• Computer Assisted Teaching Survey (CATS) – With the help of a facilitator, an instructor can design a questionnaire for student feedback; predict the response; administer, analyze and respond to the results. The instructor only needs access to a personal computer in order to analyze the information collected.
• Classroom Research – P. Cross and T. Angelo’s model of Classroom Research, utilizing Classroom Assessment Techniques, is a natural companion to ISW in that it advocates the instructor identifying clear goals and objectives and soliciting feedback on the students’ success in achieving the learning goals.
• Peer Consultation – Facilitators would be available to “contract” with faculty wishing to deal with specific classroom-related issues. Peer consultation could include classroom visits, reviews of videotapes, and discussions of objectives, techniques, and classroom skills.

ANTICIPATING CHANGE

Educational institutions need to address the needs of its present faculty, with particular attention to “aging” faculty, as well as offer meaningful orientation to new faculty, whose numbers are likely to increase greatly over the coming years. The Instructional Skills Program provides non-threatening, formative evaluation opportunities for both groups, and can help institute an ongoing process of formative evaluation and development. It provides a safe place for colleagues to help each other address challenges.

Initially, faculty may confuse the ISW with evaluation, and the institution needs to make clear that ISW is a voluntary program and should not be connected to summative evaluation processes.

The Instructional Skills Workshop can be part of an ongoing program with a variety of dimensions to address different needs of faculty. It can help develop a shared vocabulary and knowledge base for improving campus-wide discussions of teaching, learning, and formative evaluation. It can increase interest in instructional, as well as discipline-based development activities. Above all, it can lead to a spontaneous opening of classroom doors, sharing of expertise, and mutual support for attaining institutional and personal goals in teaching.