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Software for success: Choosing the right software for your research project

By Katy O Foster, on 28 September 2023

Planning and completing a research project can be an exciting yet daunting prospect.

For the usual range of tasks – collecting, analysing and presenting data, writing up and managing literature – there is an even larger range of software options to help you achieve your goals. With multiple options available, it can be difficult to decide which is best for your project and the task at hand.

If you haven’t thought about what tools you will use, or if you have thought about it but you’re just not sure what to do, the Software for Success series of digital skills training courses is for you. There will be demonstrations of different tools and approaches with guidance and discussion of what tool is best for the job.  If you think you know what software you are going to use, then we invite you to come along and be challenged: there may be tools on offer that could smooth the way to a successful research project.

Software for success sessions happening this term:

  1. Data collection – discover which survey tool is the best one for your research project:

DSD: Software for Success: Survey tools | Wednesday 11th October | 11:00-13:00 | Online

  1. Analysing data – an overview of the tools available:

DSD: Software for success: Data analysis and statistical tools |Join the interest list to hear about future dates

  1. Presenting data – different tools available for visually presenting your data:

DSD: Software for success: Data visualisation | Thursday 12th October | 10:00-12:00 | Online

  1. Presenting data – which is the best chart type for your data?

DSD: Software for success: Winning with charts | Tuesday 24th October | 10:00-11:00 | Online

  1. Writing – is there life beyond Word? Is there any reason to go there? How do you cope with fussy formatting requirements?

DSD: Software for success: Writing tools | Wednesday 1st November | 14:00-15:00 | Online

  1. Managing literature – imagine a world where your library and database searches link seamlessly  with your citation system and a database of annotated PDFs.  That world can be yours:

DSD: Software for success: Working with Bibliography and Citation Apps | Thursday 2nd November |10:00-11:00 | Online

Need help booking?

Further instructions on how to book courses can be found here: How to book a course on MyLearning

Discover more digital skills training

The Digital Skills Development team at UCL offer a range of training courses to meet your digital needs. Find out more here: Digital Skills Development UCL

For any questions on Digital Skills Development at UCL, email isd-digiskills@ucl.ac.uk

Develop your digital skills: Autumn 2023

By Katy O Foster, on 18 September 2023

Digital Skills

From training and support to helping you improve your digital capabilities, read below to find out what exciting opportunities Digital Skills Development can offer UCL staff and students this autumn term.

Term 1 training courses

Is there a programme or piece of software that you use regularly but feel you could know more about? Could your Excel skills use a refresh? Or do you want to learn new skills like image editing or how to create a podcast? Our online and in-person training provides the opportunity to develop your skills with the help of an expert trainer.

To book, follow the links below or find more information here: How to book a course on MyLearning.

Data analysis and visualisation

General
12/10/2023 10.00 12.00 DSD: Software for success: Data visualisation Online
24/10/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Software for success: Winning with charts Online
R
18/10/2023 13.00 20.00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio (campus-based) In-person
07/11/2023 14.00 16.00 DSD: Data visualization in R with ggplot2 (campus-based) In-person
10/11/2023 10.00 17.00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio (campus-based) In-person
24/11/2023 14.00 17.00 DSD: Better Tables in R (Campus-based) In-person
14/12/2023 10.00 12.00 DSD: Data manipulation in R with Rstudio Online
Stata
15/11/2023 13.00 20.00 DSD: Getting started with Stata (campus-based) In-person
05/12/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: Scripting Stata Graphs Online
Nvivo
13/12/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: In a Nutshell: Starting an Nvivo Project Online

Interaction and collaboration

General
11/10/2023 11.00 13.00 DSD: Software for success: Survey tools Online
17/10/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: Mentimeter – improving feedback and interaction Online
26/10/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: Use online whiteboards to encourage collaboration Online
REDCap
17/10/2023 13.00 14.00 DSD: Introduction to REDCap for research Online
17/10/2023 15.00 16.00 DSD: Managing participants in REDCap Online
14/11/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Setting up User Rights and Data Access Groups in REDCap Online
16/11/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Using conditions and filters in REDCap Online
Qualtrics
11/10/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: Qualtrics Tips and Tricks Online

