Director's Message
by Ida Gropper, the Center for Professional Development and Training
The summer is a good time to take advantage of new learning and networking opportunities available through the Center for Professional Development & Training. All sessions are free and open to faculty, staff, OPS and student assistants. New courses in supervision, business writing, customer service, goal setting, finance, communication and others are available. For book lovers, the UNF Book club offers the opportunity to read and network while enjoying lunch with colleagues. Visit our online schedule for a full list of summer training sessions.
If you prefer self-learning, take advantage of SkillSoft Online Learning where thousands of courses, simulations, and job aids can be found on topics ranging from desktop applications to soft skills. You can access SkillSoft through the Quick Links menu in the myWings portal.
CPDT would like to thank the presenters, presenter aides and volunteers that so generously gave of their time and expertise during the 5th Annual Professional Development Forum. Nearly 350 faculty and staff attended this year's forum to hear Mark Thompson deliver the keynote presentation, participate in breakout sessions and support colleagues receiving commendation during the Excellence Awards Program. View a slideshow of the forum activities here. Send suggestions for next year's forum to training@unf.edu.
What's New
by Ida Gropper, the Center for Professional Development and Training
Are you planning a road trip during the summer or driving to a conference?
CPDT has audio books you can check out for FREE. Many titles are available, including:
- Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham
- Getting Things Done by David Allen
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
- The Elements of Great Managing by Wagner & Harter
Visit us in Building 10, Room 2427 or call ext. 1707 for more information.
Are you looking for something fresh and new to help energize you during the hot summer months?
Register for one of the new professional development courses being offered during the summer term or join the UNF Book Club. You'll have an opportunity to meet others, learn a new topic, and have fun.
- For Supervisors: Keys to Supervision - Beyond the Basics; Coaching for Improved Performance
- For Support: Effective Business Writing; Customer Service Fundamentals; Customer Service Advanced
- All Employees: Getting Organized; Goal Setting and Success; Finance Seminar - Controlling Debt; Effectively Communicating with Diverse Populations; Leadership Based on Good to Great
- Book Club: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
SkillSoft: Effective Meetings
by Jim Starr, the Center for Professional Development and Training
 |
Whether you have recently been asked to conduct a live or virtual meeting, or have been conducting meetings for some time now, there are learning assets available to help you develop your meeting skills in SkillSoft!
Don't have time to take a complete online course? No problem! Just take a lesson topic, or access the online job aids and SkillBriefs. These allow you to gain just the information you need, when you need it!
If you want to improve your meeting skills, start here:
- Sign into the myWings portal with your n# and password
- Click on the SkillSoft Online Learning link within the Quick Links channel
- Using the "Search and Learn" feature, search for "Leading an Effective Business Meeting"
- Select the course named "Leading an Effective Business Meeting"
- You may either play the course in it's entirety or select a Job Aid or SkillBrief for quick information
Conducting a virtual meeting? Here are some virtual meeting tips:
When conducting virtual meetings consider the following:
- Before saying anything, identify yourself - It is often difficult to know who is speaking on teleconference calls. To eliminate possible confusion, always identify yourself before making statements or asking questions.
- If you're speaking directly to someone, say his or her name first to indicate this - Because you can't see your teammates, and they can't see you, it isn't obvious whether you're talking to the group or to an individual.
- Send out an agenda and supporting documents one day before the meeting - By sending out an agenda in advance of the meeting, you're ensuring that everyone on the team will be on the same page, so to speak. It's a good idea to add a background section to the agendas, too. This section should summarize the events or situations that led up to the meeting.
- Include page and paragraph reference designators in documents - Often you'll want to refer to specific documents during meetings. Be sure to send out those documents with the agendas. Every document should include page and paragraph reference designators so the team can follow along easily with the verbal discussion.
- Introduce the team to one another - When team members have never, or have rarely, met one another, it's a good idea to let them know who their coworkers are. It's not only important for context, but for building team trust as well.
- Brief attendees on one another's backgrounds - For kick-off meetings, brief attendees on one another's backgrounds and expertise. A good way to do this is to create a document with a short biography of each person and to send it with the agenda before the meeting.
- Brief visitors on the team's backgrounds - For new or visiting members, privately brief them on everyone's background before the meeting. And always brief attendees on the backgrounds and expertise of new or visiting members.
Summer Book Club
by Ida Gropper, the Center for Professional Development and Training
During the summer term, the Book Club will read the following book:
 |
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell For more information about this book, click here. This session will meet Friday, June 19 at noon in the Library Conference Room, Building 12, Room 2400. |
|
The Book Club is open to all faculty and staff. Book Club members receive a free copy of the book and refreshments are provided.
To register for the Book Club call ext. 1707, or register online through the CPDT Web page. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and participation is limited.
Ask the Trainer - Tips to Save You Time in Office 2007
by Emily Stalvey, the Center for Professional Development and Training
Learning how to use Office 2007 may at first appear to be a daunting task. However there are many simple tricks you can use to work faster and more efficiently in these programs. Here are just a few quick tips to help you set-up your desktop workspace to save you time every day navigating commands and opening the documents you use most often.
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar in Office 2007
The look and feel of Office 2007 has changed drastically from older versions. Instead of toolbars, there are now ribbons. One simple way to customize Office 2007 programs such as Word and Excel is to set up your own customized Quick Access Toolbar. This toolbar is in the uppermost left hand corner of the program window (see below). The default for this toolbar includes the option to Save, Undo, Redo, and Quick Print.
