This is a rough note about how to systematically change your course. There is a separate note on taking over, inheriting a course. There is no single, ‘right’ way, and every situation will be different. However, there are mistakes to avoid and lessons to learn from the past; how to improve the odds. In some ways, the issues are the same when taking over a course or designing a new course. Hence, some points are replicated between the notes. We assume that in this case, you know the previous offerings since you are the instructor, and that you know what the students know and are what they are comfortable with.

The note is split into four sections:

• general strategy for the undertaking
• analysis of the course
• planning of the course
• execution of the course

General Strategy

• Understand the problem first. Many wise folks have said this, there are many quotes; it is common sense (Einstein through Dewey) understand first, and then develop solutions.
• Do not change the course unless there is a reason; if the course is working well, not broken --> do not break it.
• Do not use opinions, personal ‘I liked x when I was a student’ as reasons for change. Use evidence, learning and teaching theory to justify changes.
• Get help and ‘buddies’ to discuss the course and your plans.
• Be patient.
• Have a mentor.

Analysis

• What are the learning outcomes? Can everything in the course be linked to the learning outcomes? How should each learning outcome be taught/learned?
• There might be department expectations for pedagogy and content.
• You should consider vertical and horizontal integration of content and pedagogy.
• Never forget the official description in the calendar.

• Remember that it is unlikely that any method will work for every lecture, every outcome, every situation! Do not assume that one size fits all.
• Identify the ‘good’, what is working good enough, or better; and identify what needs to be improved. Think about the what, why, and how to improve. Use evidence, not opinions in the analysis.
• Be careful when asking past students, they may not know what was being taught or learned, and it might be a small biased sample.
• Understand the students. Do a short review, reflection. Do not take your quick thinking for granted.
• Look at the past course assessments and submissions (not just the assessments) and try to get a handle on what the students have been able to do in the past, with the current course design, and why they did what they did.
• What are the assumptions about student preparedness? Prior learning, mastery, knowledge and skill?
• If the students have been exposed to similar methods or situations in the past, how well did that go? Any stigma? Any issues? Any challenges to deal with?
• Do a self-assessment: what do you know, what methods have you used, how skilled are you in each?
• It can often take four ‘experiences’ with a method before you really have a handle on it. The first time, you make all of the naïve, rookie mistakes, second time you over correct and the pendulum swings to the other extreme, the third time you hope you are somewhere in the middle, and the fourth you have proven you can replicate and that you are indeed in the middle.
• If your institution has coop or an internship program, what aspects can be integrated, brought into the classroom.
• Consider any vertical and horizontal integration opportunities in the program.
• Do a gap analysis on your self-assessment and what the course requires.
• Understand how big the gaps are and what the gap implies.

Planning

• Patience & Long Term view.
• Develop a 2-3 year plan for change and evolution.
• Do not change more than one or two things at a time. If you change more, the change management becomes problematic and it is almost impossible to identify any causality: the cause and effect.
• Create a course development document with what you want to do in the next 2-3 years. Think about what, when, how; be patient and do not try everything at once. Have a plan.
• Risk & Change management.
• Plan to test any new teaching methods or assessment methods in advance, in a controlled way before experimenting with a real class. Use TAs and friends to test out your ideas.
• If you do not have prior experience with the method, DO NOT roll it out for the whole course the first time.
• Plan for bumps. Do not be surprised by the unexpected when dealing with new situations, methods, or ideas; allow for some slack in the course planning, recovery time, flexibility in ‘eating your mistakes’. If you have to walk back something. Have some topics planned that can be dropped if they have to be.
• Understand that when you introduce a new teaching or assessment method, there will be increased load on the students (and you) and what are you going to remove from the course to address this?
• Create a document, itemize the number of 'new' things from the above analysis that you will have to face in the term. Include material, methods, assessments, rubrics, student level, context; the more 'new' in a course, the higher the risk and more care is warranted. It is non-linear and you should think exponential in impact. When things go wrong, they will go wrong quickly and cascade, and go wrong at the wrong time. What is your capacity to correct? Fix? Mitigate? Contain the damage?
• Reality & Feasibility.
• Expect that it will take you longer the first time for rubrics, marking, dealing with weekly bumps and potholes.

Execution

• Teaching Assistants.
• Try to get the same TA from the last course offering. Discuss with the changes, possible impacts. These insights are invaluable.
• If possible, negotiate a special (non-marking) TA for 8 hours a week to help you with the course; preferably an UG who has recently taken the course. A good TA can help you with quality control via testing the lectures and assessments in advance, and provide feedback on the overall delivery. You will need more help than in the past offerings when doing a significant change.
• Observers & Mentors.
• Arrange for observers for the first lecture and if possible multiple times during the term; to observe the class dynamics, delivery, etc.
• Do a debrief, post mortem with a mentor, observer, also involve them before the course is taught. Talk it through, and when you offer it the second time, re-engage them, discuss the changes you are making, why, and how you will introduce and control the change.
• Risk Management.
• Enhance and up the game on feedback, working with the class reps. The first offering with a change is important and you will need intel and weekly feedback to keep things 'best in class' (literally).
• Assume that the course will be bumpy. Have pre-planned mechanisms in place which are fair to the students.
• Keep a log during the term and track things during the term; how did things go? This will help others and it will help you adjust the 2-3 year plan.
• If things took longer or were worse than expected, why? If things took less time or were better than expected, why?

Further reading

• Brent, R. (2015). Refresh your course without (too much) pain and suffering. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/course-design-ideas/refresh-your-course-without-too-much-pain-and-suffering/