There are several ways to get the ISW started at your institution or organization. A great first step is to have one or two experienced FDW Trainers offer ISWs for a few experienced instructional personnel at your institution or organization. Each ISW would be offered for four to six participants, likely offered over four consecutive days.

Your institution or organization could contract directly with experienced FDW Trainers or with an institution or organization that has FDW Trainers as members of their ISW Team.

Experienced FDW Trainers can conduct ISWs (and later FDWs) at institutions new to the ISW program for expenses such as travel, accommodation, materials and other workshop expenses plus a fee to cover the time of the Trainers.

Once some of your faculty members or training personnel have taken an ISW, you can encourage at least two or three to attend an ISW Facilitator Development Workshop (FDW). There they’ll learn strategies for establishing the ISW at your institution.

Options include attending an FDW already being offered (such as in British Columbia or in Ontario where many institutions have active ISW programs) or hosting a Facilitator Development Workshop (FDW) at your site for four to five participants who have already completed the ISW and are identified by your institution or organization to offer ISWs for their colleagues. If you can’t fill a full FDW cohort on your own, consider partnering with a nearby institution to offer your initial FDW(s).

See the ISW/FDW/TDW Multi-Step Model for more information on developing an ISW Team of Facilitators and Trainers for your institution or organization.

When participants successfully complete the FDW, their FDW Trainers will provide copies of the handbooks and additional support material. When newly trained ISW Facilitators are ready to offer the ISW, they register with the ISW Network and gain access to materials in the password-protected area of the website, including the ISW and FDW Handbooks posted there as PDFs.

Look for individuals who are enthusiastic about teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning, well-respected by colleagues and learners, open to new ideas, and come from a variety of disciplines. Credibility with administrators is also a plus. Most importantly, look for individuals who are committed and recognize the time and effort the ISW Facilitator role requires.

While the context for ISW Teams may vary, here are some strategies that tend to work well:

• Share information about the ISW at team and department meetings
• Encourage instructional personnel from all disciplines to participate in the ISW Program
• Gather and share quotes and testimonials from ISW participants
• Promote ISW and related events in department and other publications

Institutions and organizations that have had the most success tend to have both instructor and administrative support, a team of ISW Facilitators and FDW Trainers, and recognition for participant involvement in the ISW.

Effective practices include:

• Building a strong team of ISW Facilitators and FDW Trainers
• Attending ISW Network events
• Offering the ISW regularly and free of charge for instructors across the career spectrum
• Asking departments to promote the ISW as a professional development opportunity
• Actively developing ISW Facilitators and FDW Trainers and celebrating their growth
• Sharing best practices and successes across the ISW Network