You can add almost any function to this toolbar that you use on a regular basis. To customize your Quick Access Toolbar:
Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop-down arrow. From here, you can quickly choose from the pre-selected commands to add to your toolbar - New, Open, Print Preview, etc.
You can also choose More Commands to add a range of other popular and less commonly used commands. In the Customize Word window, you will see a list of commands on the left and a list of the commands already included in the Quick Access Toolbar on the right. To add a command, simply choose one from the list on the left and click Add to add it to the list of commands already in your toolbar. Then use the arrow keys on the right hand side of the window to arrange your commands however you choose. You can also add a
Here is an example of the finished product:
Furthermore, to save some time moving your mouse to the top of the screen every time you want to use one of these commands, you can choose to have the toolbar show underneath the ribbon instead of above it. Choose this option on the Quick Access Toolbar drop-down menu:
Pin a Document to the List of Recent Documents in Office 2007
In previous versions of Office, users were only able to see the last three to four documents used, but in Office 2007 this list includes up to seventeen recently used files. Another amazingly simple, yet often overlooked advantage of Office 2007 is the ability to "pin" documents to the list of Recent Documents. If you use several documents on a regular basis, this is a great way to save time searching through file folders for the document you need.
Click the Office button in the top right-hand corner of the program screen. You will see a list of your recently used documents. Notice that to the right of each document title there is an icon that looks like a push pin.
Click on this push pin and it will turn green. From this point on, this document is "pinned" to your Recent Documents, meaning it will always appear here.
More Resources
To learn more about using Office 2007 and Windows Vista more efficiently, check out the Microsoft Office 2007 KnowledgeCenter online through SkillSoft. The Microsoft Office 2007 KnowledgeCenter includes free eBooks, courses, and practice labs through a user-friendly learning portal. This allows UNF faculty, staff, and students to have instant access to online learning resources for programs such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more. For more tips and timesavers search for the eBook Windows Vista Timesaving Techniques for Dummies which includes over 60 timesavers for Vista, internet browsers, keyboard shortcuts, and much more.
To access the KnowledgeCenter, log into the myWings portal, and select the SkillSoft online learning link from the Quick Links channel on the home tab. Once you are in SkillSoft, click on the KnowledgeCenter link under "My Plan" or on the access bar at the top of the screen. If you have any questions, please contact the Center for Professional Development and Training at 620-1707 or training@unf.edu.
Meet the Trainer - Desirèe Ward
by Jim Starr, the Center for Professional Development and Training
How did you get involved in training at UNF? I met someone at the Division of Continuing Education through the American Society of Training and Development. He asked my company to fill in for a trainer who left, and we've been doing training ever since. That was about 6 years ago.
What sessions do you teach? For CPDT, I teach Customer Service and Getting Organized. For DCE, I teach Advanced Presentation skills, Web-Based Training: From Concept to Execution, and a number of other classes.
What are some of your hobbies? I enjoy bowling (though I am not PBA material, yet), kayaking, mountain biking, and pretty much anything that involves being outdoors. I also have a 4-year old son and a 4-month old puppy that keep me very busy.
What do you like most about serving as a trainer at UNF? I enjoy the sharing that goes on in the classroom during classes at UNF. As a trainer, I truly cherish the "ah-ha" moments and the involvement I see from the group. This enhances the learning experience for all involved - and makes the classes a joy to teach.
Ask ITS - What is the best way to get started creating an online survey?
by Alison Cruess, Information Technology Services
The first step in creating an online survey is to identify the survey objectives. The survey objectives determine whom you will survey and what you will ask them. Using the objectives to guide you, begin to develop the survey questions. Properly structured questions are crucial to any survey, and all good questions share several characteristics. The best questions are short, unambiguous, and meaningful to the respondent. Poorly written questions, those that are lengthy, too broad, double-barrel, or negative can confuse and frustrate participants and may increase the abandonment rate of the survey. (Sue, Ritter, 2007)
 |
The next step in creating an online survey is to become familiar with the survey application tool. UNF uses Enterprise Feedback Management Community. EFM Community provides faculty and staff the ability to quickly and easily create questionnaires, post surveys, collect responses, analyze results, and distribute findings. Training is highly recommended to make use of EFM Community's functionality. UNF offers a three-hour training class each month called "Creating and Managing Online Surveys". Visit the Center for Professional Development and Training and click on Register Now (left side menu) to register for the class.
Depending on the nature of your online survey, it might need to be reviewed by the Institutional Research Board. The IRB is a committee that has been formally designated to approve, monitor, and review research involving humans with the aim to protect the rights and welfare of the research subjects. To help determine if you will need IRB approval, visit www.unf.edu/dept/research/IRB_approval.html. You can also email IRB@unf.edu if you have questions.
After planning the survey, writing the questions, completing the recommended training, and acquiring IRB approval, you are ready to use EFM Community to create the survey. There are three ways to conduct your survey (EFM Community calls these Respondent Sources). The first and easiest method is Open Participation. There is no back-end set up required, but anyone with the link to the survey can take it. The second method for creating a survey is using an External Email List. Access to the survey is by invitation and you will need to upload a list of email addresses into EFM Community. The final method of creating a survey is called External Access List. With this method, a specific key is required from each respondent before proceeding on to the survey.
The next step, after you have created your questions, is to test the survey. Examples of what should be tested include the survey appearance, functionality, the survey data (is it collecting the desired information?), and reporting (do the reports contain the right information for the questions being asked?). Soon you will be on your way to deploying the survey and collecting the results.
Sue, Ritter (2007). Conducting Online Surveys. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
