Training Events
It is difficult
to improve upon Linda R. Hilsen and Emily C. (Rusty) Wadsworth's chapter
on "Staging Successful Workshops" in A
Guide to Faculty Development, which is well-organized and very thorough.
Here are just a few additional suggestions. (
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General workshops
Many workshops include an interactive portion during which the participants work together to think through what is being presented--to form opinions or extend their own thinking in collaboration with their colleagues. This is a wonderful, fertile time during any workshop.
Because it is such a creative moment, the faculty developer should consider taking notes on the discussions, jotting down particularly compelling viewpoints or--even better--practical teaching suggestions that come and go during the discussion. These snippets of "live thought" can be the building blocks for nice follow-up newsletter articles, "authored" in part by the participants of the workshop themselves. An example of this technique can be found in the article Learning is a Social Experience
Of course, when organizing a training event one must begin with one's audience and learning what one can about their needs and priorities. Because the "Staging Successful Workshops" chapter focuses mainly on incumbent, instructional faculty, it might be helpful to keep in mind how a faculty developer's many constituencies can differ.
Mini-courses
Offering workshops that run at the same time once a week for several weeks or even the entire term can be effective for several reasons. Obviously, it allows the topic to be covered in better more depth and/or breadth, and it also gives participants time between meetings to think about or practice course content, enabling them to return with more substantive questions or responses. If appropriate, consider offering it for credit to attract graduate students as well as faculty. Having both groups in the same room can lead to wonderful networking and cross-pollination of good ideas.