to when working with multiple teachers:

Make sure that teachers are knowledgeable about each other’s lesson content and that they always keep the constructive alignment principle in mind.
Make sure everyone is aware of the didactic principles used in the course (e.g., student-directed learning or blended learning).

Schedule time well in advance to familiarize the student assistants supervising the working groups/practicals. Make sure they have a good content base (you can also have them prepare material at home) and are above the material. Provide a clear point of contact if they are at a loss. In addition to content and answers to practice questions, don’t forget to have them understand why certain assignments are in the subject (validation) so they can respond to that in their guidance but also provide the same validation to students .

Summary: Agree the lesson content with your fellow teachers and work student assistants in on time. It is important to remember that students learn not only the content, but also the how and why.

Calibrate

If the course includes assignments that are reviewed by different reviewers, it is important to calibrate their assessments using assessment forms to ensure consistency and fairness in grading. This could include written reports, presentations, posters, projects, as well as exam questions. The manner and amount of feedback given is also useful to discuss. Important during calibration and also settling in is to use the learning goals and principles you want to maintain as a basis. In doing so, answer the question, “What do I want to accomplish with this assignment?” Based on the answer, determine where the focus of the assessment and feedback should be.

Summary: When calibrating, make sure everyone is assessing the same way with the goals of the subject in mind.

Interim evaluation/reflection.

It is helpful to build in interim evaluation moments for the various parties involved in the course so that the alarm can be sounded in time for any adjustments.

Student assistants and perhaps co-teachers are often still learning. Provide adequate space for feedback and reflection during the course. That way, action can still be taken before something gets out of hand. What is the best way to go about this?

After the first class of student assistants, you can meet for a while and discuss how it went. This can be an informal and brief conversation.
Then you can schedule several intervals to ask how things are going. Above all, try to listen here and not patronize too much.
Provide a clear point of contact for didactic and content problems.

If the lectures of the different teachers take place after each other, the teachers of the first series can do a content handover to the teachers of the later series, including information about the group dynamics between the students and any tips & tricks.

It is also helpful with students to have a finger on the pulse in between sessions, especially if a course is being taught for the first time. What is the best way to do that?

In between formative tests to check whether the material has landed with the students (this is also a good feedback moment for the students themselves);
After the first few weeks make some time available in class for an evaluation moment, this can be done both in plenary sessions and (anonymously) online (e.g. with Wooclap or Forms);
Build in a formal (anonymous) feedback moment halfway through the course.

A standard UvA Q student evaluation is taken at the end of a course. It can be useful to add specific questions to it to see how certain parts were experienced. You could base these questions on the answers from the interim evaluation.

After the Implementation Phase is complete, the results from these mid-term and final evaluations can be used to improve the subject.

If you have any questions about the educational design cycle or would like to spar about your own subject, please contact the TLC staff: tlc-eb@uva.nl