Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW)

ISW Certificate
Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Certificate
 

Through participation in the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) professional development series, new, current, and aspiring faculty members will acquire knowledge and enhance their teaching skills in a safe, supportive and collegial environment.

The ISW Certificate is available for participants that meet the following requirements:

  1. Completion of eight (8) sessions designated as ISW sessions;
  2. Participants must attend these four (4) core sessions:
  • Planning Your Course
  • Blackboard Essentials
  • Assessing and Evaluating Students
  • Managing the Classroom
  1. Participants must sign in on the ISW participant sheet at the beginning of each session;
  2. All requirements must be met within five (5) years of taking the first ISW module.

All core ISW sessions and a variety of elective ISW sessions are delivered each semester. There is no limit to the number of ISW sessions faculty members can attend. All sessions are delivered at no cost to Confederation College employees.

Part-time faculty participating in sessions for the completion of their Instructional Skills Workshop Certificate will be paid a training rate of $25/hr attended.

Register Today for current offerings!

ISW Core Modules

Planning Your Course This session will assist you in mapping out your semester in order to coordinate assessments with learning outcomes and teaching methodologies. We will look at how to design a semester plan with lessons and activities that encourage participation.
Blackboard Essentials
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...		 Blackboard Essentials addresses the must-dos for meeting the minimal usage requirements of the college's Learning Management System. Together we will look at:
  1. Making the course available to students
  2. Attaching the course outline
  3. Posting instructor contact information
  4. Communicating marks to students via Grade Centre
  5. Posting an announcement
  6. Activating your preview user (student view)
  7. Customizing the Blackboard environment to suit your needs
Assessing and Evaluating Students The first thing that students want to know is - how to make the grade! As faculty, we want our students to be successful and engage in their learning. Assessment is an important element of learning and aligning assessment with learning outcomes is key in achieving success. Join us to explore some best practices, tools, and strategies for making assessments/evaluations valid and reliable.
Managing the Classroom This session is designed for new teachers. Predictable issues and principles of the classroom will be covered which will help contribute to a hassle-free semester.

ISW Electives*

Indigenous Learning Outcomes in Your
Classroom

You want to engage with the Indigenous Learning Outcomes but you are not sure where you should start or what would be appropriate. This workshop is for you. We have an approach that you can use in your classroom, particularly in your teaching methods, based on Indigenous pedagogy as described by Indigenous scholars in the field. This workshop replaces “Do I have the right to teach this?” with the question: “What is my responsibility as a Canadian working in a postsecondary institution?”
Academic Integrity

Learn about defining, understanding, and preventing plagiarism in your classroom. Explore the best ways to help students avoid plagiarism through useful strategies and key pedagogical approaches. This workshop covers the awareness of, prevention of, and detection of plagiarism in the classroom.
 

Technologies explored will include Blackboard and Banner through the proper usage of the Academic Integrity Tracking Tool to log incidents and SafeAssign to recognize and avoid such incidents.

Blackboard Ally

Blackboard Ally helps faculty build a more inclusive learning environment and improves the student learning experience. Teachers will learn how to make their course content available to students in alternate formats in an easy to achieve manner.
Teaching and Supporting
International Students

This interactive session will give participants a broader understanding of the myths, realities, aspirations, and challenges of international students in the class room. It will include several tips and advice for Faculty to help international students succeed, many of which will benefit all students in the class. Participants will also be able to raise their own questions and concerns, and to share information. Confederation’s representatives in China and India will be present to answer specific questions about either country.
Student Accommodation Plans

Please join Student Accessibility Services as we discuss our shared responsibility in the accommodation process. Topics will include: Ontario Human Rights Code, the Accommodation Process, Universal Design for Learning, and current “hot topics” in accessibility.

* Stay tuned for more electives as they become available