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Vickie Nelson
vmn@uoregon.edu

A new faculty member needs to learn Blackboard. A long-time administrative assistant takes on the task of updating the department’s website. A clerical worker struggles to learn Excel so he can apply for a better position.

All these people share a need for training—either to learn new technical skills or to update and expand skills they already have. Employees, however, may find themselves in very different situations. Some are free to schedule their own time and can take a workshop or class whenever they have no conflicting responsibilities. Others are office-bound and must abide by a supervisor’s decision on when they can take training. Some staffers work for departments with the resources and willingness to pay for training; other employees need a free or at least low-cost option for learning new skills.

Whatever an individual’s situation, somewhere in the wealth of training opportunities available at the UO there is likely to be a class or workshop that is well suited to meet his or her need for training. The resources are spread widely around campus, however, and the search can be something of a treasure hunt. A good place to start looking is the Human Resources Training and Development web page at http://hr.uoregon.edu/training/

Human Resources Programs

Human Resources offers two different training programs—a web-based series of lessons through RAA, and off-campus, face-to-face classes through New Horizons. These programs have a fee, require registration, and are open to all students, faculty, and staff.

1. RAA (http://hr.uoregon.edu/training/raa.html)

RAA courses are available 24/7 from any online computer. Faculty, staff, and students sign up for one-year access to any of three libraries, and during that year they may make as much or as little use of the library as they like. The costs for one-year access to the libraries are modest, and in addition, the Employee Benefit Fund will pay half of the cost of one RAA Training online library per full-time employee (see "Help With Training Costs" below for more on this benefit). The three training libraries of web-based courses available are:

Personal Computers & Business Skills ($105) This library covers the Microsoft Windows operating system; Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Outlook; and other business-related classes such as QuickBooks and Quicken. Try a sample lesson at

IC3: Internet and Computing Core Certification ($52) The IC3 teaches basic computing and Internet skills, and if desired, can lead to IC3 certification.

Total Solution to A+ 2003 Certification ($105) This library includes courses for employees who want to become A+ certified computer technicians.

2. New Horizons (http://hr.uoregon.edu/training/upcoming.html)

For those who enjoy the give and take of face-to-face classes—and who can arrange to be out of the office for extended periods—the New Horizon classes offer the opportunity to become immersed in a topic for one or two full days. The classes take place off campus and cover the Microsoft Windows operating system; Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook; and many other topics such as Dreamweaver and Crystal Reports. The one-day classes cost $63 and the two-day, $126. Upper Division classes cost more. All costs reflect a contribution by the Employee Benefit Fund. For more information see the website above or call Kathy Cooks at 346-2939.

MENTOR GROUP

The Professional Partners Mentoring Program grew out of the work of the Classified Staff Training and Development Advisory Committee (CSTDAC). These mentoring groups meet regularly and are open to all staff at no charge. You do not need to register or attend every session; simply show up when you can to share information and make connections. Currently, CSTDAC has mentoring groups on Excel, FileMaker Pro, and Web Mechanics. For more information and contact information on the separate groups, consult the website.

Excel Group. The Excel group meets on the last Thursday of the month in Room 144 Knight Library from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

FileMaker Pro Group. This group meets Wednesdays for six weeks this fall in Room 116 Education from 10 a.m. to noon.

Web Mechanics Group. Meetings are on the third Wednesday of each month from September through June in Knight Library, Reed Seminar Room 235, from noon to 1 p.m.

Workshops on Demand

Can’t find a scheduled workshop or class on the particular skill you’re working on? Check out Workshops on Demand, coordinated by staff at Knight Library. WOD focuses on academic and curricular topics and can provide customized training in a long list of subjects, including Blackboard, Microsoft Office and Adobe products, video production, web development tools, geographic information systems, copyright, and more. (See the list of topics available at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/cet/workshops/topics.html) If what you need isn’t on the list, contact the coordinators through the website and ask if they can organize a class tailored to your needs.

Center for Educational Technologies

Faculty and GTFs with questions about Blackboard should head for the Center for Educational Technologies, the official UO Blackboard Help Desk. In addition to providing Blackboard help by appointment or on a drop-in basis, CET staff help with a wide range of faculty needs for educational technology assistance, including creating DVDs, editing audio and video, scanning images, putting together presentations, building websites, and more. CET staff will also make office visits.

Teacher Effectiveness Program

As part of their mission to help faculty and GTFs improve undergraduate education, TEP offers a host of resources to smooth the way for teachers who want to integrate technology into their teaching. In addition to providing classes, workshops, and excellent online resources, TEP consults with departments and individual faculty on topics such as using Blackboard, managing grades with Excel, creating web pages with Dreamweaver and HTML, scanning images, and more.

Documents Room

Independent learners can delve into the holdings of the Documents Room Library for a variety of training tools. In addition to a good selection of books on a wide variety of computer topics, the Documents Room stocks an assortment of recorded workshops on VHS tape, CD-ROM, and DVD. Sets usually include modules for beginner, intermediate, and advanced users and cover all Microsoft Office products, Adobe products, and various multimedia and web development topics such as Dreamweaver, Flash, and HTML. Students, faculty, and staff can borrow the workshops for a one-week period and renew them twice.

Professional Tools for Digital Media

The University of Oregon Department of Art and UO Division of Continuing Education have joined forces to offer training in graphics and multimedia design. Beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses in Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop, and InDesign carry one credit, cost $210, and span two four-hour sessions over a two-day period. The workshops have no requirements and are open to all. Check the PTDM website for the current schedule.

UO and LCC Classes

And LCC offers a good selection of technology courses online and at both the downtown and main campus. Check the bulletin for credit and community classes in operating systems, web development tools, Microsoft Office and Adobe products, Quicken and QuickBooks, and more.

Training and Professional Development Task Force

Have we left out a training source you sponsor or know about? Email Vickie Nelson at vmn@uoregon.edu and we will feature it in an upcoming newsletter.

Help with Training Costs

Employee Benefit Fund

Many of the opportunities listed here are available free of charge to UO faculty, staff, and students. However, if there is a cost for training, employees may be able to get a partial reimbursement from the Employee Benefit Fund. Seminars, workshops, college and community college classes all qualify for a partial reimbursement if the training benefits both the employee and the University. See the website for details.

CSTDAC Scholarship

This past July, the Classified Staff Training and Development Advisory Committee awarded its first two $500 scholarships. These were created to give classified staff members a chance to expand professional skills that may or may not be related to their current positions. CSTDAC members hope the scholarships will encourage people interested in advancement and career change to seek any suitable training that will help them achieve their goals. Watch the CSTDAC website for announcements of further scholarships.