Planning and Presenting Workshops That Work: A Faculty Development Workshop

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Faculty Development
• Adult Learning Principles

Background:

• Faculty in higher education often lack formal training in workshop development and delivery.
• Effective workshop facilitation is crucial for impactful teaching methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide faculty with a 1-hour active learning session on developing and delivering effective workshops.
• To utilize experiential learning as a framework for faculty development in workshop design.

Main Methods:

• A 1-hour workshop was delivered to five cohorts of participants in the Academic Pediatric Association's Educational Scholars Program (ESP).
• The workshop included a didactic presentation, hands-on workshop plan development, and "reflection in action" to model facilitation.
• Participant feedback was collected via written surveys, and postgraduation data tracked workshop implementation.

Main Results:

• 116 faculty participated, with 114 finding the session useful.
• Key valuable aspects included facilitator role modeling and collaborative workshop plan development.
• Approximately 70% of surveyed graduates conducted at least one workshop after the program.

Conclusions:

• The faculty development session effectively teaches workshop development and leadership using active and adult learning principles.
• The program fosters collaboration among faculty to create workshops based on shared interests.
• The training demonstrably increases faculty confidence and capability in leading their own workshops.