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Basics of PDSA Cycles

This session, presented at the 2023 Summit on Improvement in Education, introduces the role of disciplined inquiry in improvement efforts and unpacks key moves and considerations to support learning about a change idea utilizing a plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle.

In this session, participants will learn the basics of the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) process and how that process features within improvement efforts. PDSA cycles are a key engine for learning about changes, but they are not the only form of disciplined inquiry that supports developing and iterating working theories of improvement. This session unpacks each step in the PDSA cycle and highlights how to successfully engage in cycles to support learning. This session will provide participants with sample templates and tools for engaging in PDSA cycles and an activity to identify learning opportunities within their work where this approach to inquiry could be useful.

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