As a course coordinator, you exercise a form of teaching leadership even if you do not have a formal leadership function. This requires a particular set of skills:

• Teaching judgement
  The ability to justify your choice of teaching format and activities based on the target group, learning outcomes, and type of exam.
• Facilitation skills
  The ability to lead meetings and processes in which student instructors share their experiences, ask questions, discuss challenges, and further develop their practice.
• Relational skills
  The ability to create a safe and clear framework for collaboration in which student instructors are supported, recognised, and can engage in professional dialogue.
• Knowledge of frameworks and guidelines
  The ability to brief student instructors on academic regulations, assessment criteria, workloads, and relevant formalities.

The course coordinator plays a key role in setting direction, creating a team spirit, and supporting reflection among the student instructors.

To build up a good collaborative relationship with your student instructors, it is essential that you align your expectations with theirs so that everyone knows what is expected of them. This applies to:

• The allocation of tasks and responsibilities (e.g. meetings, exam questions, communication)
• A framework for communication and collaboration (e.g. response time, contact methods, meeting formats)
• How you both understand the context and objectives of teaching.

It is a good idea to meet before the course starts and go through the following points:

• Academic objectives and learning outcomes
• Teaching and exam formats
• The student instructor's contribution and role
• Practical matters, like working time registration, remuneration, cancellation policy, and responsibilities.

When student instructors know what they have to do – and why – they feel more secure and motivated in their role.

It is important to hold regular meetings with your student instructors to ensure you coordinate the course and that you support your student instructors’ ongoing development.

Good meeting practice:

• Hold regular meetings (e.g. every two to three weeks) with a fixed structure
• Use your meetings to coordinate and to give teaching advice
• Make time to share experiences and solve problems together
• Involve the student instructors in planning, idea development, and evaluation.

As research and practical experience confirm, meetings work best when there is:

• A meeting chairperson (typically the course coordinator)
• A balance between information, reflection, and dialogue
• A culture of openness, respect, and learning.

Recognise the student instructors' role at your meetings:

It is a good idea to listen to the student instructors' observations from their teaching and to use them actively in your planning. Make it clear that you trust their judgement, and be available to answer questions about course content or teaching, give regular feedback, and be clear about your expectations.

A good meeting forum improves teaching quality and increases the student instructors’ motivation and commitment.

There are obvious advantages to facilitating collaboration between student instructors so that they can work well together even before the semester begins. Collaboration between student instructors plays a key role in their preparation and teaching:

• The majority of student instructors collaborate with one another more than with the course coordinator
• Collaboration between student instructors is often facilitated by the course coordinator from the outset
• Student instructors use one another to discuss issues, share experiences, and coordinate teaching activities
• The primary tasks of student instructors are preparing materials such as weekly plans, answers to assignments, and slides.

The way student instructors collaborate with one another varies across AU, depending on the local context. Some coordinate their teaching preparation closely, while others have limited contact. This variation will affect the opportunities student instructors have to discuss the subject matter and the level of support they feel they are receiving.

Recommendations for facilitating collaboration between student instructors

• Agree on what the collaboration space can be used for and clarify what you expect as a course coordinator
• Put structures in place to facilitate collaboration, such as a rotation scheme, deadlines for products, or work in pairs.
• Set up spaces for communication and sharing, such as Teams, shared online folders, or meeting rooms.

Facilitating collaboration between student instructors can help to support the individual student instructor and to ensure more consistent teaching across classes.

• Local advisory sessions with members of teaching staff/teaching teams
• Workshops on collaboration between student instructors and academic members of staff
• Presentations in teacher meetings about student instructor teaching
• Teacher training courses for student instructors

Contact Anders Hjortskov Larsen to explore your options.

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• Herrmann, K. J., Bager-Elsborg, A. (2014). Effektiv holdundervisning : en håndbog for nye undervisere på universitetsniveau (1. udgave. ed.). Samfundslitteratur.  
• Raaper, R. (2018). "Peacekeepers' and "machine factories': tracing Graduate Teaching Assistant subjectivity in a neoliberalised university. British journal of sociology of education, 39(4), 421-435. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2017.1367269  
• Topping, K. J. (2005). Trends in Peer Learning. Educational psychology (Dorchester-on-Thames), 25(6), 631-645. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410500345172