Thank you for agreeing to offer a session at the 2024 BWSR Academy and share your knowledge and experience. BWSR is excited to have you be part of it! The Trainer’s website page is created for trainers to provide information and resources to support you in your role as a trainer at BWSR Academy.
BWSR Academy Overview
Academy Goal
To provide high quality training for local government staff that maintains and improves the delivery of conservation work and meets the shared expectations of BWSR and local resource management boards.
2024 BWSR Academy
Please see “Resources for Trainers” below to learn how BWSR staff will be supporting trainers for preparation before and during the 2024 Academy.
Academy sessions will be held on October 29-31 at Cragun’s Conference Center near Brainerd. The primary audience are local government unit staff involved in natural resources and conservation work. There is both a daily attendance cap of 420 and session caps, depending on room size. We do not record the sessions as all sessions should be interactive with participants to engage them in their learning.
Training Focus
We consider BWSR Academy a training opportunity for local government staff. Academy participants value practical and interactive training that directly supports specific skills and concepts they can apply on the job. To learn more about BWSR Academy priorities and guiding principles, please visit our BWSR Academy page. Training sessions should be designed to engage the audience in their learning rather than simply providing information.
Academy “Nuts and Bolts”
- Registration Open: Registration will open in early September. To ensure accurate number counts for the venue, all trainers are required to register for Academy even though your registration fee is waived for the day(s) you are a trainer. Please visit the 2024 BWSR Academy page for information on registration.
- Registration Close: Registration will close at the end of September. This allows us to provide information to our trainers about session size, contact attendees with updates, and provide handouts and other materials prior to Academy.
- High Quality Training and Relevant Sessions: BWSR offers assistance to each trainer to make sure attendees have the interactive training experience they value and have come to expect from Academy.
- Academy Goal: To provide high quality training for local government staff that maintains and improves the delivery of conservation work and meets the shared expectations of BWSR and local resource management boards.
- Academy Audience: The audience for Academy are local government unit staff (SWCD, WD, WMO) who work in natural resources and conservation.
Tips for Designing Your Session
- Be sure the content of your training aligns with the title and description you provided.
- Start with the end in mind by identifying the training goal(s) and the learning objectives to support your goal(s).
- Sessions should engage the attendees in their learning by being interactive. Examples include use of case studies, group discussion, table discussions, and other opportunities to engage the audience in their learning. Panel presentations are strongly encouraged. Contact Barbara Radke if a panel presentation is considered.
- Contact Barbara Radke (contact information at bottom of page) if you’d like help finding ways to make your session interactive.
- Remember to leave 5 minutes at the end of your session for attendees to complete their Action Plan form.
Resources for Trainers
- "Effective Presentations" training will be offered via online format to all Academy trainers. This training will cover designing effective sessions focusing on learner retention through effective PPT design and interactive opportunities for the attendees. Dates to be determined.
- Barbara Radke, BWSR Training Coordinator (contact information at bottom of page).
Again, thank you for your contribution to making the 2024 BWSR Academy our best yet. Our local government partners appreciate your efforts, and we could not do this without you. See you in October!