staff development potpourri – university of delaware

Staff Development Potpourri – University of Delaware

• General training opportunities and media to appeal to different learning styles

• Self-directed learning to keep current with central IT information and to develop and maintain technical skills.

• IT training programs to address audience-specific needs

ENVIRONMENT

• IT training voluntary at UD

• One university-wide IT requirement is acceptance of the University Responsible Computing Policy—one for faculty and staff and one for students.

IT training categories

• By audience

• By source

• By delivery-method

Training by Audience

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Training by Source

• Vendor-supplied

• Vendor-supplied, customized in-house

• Developed in-house

Training by Delivery Method

• Hands-on, instructor-led

• Live presentation (e.g. using PowerPoint) in the classroom

• Self-paced using interactive CDs

• Online tutorials with practice files and exercises

• Closed-circuit television.

General Staff Training• No longer need to create many

training materials time on how to use software features

• Vendor-supplied manuals, tutorials, videos, interactive multi-media, and web-based training – good quality and variety for different learning styles

• Instructor-led classes for higher level learning

General Staff TrainingStrategy Advantages

• Contain costs

• Promote self-directed continuous and just-in-time learning to learn features

• More efficient use of IT staff time to consult on specific client applications

• www.udel.edu/learn/usered

Faculty-IT Partnership• IT staff members collaborate with the

Center for Teaching Effectiveness and Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education

• To help faculty members connect their learning goals and the actual technology-enhanced lessons

• To promote student-centered, active, problem-based learning.

Faculty Technology Institutes

• Offered first weeks of summer and winter sessions

• ’05 winter kickoff with Dee Fink guest speaker prominent expert in instructional design

• “Designing courses for more significant student learning”

• Related sessions, faculty showcase

Faculty Training Classes• Instructor-led, hands-on • WebCT Learning Management

System Introduction - includes creating a sample course

• Other sessions: how to effectively use WebCT discussion groups, organize course content, set up quizzes & surveys, set up grading modules to achieve learning goals

PRESENT • Practical Resources for Educators

Seeking Effective Technologies • UD’s teaching, learning and

technology center • Consultations on instructional design • Try out equipment for exploring uses

of technology in teaching.• www.udel.edu/present

50 + Faculty-IT projects • Many initiated with the help of technology

grants• Incorporated in courses, provide

templates for other faculty• John Deiner uses student presentations

to create newsletter• Mark Stanton makes online testing

feasible• Bill Saylor reduces teacher time while

maintaining student quality/time on task• Faculty Profiles

Financial Staff• PeopleSoft Financial System• Phase 1 implemented July 2003• Phase 2 implemented July 2004• Communications and Training Team

- representatives of Processing Offices, Colleges, the Provost’s office and Information Technologies – developed and delivered courses using train-the-trainer models

• www.udel.edu/udfs/info/

Student Employees• ~150 students work as site

assistants in 9 public computing facilities operated by IT-User Services

• Developed training program for main site, Smith Hall, student site assistants using WebCT

• Disseminate consistent information • Available for review at any time

Smith Site Assistant Course Outline

• General Information• Site Duties/Consulting• I/O Job Processing• Customer Service Skills• Need To Know• Printing• www.udel.edu/webct/ • smithIO-guest guest

IT Support Staff

• Central InformationTechnologies group report to CIO – IT VP

• Department IT support staff –employed by University departments and colleges –

Campus Information Technology Associates (~ 62 CITAs)

CITAs

• IT professionals

• Discipline expertise and computer experience

• CITAs are welcome at IT staff meetings, and staff interaction is encouraged

• Needed to build communication and foster partnership

CITA training program • Spring 2002 developed program

using WebCT to help CITAs become as self-sufficient and informed about information technology at UD as possible (voluntary)

• “Hook” or “carrot” to entice CITA participation – free training and training materials.

WebCT CITA Training Course

• Deliver orientation and standards information (what central IT wants all IT support people to know), through a series of six links (sections).

• CITAs who review orientation pages and take self-tests after each section are eligible for a prize: IT-funded technical skills training and materials (what CITAs want to know).

76% CITAs completed and got the prize!

• $200 allotment to purchase technical manuals and books of their choice (twice!)

• VTC Online and Oracle Library subscription

• Formal training on campus paid for by IT

• Formal training off campus shared expense with department

• www.udel.edu/cita

Keeps Getting Better!• CITA participants enjoy these

opportunities to learn• Working relationships have improved

because of a sense of camaraderie• Information is shared as received –

especially valuable in system administration and for interoperability of departmental and central computing services

Wrap-up• Each program

– Puts focus on the learner,– Ensures consistent body of up-to-

date information – Provides resources, incentives

and a venue for building a community of life-long learners who can use technology to “work smarter, not harder.”

Contact Information• Chris Murphy• University of Delaware• Murphy@udel.edu• 302-831-3738

• Thank you for coming!• I’d be happy to share information or

answer any questions on or off line.