U Training Consortium, Collaborating for Training Success

UTC Tech Tip of the Month

Managing Your Email Mailbox Size

By Mindy Tueller,
Communications Manager, OIT

Regardless of what email system you are using, the “housekeeping” techniques below will help so that your email mailbox never grows too large. Try to do the following on a regular (weekly) basis.

  1. Check to see how big your mailbox (all folders) is.
  2. Make sure that your Junk E-mail folder is empty.
  3. Delete unnecessary items from your Sent Items folder.
  4. Delete or save all your large attachments. Attachments, along with saving your deleted E-mail, usually account for the vast majority of used storage space. Best practices dictate that if you want to keep something you should save the attachment elsewhere and then delete the e-mail to help keep the size of your mail store to a minimum.
  5. Make sure that your Deleted Items folder is empty and is getting emptied automatically. This is not a safe place to store anything; if you think you might want to save an item, create a folder and move the item to that folder.
  6. Archive 12-month-old calendar items.
  7. Check the size of your mailbox again. Then see what a difference all this made!

For more specific instructions on checking your mailbox size, or how to set up auto archiving and deleting, see your email program’s website or talk to your email administrator. For Outlook users, see http://office.microsoft.com/training/
training.aspx?AssetID=
RC102385481033&pid=CR100654581033

Training Tip: The 7/20 Rule

By Margo Beecher, Training Services Manager, Education and Development

You’re halfway through a training class and you notice that a number of learners appear bored, while others are busy doodling in notebooks or gazing out the window.  If you’ve had an experience like this, the 7/20 Rule of training may help.

the number 7 in the 7/20 rule

The 7/20 Rule is based on the fact that learners need a frequent change of pace and ample opportunities to actively participate in training in order to learn.   The number 7 in the 7/20 Rule means that every seven minutes the trainer should do something different to change the pace and re-engage learners.  The use of a visual aid, moving to a different spot in the room, or using a provocative question to begin a new learning concept are simple examples of ways to keep the learners engaged.

the number 20 in the 7/20 rule

Another thing to remember is that adults aren’t much different than younger learners when it comes to attention span.  They can’t focus effectively for more than 20 minutes at a time without a change in instructional approach, hence the 20 in the 7/20 Rule.  What that means to you as a trainer is that the learners need to have a change in learning approach every twenty minutes.  Consequently, you need to include a wide variety of instructional methods in the classes you train:  discussions, role plays, simulations, demonstrations, case studies, games, applications activities, and the many other approaches that keep learners invested in the training.

In short, learning is not a spectator sport.  It is an active experience that must invite, even require, the active engagement of the learners.  Using the 7/20 Rule can help ensure the success of the training you do.   

Professional Development for Educators Offered by UEN

By Victoria Rasmussen, Professional Development Manager, UEN

what is uen?

Utah Education Network, widely known as UEN, provides technology-related professional development primarily for K-12 educators in Utah through their Professional Development programs.  In addition to the state’s educators, University faculty, staff and students are welcome to participate in the UEN classes taught at Milton Bennion Hall on the University campus, or to request offsite training sessions for groups of 10 or more educators.  Some sample titles of classes currently offered include Excel for Teachers, Web Academy (Dreamweaver/Fireworks), Digital Camera in the Classroom, PowerPoint for Teachers, Google Tools, The GPS Classroom, and Podcasting and Blogs.

UEN staff

UEN Professional Development has a staff of five full-time and two part-time instructors who offer valuable training to educators throughout the state.  For example, from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, they provided 689 sessions for over 9600 educators in Utah.  About 200 of those sessions were held in the UEN facility at the University, with the rest scheduled at colleges and schools around the state.

uen classes

The UEN group offers just over 100 different education and technology-related class topics each year, including around 40 different in-person topics and approximately 60 online courses each year.  Both in-person and online classes are repeated regularly.  They also offer free technology tips through an interactive web conference every Thursday from 3:30 - 4:00 pm (www.uen.org/facultylounge); over 50 faculty lounge sessions are available in the archive for viewing at your convenience.

To learn more about Professional Development at UEN, visit their website at www.uen.org/development.

Using Skype to Connect to Colleagues

By Jeanne Le Ber, Education Services Librarian, Eccles Health Sciences Library

A number of times over the last few months, UTC members have joined together in committee meetings via the telephone.  A software program named Skype allowed them to connect with each other without having to leave their individual workplaces.  The outcome was a series of productive meetings combined with a welcome savings in time, travel, and parking hassles for the committee members.

what is skype?

Skype is a software program that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. Computer-to-computer calls using Skype are free, while the SkypeOut feature allows a computer user to call landlines or cell phones for a fee (.021/minute in the U.S.). SkypeOut fees can be purchased using Skype credit.

