Our IT department is considering how to best support users to increase thei=
r baseline technical proficiency. What training, support, or professional d=
evelopment activities have you found that users adopt most readily and find=
most helpful? We will incorporate your feedback into our IT retreat this F=
riday, April 2. If you reply to me directly, I will summarize results and p=
ost them to the list.
Essential Question
What IT practice or communication strategy will best motivate faculty and s=
taff members to take advantage of professional development, support, and tr=
aining opportunities available through IT?
Background
If each user on campus possessed a certain baseline technical proficiency, =
he/she would be more effective in the use of technology, be able to imagine=
new uses of tech in his/her field of work, and communicate more effectivel=
y with IT about his/her uses of tech. What can we do to improve technical p=
roficiency across the entire school? How should we launch an initiative to =
better build capacity while reaffirming that IT exists to be helpful to use=
rs?
Previous Initiatives
IT department structure: staff reorganization to be extremely responsive to=
individual support requests
Division visits: regularly scheduled appointments for an IT staff member to=
be present in a division
Summer training: tech classes based on a survey of faculty/staff interests
Knowledgebase: a set of self-service help articles available through a scho=
ol website
New ideas
Which would our users find most helpful? What ideas would you add to the li=
st?
* Run a student help desk (students helping others)
* Re-launch the knowledgebase, add video tutorials
* Identify and train =93super users=94 to provide peer mentoring within =
departments and divisions
* Promote =93just in time=94 training (a short, in-person training right=
when you need it)
* Encourage more peer exhibitions (show-and-tells within departments and=
divisions)
* Offer more basic skills training (Windows 7, Mac OS, Office suite)
* Encourage more use of in-application help menu
* Organize =93brown bag=94 lunches for training, sharing, and planning
* Hang posters around campus with common tech tips (e.g., =93don=92t sha=
re your password, like you wouldn=92t share a Kleenex=94)
* Conduct research internally to better understand our users and their n=
eeds
* Create internal =93user groups,=94 networks of CG employees with commo=
n tech-related interests
* [your ideas go here]
--
Richard Kassissieh
Director of Information Technology
Catlin Gabel School
kassissiehr@catlin.edu
www.kassblog.com
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