Mastering Excel

General
01/11/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Excel Tips and Tricks Online
16/11/2023 14.00 16.00 DSD: Intermediate statistics with Excel Online
21/11/2023 10.00 11.30 DSD: VLookup in Excel – workshop Online
22/11/2023 10.00 11.30 DSD: Pivot Tables in Excel – workshop Online
23/11/2023 10.00 11.30 DSD: Charting with Excel Online
29/11/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: In a Nutshell: Excel functions we should all know Online
Excel Essential Skills Workshops
17/10/2023 12.00 13.00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – Workshop 1 (campus-based) In-person
08/11/2023 13.00 14.00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – Workshop 1 (campus-based) In-person
15/11/2023 16.00 17.00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – Workshop 1 (campus-based) In-person
22/11/2023 13.00 14.00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – Workshop 2 (campus-based) In-person
28/11/2023 12.00 13.00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – Workshop 2 (campus-based) In-person
06/12/2023 13.00 14.00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – Workshop 3 (campus-based) In-person

Programming

Git version control
28/11/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: In a Nutshell: Git version control Online
30/11/2023 10.00 13.00 DSD: Dive into Git version control Online

Multimedia content: Creating and editing

Graphic design and photo editing
26/10/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Design an impactful research poster using UCL templates Online
31/10/2023 14.00 15.15 DSD: Basic image editing using free tools – demo Online
07/11/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: An introduction to free graphic design tools Online
14/11/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: Photo editing with Pixlr X – workshop Online
16/11/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Creating infographics using free web based tools Online
Filming and podcasting
12/10/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: Podcasting made easy Online
24/10/2023 14.00 15.30 DSD: Planning and filming advice for a short film Online
31/10/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Best practice for video captions and transcripts Online
09/11/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: Make a short film using your iPhone Online

Writing, presenting and referencing

General
01/11/2023 14.00 15.00 DSD: Software for success: Writing tools Online
02/11/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Software for success: Working with Bibliography and Citation Apps Online
Microsoft Office
10/10/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: Word Tips and Tricks Online
10/10/2023 14.00 15.30 DSD: Creating accessible PowerPoint presentations Online
09/11/2023 14.00 16.00 DSD: Format your Thesis (Windows) Online
23/11/2023 14.00 15.30 DSD: Creating accessible Word documents Online
05/12/2023 10.00 11.45 DSD: Effective use of OneNote – workshop Online
13/12/2023 10.00 12.00 DSD: Format your Thesis (Windows) Online
LaTeX and Markdown
25/10/2023 10.00 11.00 DSD: LaTeX: Demo of Overleaf Online
31/10/2023 14.00 17.00 DSD: Creating accessible documents with LaTeX (campus-based) In-person
08/11/2023 13.00 20.00 DSD: Overleaf: LaTeX with NatBib (campus-based) In-person
30/11/2023 14.00 16.00 DSD: Getting started with Markdown Online

Office hours

To make them more widely accessible, our drop-ins have been changed to an office hours format, with slots available each day. If you have a question or would like individual support on a specific issue, book an appointment with one of our team: Digital Skills Development Office Hours

Upgrade your skills with the Discovery Tool

In partnership with Jisc, the Digital Skills Development team have put together a Discovery Tool to help UCL staff and students identify gaps in their knowledge and improve their skills. Use the self-assessment questions to start your journey towards better digital skills today: Discover your digital

LinkedIn Learning

UCL staff and enrolled students can access over 16,000 courses for free on LinkedIn Learning.

Contact us

For any questions on Digital Skills Development at UCL, email isd-digiskills@ucl.ac.uk

Leeds Online Learning Summit 2023

By Oliver M J Vas, on 28 July 2023

Picture by Oliver Vas

On the 10th and 11th July, Tim Otway and I attended in-person The University of Leeds’ first ever Online Learning Summit, where we met a number of other colleagues from other institutions and went to a series of presentations throughout both days. The agenda was broad ranging, though it could roughly be categorised into three themes: creating design ecosystems, extending accessibility and enabling lifelong learning.

