Organizational Development, Equity, and Health

  Skillsoft: Online tools to enhance your skills! In January 2012, OLE launched an online learning resource through Skillsoft Canada, and since the launch, over 5000 staff and faculty members have been given access to the resource. Just-In-Time Training Think your schedule is just too busy to do anything outside of your existing workload? Keeping your skills and knowledge up-to-date through training and development is something you need to truly invest in and maintain. Stretch and improve your skills so you can be more efficient and effective. Skillsoft allows you to take training when you are able, instead of waiting for a course to be offered. Learning assets are broken into smaller modules, where one module may take you only 20 or 30 minutes and the bookmarking features make it easy to come back to where you left off. Think you already have a baseline knowledge? Don’t want to take the entire course? Take a course test and skip over sections of content that you alrea

As a team of educators and facilitators, we are passionate about the learning of others, and by extension are always looking to learn ourselves. The third week in September offered a couple of our team member’s opportunities to do just that. During the first part of the week, PeopleSoft User Training Program Co-ordinator, Kim MacLock, attended a three day session offered through the CACE (Certificate in Adult and Continuing Education) program at the Faculty of Extension. The course was about understanding learning styles and learning preferences, as well as the best ways to work with those as an educator/facilitator. Kim learned about learners with preferences for reflection, questioning, planning and action. In addition it was discussed how some learners learn best from visuals, some from all things ‘audio’ and others who are kinesthetic. In OLE, we work to ensure that all preferences are accommodated in our sessions. This is one of the reasons they are so engaging and of inte

FoMD Academic Leadership GOLD Program pilot orientation After more than a year in planning, the Office of the Provost in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD) and Organizational Learning and Effectiveness, launched the FoMD Academic Leadership Development Pilot program with more than forty in attendance. Over a year ago, Dr. Verna Yiu (Acting Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry), Dr. Stewart Hamilton (Director, Faculty Professionalism and Leadership, FoMD) and Victor Shewchuk (Senior Advisor, Organizational Learning and Effectiveness), identified a need to provide academic leaders with opportunities to enhance their leadership skills. After setting a Gold Standard for quality and excellence, the Academic Leadership Development GOLD program was initiated. The Orientation session was attended by a learning cohort of twenty Physicians, Chairs, and Department Heads from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. Also in attendance and bringing openi

OLE employees: Karen Hackenbrook & Kim MacLock “We’re ready to WOW you.” Week of Welcome (WOW) runs for the first week of the new school year and is put on by the Students‘ Union. This week, OLE PeopleSoft Training Coordinator, Kim MacLock and Program Assistant, Karen Hackenbrook had an especially exciting week volunteering for the Office of the Dean of Students for the Welcome to the U event. Decked out in UofA aprons and baskets full of prizes, Kim and Karen wandered through Quad challenging students’ minds in exchange for school supplies and UofA merch. “What is the tallest building on campus? What is the name of the radio station on campus? Who do you call to walk you home late at night?” These are just some of the questions students were encouraged to answer during the Welcome to the U event. The Students Union also hosted a pancake breakfast, various music concerts, BBQs, and of course, Beer Gardens. Visit http://www.su.ualberta.ca/ for more information on student ev

  Edmonton Clinic Building The School of Dentistry is gearing up for a new start in the brand new Edmonton clinic building for September 2012. As part of the transition process, OLE Senior Advisor, Alan Day has been working with the School of Dentistry, introducing and applying change and transformation in preparation for the new academic year. On Monday August 20th, the School of Dentistry conducted a two day orientation for staff. The orientation is part of the readiness strategy adopted by the school. The purpose was to learn what’s new and what’s the same, share feedback, and to create new habits. Alan Day, OLE Senior Advisor A key element of the orientation was the patient simulation where seven patient scenarios were carried out from tooth extraction to X-rays. It reinforced what procedures worked well and exposed areas of improvement. The outcome is to drive continuous improvement. OLE Senior Advisor, Cara Jones, took on the role of an orthodontic surgery patie