Welcome
Welcome to the first issue of the Training U newsletter. In this newsletter, you will find informative articles about available University campus training classes and tutorials, helpful training and technology tips, and interesting profiles of organizations belonging to the U Training Consortium (UTC).
The UTC is an association of training groups from across the University of Utah campus who have joined together to collaborate for training success. This grassroots effort began in August 2005, and since then, members have met monthly to define and develop strategies for leveraging campus training resources.
The intent of the U Training Consortium is to provide easy access to training programs for employees of the University and the larger community. The UTC also provides resources to campus training groups to enhance and strengthen individual programs.
In addition to this newsletter, the UTC plans to launch a website in mid November. The website will provide “one stop shopping” for University and external audiences to training programs and resources of UTC member groups.
For example, if you are looking for an Excel class, you can type “Excel” into a search field on the website to obtain a list of the wide variety of Excel classes provided by UTC member groups. The UTC website database can also be used to find training resources, such as classrooms and equipment that are available for use by campus and community groups.
Any campus group with an interest in training is encouraged to become a member of the UTC. Visit the UTC website at www.training.utah.edu to join or learn more.
The U Training Consortium is a welcome addition to the campus. The UTC has our support in the valuable work they are doing to promote training success across campus and throughout the community.
The U Training Consortium: Collaborating for Training Success
BENEFITS OF TRAINING
Each day on the University of Utah campus, scores of people attend training classes to enhance their professional and personal lives. Comments like, “I feel more confident in what I’m doing and more prepared to do my job,” or, “Thanks for teaching me a skill that will make my life more meaningful,” are typical of the responses expressed following the dozens of training classes that take place daily.
In addition to positively impacting individual lives, training can also have substantial institutional impact. Factors like employee development, ongoing job performance, overall job satisfaction, employee retention, and succession planning are all potentially affected by the quality of training offered by the institution.
WHAT IS UTC
Because of the key role that quality training can play in individual and institutional success, the U Training Consortium (UTC) was formed in August 2005. The UTC is an organization of training groups from across the University of Utah campus who have joined together to collaborate for training success. The organization has a broad-based representation, with 46 members from 18 different campus training groups.
Since the group’s organization, UTC members have met monthly to develop and implement a strategic training vision that includes collaborating to create successful training programs, to share resources and ideas, and to promote awareness of training programs and services available to both internal and external audiences.
UTC MILESTONES
Major UTC milestones to date include the creation of a list serve for communication, the initiation of the Training U newsletter, and, with generous grant funding from the Information Technology Council (ITC), the completion and launch of the U Training Consortium website. These milestones are all designed to provide easy access to training opportunities, materials, and resources for the University community, outside patrons, and UTC members. The UTC also acts as an advisory body to the University of Utah Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, Health Sciences, and Human Resources in training-related matters.
FUTURE PLANS
Potential future plans of the UTC include the creation and adoption of campus-wide training policies, the establishment of a training certification program, the planning and hosting of training events, conferences, and seminars, and future training-related programs based on feedback and suggestions from UTC audiences. To offer your feedback or suggestions, to become a UTC member, or to learn more about how the U Training Consortium can help you, please visit our website at www.training.utah.edu.
Classes for All Ages at Continuing Education
Continuing Education at the University of Utah provides a wide range of educational opportunities for people of all ages in the greater Utah community and beyond. They provide nearly 3,000 worthwhile classes a year that include offerings in the following areas:
- Academic Credit – Traditional credit classes offered at the University’s off-campus locations
- Academic Noncredit – College classes without the stress of tests and grades
- Distance Education – Real estate and college classes in independent study, telecourse, and online formats
- English Language Institute – English language courses for non-native speakers
- Lifelong Learning – Fun, informative, enriching classes for inquisitive adults
- Osher Lifelong Learning – Membership-based personal enrichment classes for adults 50 and older
- Professional Education – Business skills with 11 professional certificate programs
- Technology Education – Cutting edge computer classes and industry certifications
- Test Preparation – Graduate preparatory classes for GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and MCAT tests
- Youth Education – Wide variety of classes and camps for kids 18 and under
Continuing Education offers classes on the main University of Utah campus and at four off-campus sites: Bountiful, Murray, Park City, and Sandy. Whether you’re interested in advancing your career, developing your talents, or expanding your knowledge of the world around you, Continuing Education can help you achieve your educational objectives. Find out more about what they can offer you at www.continue.utah.edu.
Professional Development Classes Available at No Cost for U Employees
A Participant's Story
Amanda Gutierrez answers the phone and provides customer service for people at the front counter in her department. “I really needed to understand how to work with difficult customers more effectively,” she said. She recently attended the Customer CARE Essentials workshop offered by the Human Resources (HR) Training and Development Department. “I learned some effective techniques that really helped me. Besides learning different techniques to work with customers, I also gained a greater understanding of customer service, and my own job as well.”
Attend a Workshop
The workshop Amanda participated in is just one of more than thirty different professional development workshops offered by the HR Training and Development Department. There are a broad range of workshops in areas such as management and leadership development, interpersonal and professional communication, customer service, and professional and personal development. Sample workshops include Performance Management, Calming Upset Customers, Navigating Communication Styles, and Assertiveness Skills. Each workshop is offered multiple times throughout the year.
The workshops are available for all university staff and faculty at no cost, and the HR training staff strives to keep workshop materials up to date with current research and practices. Each workshop is interactive by design and includes activities that appeal to a variety of learners, thereby enhancing the learning experience for all participants.
The HR Training and Development Department also provides workshops for individual departments for on-site and off-site retreats. Last year, they provided almost 50 retreats and workshops for individual departments.
Other training and development services are also available. For more information or a workshop schedule, please visit the HR Training and Development website at www.hr.utah.edu/training/ , or call HR Training and Development at 585-2300.
Research Skills Tutorials Available at Marriott Library
A variety of helpful, web-based tutorials focused on research skills are now available on the Marriott Library Instruction website. The online, multimedia tutorials, developed by the Library Instruction Program, are self-paced and designed to introduce University of Utah undergraduate students to a range of information and research skills that will assist with finding, using, evaluating and managing information.
While designed for students new to the research process, the tutorials are not subject-specific and can be used in a variety of introductory and advanced courses across a wide range of disciplines, such as Writing, Engineering, and Political Science. Each module is three to four minutes in length and followed by a quiz.
The modules currently available include:
- Exploring my topic
- Finding the best sources of information
- Using reference sources
- Generating search terms
- Keeping a research log
- Understanding the difference between academic and popular sources
- Using e-books.
Modules under development include:
- Choosing best databases
- Finding the best sources
- Finding journal articles
- Finding newspaper articles
- How to tell if it is scholarly
- Using reference sources
- Using the web for academic research
You can check out the tutorials for yourself at www.lib.utah.edu/instruction/tutorials.html.