ISW for Faculty and Postdocs
The Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) is an internationally certified program designed to increase teaching effectiveness and encourage reflection on teaching practice. In a supportive atmosphere, new and experienced educators try new teaching approaches and sharpen existing skills.
As part of the workshop format and requirements, participants design and conduct three 10-minute lessons and receive verbal and written feedback from their peers, and a video recording of their teaching. In addition, there are opportunities for individual and facilitated reflection on one’s teaching practices. More information and context are available on the ISW Network website.
This program’s success relies on active participation and collaboration of all participants who, as a team, work together to support each other in enhancing their teaching effectiveness. A certificate of completion will be awarded to each participant.
Intended Audience
- Faculty members at UBC Okanagan (including lecturers and sessional lecturers)
- Postdoctoral Fellows (even if currently not teaching a course)
- Other educators who design or facilitate teaching and learning experiences that support undergraduate or graduate students at UBCO
- If you are a student, please check out our page ISW for Graduate Students.
- Also, check out UBCV’s faculty ISW and post-doctoral ISW offerings.
- Non-UBC faculty members/postdocs are eligible; however, they will be charged a non-refundable participation fee as per ISW Network rates. Please contact the ISW coordinator, Barbara Komlos, at barbara.komlos@ubc.ca, for more information.
Upcoming Offerings
Please see our list of upcoming sessions below and apply for offering that suits your schedule. Some offerings consist of 4-day back-to-back sessions while others are distributed over two weeks. Sessions cannot be interchanged across offerings. Dates are subject to change.
In-person
- Tuesday, July 23
- Thursday, July 25
- Tuesday, July 30
- Thursday, August 01
Registration for this offering is now closed.
November 2024 (Midterm Break)
In-person
- Tuesday, November 12
- Wednesday, November 13
- Thursday, November 14
- Friday, November 15
April 2025
In-person
- Tuesday, April 22
- Thursday, April 24
- Tuesday, April 29
- Thursday, May 1
August 2025
In-person
- Tuesday, August 12
- Wednesday, August 14
- Thursday, August 19
- Friday, August 21
Please complete the Application of Interest to reserve your spot!
The workshop is 24 hours long and conducted over 4 days. Participants are expected to be available from 09:00 am to 4:30 pm each day of the workshop. Schedule will vary slightly each day. The final schedule will be announced 2 weeks prior to the workshop to confirmed participants.
Participants should expect to spend about 2 hours on preparatory work before the workshop starts and 1 hour on assignments after each day.
By the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:
- Use learning objectives to organize teaching and to help students consider what they are expected to learn
- Write a useful, practical and aligned lesson plan
- Incorporate active learning strategies
- Consider students’ differing learning needs
- Use simple techniques during lessons to test learning
- Use common instructional aids effectively
- Use effective questioning techniques during a classroom session
- Give and receive constructive feedback
- Increase confidence and competence in the classroom
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please fill out the Application of Interest form found below each of our scheduled Upcoming Offerings.
Given the structure of the Instructional Skills Workshop, enrolment is limited. The Application of Interest does not guarantee enrolment in the workshop. Priority is given to Teaching Development Program (TDP) participants; afterwards, enrolment is on a first-come-first-served basis.
Applicants will be advised 3 weeks prior to the workshop whether their application is accepted or whether they are on a waitlist.
“I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest appreciation for you and all your incredible efforts at CTL. I must emphasize the magic of the one-week ISW workshop, which provided me with the opportunity to practice how to blend my authentic self when I present with the effective communicator I aspire to be. This workshop was truly transformative, and its impact on my professional development cannot be overstated.
During that practice week, not only did I gain invaluable teaching skills by watching how my peers communicate their knowledge and receive informative feedback on mine, but it also helped me build the confidence I needed to present my abilities effectively in both teaching and research. I am incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend ISW and learn from you.”
For more information about Instructional Skills Workshops for Faculty and Postdocs, please contact Barbara Komlos.