Applying the PDCA Cycle for Continuous Improvement in Teaching

This poster shares an example of using the PDCA cycle to improve teaching. The motivation for this project was a problem I faced while teaching an online graduate course. Because my only source of student feedback was their performance on assignments, I was unable to modify modules quickly enough to meet student needs. I wanted to find a solution but didn’t have a lot of time. Reflecting on my engineering training, I decided to use the PDCA cycle. For this case, the PLAN step involved me reviewing the syllabus to better understand the scope of the problem. From that activity I determined that there was a minimum of 2 module delay for me to use student feedback. I reviewed potential options and landed on using the intervention of a survey to elicit the muddiest point from the students. The DO step involved determining which modules to include a survey, developing the survey and inserting it into the modules. It also involved using the survey results to modify module content. The CHECK step focused on monitoring survey response rates to ensure I was getting feedback from a large portion of students. The ACT step required me to determine whether the intervention was working. Keeping a Run Chart of the response rates was an easy way for me to monitor student engagement with the invention. Because this feedback allowed me to make numerous modifications I deemed the pilot to be a success and implemented it as standard practice in all my courses. Although the PDCA cycle works for me there are some points of caution. For example: the approach does require sustained attention and may only result in small gains. It requires being open to change. In conclusion, the PDCA cycle is a great approach for small cycles of change when you have very little time. It is data-driven, easy to learn, and allows you to improve your teaching.