Eastern Time - Reflections on the Evolution of a Cross-Institutional Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Program in Atlantic Canada

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore

A multi-phase, cross-institutional Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) program was designed by educational developers from five higher education institutions in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The initiative is framed around building a local community of practice and enabling further cross-institutional teaching and learning projects in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). The paper provides historical background, rationale, implementation details, and the coordinators’ reflections on challenges and implications of adapting the established program for an innovative, mutually supportive cross-institutional design in HRM.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

The ISW Program: A Brief History

Program origins and international growth

Workshop structure and learning approach

Evidence, rationale, and implementation

Literature on reflective practice and impacts

Narrative and reflective scholarship

Why the pilot used a research-informed approach

Implementing a Cross-Institutional ISW Program

Early planning in 2016 Halifax

Eastern Time: Reflections on the Evolution of a Cross-Institutional Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Program in Atlantic Canada D. William Kay, Chad O’Brien, Russell Day This short paper outlines the design and development of a multi-phase, cross-institution Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) program that was conceived by educational developers from five higher educational institutions in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The initiative is grounded in the belief that implementing the ISWprogram in the Halifax Regional Municipal (HRM) area willfoster a local community ofpractice andfurther cross-institutional initiatives focused on enhancing teaching and learning approaches. This paper offers a brief historical background and rationale ofthe ISWprogram, and details of implementation. In addition, the lead coordinators share their reflections on the challenges and implications resulting from the process of adapting this established program to fit an innovative and mutually supportive cross-institutional design within the HRM. Ce court article présente la conception et l’élaboration d’Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW), un programme interétablissement en plusieurs phases qui a été conçu par des concepteurs pédagogiques provenant de cinq établissements d’enseignement supérieur d’Halifax, en Nouvelle-Écosse. L’initiative repose sur l’idée que la mise en œuvre d’ISW dans la municipalité régionale d’Halifax encouragera le développement d’une communauté de pratique et de projets interétablissements visant à améliorer les approches d’enseignement et d’apprentissage. Nous présentons brièvement l’histoire et les raisons aufondement de l’ISW ainsi que les détails de sa mise en œuvre. De plus, les coordonnateurs en chefréfléchissent aux difficultés et aux conséquences du processus d’adaptation de ce programme bien établi au concept interétablissement novateur et solidaire au sein de la municipalité régionale d’Halifax. The Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Program: A Brief History The Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) has been described as a “comprehensive three tiered instructor development program that serves as the foundation for several professional development activities” ([iswnetwork.ca](iswnetwork.ca)). The ISW program was originally developed during the late 1970s in British Colombia as a response to a call for more instructional skill mentorship for early career higher education-based instructors. Since then, the ISW program has been equally influential on more experienced educators in higher education institutions (HEI) in Canada and has grown internationally to over twenty countries. The ISW program is an immersive workshop that is offered within small group settings (an optimal number is five participants per one certified ISWFacilitator) with the aim of enhancing active teaching effectiveness and reflective classroom-based practice. The program is most effectively delivered ina three- or four-day retreat setting that builds community around the concept of best practices for active classroom teaching. A central focus for participants throughout this 24-hour workshop program is designing and delivering three 10-minute lessons and receiving peer-led feedback from participants. The workshop aims to provide a highly experiential and reflective learning experience for post-secondary-level instructors by following this outline. Foxe, Frake-Mistak, and Popovic (2017) have highlighted the great appeal and popularity of the ISW in the field of educational development despite a present dearth in existing literature that documents evidence on the effective longitudinal impact of the program on teaching practice. The exception to this observation has been the publication of a comprehensive systematic study conducted by Dawson et al. (2014) for the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. Amongst some fascinating and somewhat contradictory findings, the Dawson et al. (2014) study identified an increase in reflective pra

FAQs

What problem the ISW program originally aimed to address?

The ISW was developed in the late 1970s as a response to calls for more instructional skill mentorship for early-career higher education instructors.

How is the ISW program delivered and what do participants do?

It is offered in small groups, typically with five participants per certified facilitator, and is commonly delivered in a three- or four-day retreat. Participants design and deliver three 10-minute lessons and receive peer-led feedback.

What evidence is discussed regarding the ISW’s impact on teaching practice?

The paper notes limited longitudinal evidence, citing a systematic study by Dawson et al. (2014) that found an increase in reflective practice among participating teachers. It also references narrative-focused literature addressing workshop logistics and participant reflections.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore