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Welcome to Digital Skills Newsletter Issue 2
In this issue we will be discussing all things 'online'. You'll find information on evaluating your digital skills online, courses to support you in creating an online presence, and news from the Digital Skills and Training team.
We hope you enjoyed reading our first issue, released in February 2019. If you haven't had a chance to browse through it yet, you can find links to all issues on our website.
As always, we appreciate your feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions, please click the button below to contact us at [email protected]
You can subscribe to the newsletter on our website.
Evaluating your Digital Skills Online
Do you want to update your digital skills but don't know where to start? The Digital Discovery Tool is an online self-assessment questionnaire that helps you identify areas of strength and weakness in your own digital skills, and is part of the University's Digital Skills Framework. The tool has been designed by Jisc, and contains a series of reflective questions that take around 20 minutes to complete. Once you finish, you will receive a tailored report outlining your current digital skills competencies.
You can use the report as a basis for a digital skills development plan and use the Resource Finder in the Digital Skills Framework to search for suitable resources to get you started.
The Digital Discovery Tool can also be used in ADRs with your team, as the basis of a team development exercise, or to evaluate your students' digital development needs.
Access the Digital Discovery Tool here.
Online Resources for Developing Digital Skills
In addition to the Digital Discovery Tool, all staff and students of the University have access to the full Jisc Building Digital Capability service , which offers a variety of online tools and resources for digital skills and capability development.
The service enables you to:
Find out more about what Digital Capability means for individuals and the University Browse case studies showing how other HE and FE institutions are building individual and
organisational digital capability Check out advice and guidance on topics such as 'Developing Student Digital Literacies' and
'Developing Your Students' Employability Skills Through Technology' Get a 15% discount on Jisc training courses on broader digital capability themes
To access the service:
1. Go to https://digitalcapability.jisc.ac.uk2. Click the grey Log in link at the top right of the window3. Select University of Edinburgh as your organisation and click Continue4. Login with EASE
Influential Voices Online
The University aims to give students and staff an online presence to publish, promote and share their work. The Digital Skills team supports this by offering and promoting a number of training courses in related topics. Take a look at some of our top picks below.
Effective Digital Content - This editorial training course covers good practice in writing and structuring information for the web. It also includes information on data protection, freedom of information issues and improving performance in search engine results. This course is available online, and it's open to all students and staff. Find out more information.
DIY Film School - Mobile film making is a form of new media storytelling where content creators use smart phones and devices to gather, edit and distribute video content. DIY Film School provides essential tips on how to make engaging mobile content and introduces mobile film making kit. This course is open to all students and staff. Find out more information.
Academic Blogging - Open to all staff and postgraduate research students, this workshop provides an overview of the benefits of professional blogging, writing for blogs, understanding privacy, copyright and open licensing, and guidance on amplifying your blog with social media. Participants will also have a chance to set up their own blogs. Find out more information.
Copyright and Licensing Training - This course provides a basic understanding of copyright law, licensing and higher education applications, and open educational resources. It is open to all staff and postgraduate research students. The next course will run on May 16th. Book a place.
Guidance on creating accessible documents, presentations and online materials.
Stay Safe Online
The internet is an incredibly useful tool, allowing us to find information, collaborate, shop, and connect with friends. However, online activities are not without risks, and it is very important that you take measures to protect yourself and keep your data safe. Take a look at 'The Top 10 Information Security Tips' for staying safe online below.
Learn more about Information Security at the University of Edinburgh.
Online Training by Digital Skills
The Digital Skills team provide and support a variety of online training resources to help you improve your digital skills, such as:
Thesis Hub: Producing your thesis or dissertation in Word - A self-enrol Learn course that uses Lynda.com videos and lecture recordings to teach you about features in Microsoft Word that can help with producing a long document. Find out more information.
Developing your Data Skills - A six-month blended learning programme that uses online self-study resources and face-to-face workshops to support your data skills development. Find out more information.
23 Things - An award winning, self-directed course that seeks to expose you to a range of digital tools for your personal and professional development. Find out more information.
Digital Footprint MOOC - If I Googled you, what would I find? This course encourages you to explore and reflect on your own online tracks and traces in order to understand why your digital footprint is important. Find out more information.
Stress at Work
According to the Government's Health and Safety Executive, the top factors commonly associated with workplace stress include:
Demands (workloads, work patterns, work environment) Control (how much say you have in the way you work) Support (encouragement and resources provided by management, colleagues and the
organisation) Relationships (promoting positive working to avoid conflict) Role (whether you understand your role within the organisation) Change (how organisational change is managed and communicated)
With Mental Health Awareness Week just around the corner (13th - 17th May), we have compiled a short Lynda.com playlist of online videos and tips for managing stress in the workplace. These tips cover areas such as looming deadlines, unfinished tasks, dealing with interruptions, and more.
Access the playlist here.
Project Focus: Windows 10
As part of the Windows 10 project, we are delivering 'Getting Started with Windows 10' sessions - available now and throughout the summer. These sessions comprise of a short presentation and some hands-on exercises, with a tutor present to answer any questions. We are also happy to deliver sessions in your School or department - please use our Tailored course request form to ask for a session. Book a place here.
Playlists of short Lynda.com videos and a downloadable Quick Start Guide are also available online when you need them to help you get started with Windows 10. View them here.
We hope you enjoyed this issue of the Digital Skills Newsletter. Keep an eye out for the next issue over the summer. If you no longer want to receive the Digital Skills Newsletter, find out how to unsubscribe from the mailing list.
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