How to use skype

Currently, a conference call can host up to 24 participants. Conference calls can mix computer-to-computer calls and phone/cell phones users. Creating a conference call is easy using Skype.  Simply open the software, click on Create Conference, and then add people from the contact list on the left to the conference participants list on the right. Click the Start button and the calls are made. In computer-to-computer calls, the Skype participants need to have the program open on their computers.  With the SkypeOut feature, participants who receive a call from the initiating computer user only need to answer their phones. It’s that easy!  SkypeOut fees apply to conference calls and are assessed for each landline involved in a call.

To learn more about this useful technology, visit the Skype home page at http://www.skype.com. From there you can download the software, choose a Skype name (the name people will use to call you on Skype), and make your first call.

New University Compliance Office

By Mindy Tueller, Communications Manager, OIT

mission of new compliance office

A new office has been created to ensure that campus departments and employees are dealing with private, sensitive information appropriately and complying with all applicable rules and regulations.  The mission of the new University of Utah OIT Compliance Office is to support the University in its goals of teaching, research, patient care, and public life by assuring a comprehensive and integrated approach for access, integrity, availability, secure and appropriate use of information and information systems. 

duties of oit compliance office

A large part of the Compliance Office’s duties will be Communication, Awareness, and Training and Education for campus members.  Some of the subjects on which training will be available are:

  • Understanding privacy and security – why is it important, basic privacy and security principles
  • How to report incidents (what to do if you think a machine or data has been compromised)
  • Data collection – notice (U’s and HSC’s), choice, security, data integrity
  • Release of information in a HIPAA setting
  • Sharing data – responsibilities of managing and protecting shared data
  • Use and disclosure of marketing and fundraising information
  • Protecting mobile data – laptops, PDAs, etc.
  • Data life cycle: data collection, retention, classification, protection, and data destruction
  • Security threats – end-user training
  • Securing offices and work areas, access control, visitor procedures, etc.
  • Business continuity
  • Security practices for IT administrators 

The Compliance Office may provide training directly or facilitate training programs.  Education efforts and specific training programs will be widely available by summer 2008.   The Compliance Office is a member of the U Training Consortium. 

Do You Need Help Navigating the Information Highway?

Free Online Tutorials Available for Literature Databases

By Jeanne Le Ber, Education Services Librarian, Eccles Health Sciences Library

Navigating the information highway can be confusing. Where do you go to find the information you need? What is the best database for a specific kind of information, and how do you search for the information you want once you locate the database? Even seasoned librarians are unsure of subject searching outside their area of expertise.

free online tutorials using macromedia breeze*

To address this information-seeking challenge, librarians at the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library applied for and received an LSTA Mini Grant (Library Services and Technology Act) to produce a series of free online tutorials using Macromedia Breeze*. Breeze is a web-based meeting tool with a recording function. Subject experts from Utah academic libraries were recruited and 12 tutorials were created and posted to a website. Now everyone can benefit for the expertise shared through this project.

Here are two examples of information needs that might apply to you:

  • MedlinePlus – Your child has recently been diagnosed with diabetes and you need information about a diabetic diet.  Take a look at Sally Patrick’s tutorial on MedlinePlus to learn about this consumer oriented quality-filtered online resource from the National Library of Medicine. Sally, Outreach Librarian at Eccles Library, provides an overview of site content and demonstrates search features. Use the Health Topics link to locate the information you need. There is even an interactive tutorial.
  • Business Source Premier – As a department supervisor, you need to know how to boost employee morale during periods of organizational change. Shaun Jackson, adjunct professor of library science at Weber State University, walks you through a search of Business Source Premier (BSP). BSP is a great starting point for most scholarly business topics. In addition, the database provides company profiles and business publications.

To view the 12 tutorials** visit the Database Tutorials web page (http://www.ualc.net/tutorials/) and click on the database of interest.

more information

For more information about using Breeze to create an online tutorial or for more information about using any of these databases contact: Jeanne Le Ber, Education Services Librarian at the Eccles Library at 801-585-6744.

* Macromedia Breeze is now available as Adobe Connect.

**Available online tutorials include:

  • Academic Search Premier
  • Alt HealthWatch (Alternative Health Therapies)
  • Business Source Premier
  • CINAHL (Nursing and Allied Health)
  • Computer Source (in process)
  • ERIC (Educational Resources)
  • Legal Collection
  • MedlinePlus (Consumer Health)
  • Newspaper Source
  • Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
  • PsycINFO
  • PubMed (Medical, Nursing, Pharmacy)