Firstly, we received an overview of the current outlook within HE online learning from Neil Mosley, and later from Sam Brenton, Melissa Highton and others. They spoke about witnessing steady growth in demand for online learning in the UK, as well as more rapid growth abroad. Sam Brenton mentioned that UK institutions are in a good place to take advantage of increased demand but must capitalise quickly. Neil Mosley foresaw the slow decline of MOOCs as interest intensifies in more flexible, stackable programs such as micro credentials – a topic that featured prominently in the summit. During the event participants grappled with formulating a ‘manifesto’ to standardise the regulation and awarding of micro credentials. Melissa Highton mentioned that while micro credentials still remain relatively unknown, CPD courses are the most highly searched for online. Data shows that learners typically want CPD that is badged, accredited and associated with a known brand or institution.

We also heard from educators who have enjoyed great success as online-only institutions, such as Joann Kozyrev, VP at Western Governors University, who spoke about moving away from the ‘time served’ model to great effect: allowing learners to progress once they meet the completion requirements rather than inflexible time markers. In their case, students pay a fixed fee for 6 months of learning, within which time they can take as many or as few credits as they wish.

Given the novel nature of a lot of challenges faced in the sector, the summit focused on a number of original and effective problem-solving techniques. One notable technique was Aaron Kessler’s learning engineering process which emphasised the continual need to “close the loop” between the stages of challenge, creation, implementation and investigation.  We also learnt about the differences between systems thinking, design thinking and futures thinking, and participated in Leah Henrickson’s “What-if” experiment, brainstorming possible future scenarios in 5-year increments.

The summit then attempted to apply these problem-solving techniques directly to a few of the challenges, specifically: AI and ethics, the nature of assessment, and accessibility integration. Donald Clark asked whether considerations over ethics in AI are doing more harm than good. He pointed out that the more cautious countries risk falling behind unnecessarily, since regulatory efforts are unlikely to be successful. Later, a panel debated the role of assessment and whether online learning had any chance of moving away from the grade-centred approach that dominates most of the education sector. Ultimately, they concluded that assessment remains a necessary tool to show that learning has taken place. Lasty, we heard from course alumni on how accessibility had improved their course experience. They emphasised that accessibility should be embedded from the start of programme development, rather than treated as an afterthought.

Overall, the conference was well organised and successful at balancing its in-person and online audiences. The experience was greatly enhanced by the attendance of a digital artist who drew live tableaus during each talk, helping to illustrate and reinforce key concepts.

Develop your digital skills – new dates released for Spring 2023

By Louise Pollock, on 23 November 2022

What’s on offer

ISD Digital Skills Development Team has released new dates for Term 2. Most of our sessions will be offered remotely using Microsoft Teams with some also face-to-face.

See our latest schedule below.

We are offering a wide range of courses covering Stata, Unix, Microsoft apps (including Teams, OneNote, and Sway), and much more.

New highlights include the following:

  • DSD: Enhancing the Accessibility of your Moodle Courses
  • DSD: User access and multiple instruments in REDCap
  • DSD: Managing participants in REDCap
  • DSD: Qualtrics tips and tricks
  • DSD: Scripting Stata’s new Tables and Collections.
 

How to book

As a reminder, please note that most of our events are interactive training sessions and are not recorded. Therefore, we ask that you please ensure you are able to attend before booking and cancel your place if you are no longer able to attend. If you have any accessibility requirements, please let us know by emailing the ISD Digital Skills Development mailbox in advance: isd-digiskills@ucl.ac.uk

Please ensure you are using Desktop@UCL or the UCL VPN when booking.

Prizes to be won!

We have new monthly term-time prizes to be won by staff and students who attend and evaluate our courses.  All you have to do to be in the running to win £20 ‘Love to Shop’ Gift Voucher is complete one of our training sessions, and submit our course evaluation form. The evaluation form should take no more than 1 minute to complete. Good luck!

Find out more

For more information on how to book and join a session on the day, please visit our Practical Course Information page.

Drop-ins

We are also hosting our usual weekly drop-in sessions remotely and face-to-face for those who would like individual support on a specific issue. The dates and times of the sessions, along with the joining link, are available in our ISD Digital Skills Development Moodle course.

More digital skills development opportunities…

Learn online with a vast range of high-quality video-based courses from LinkedIn Learning.  These cover technical skills but also business, personal and creative skills as well.  Visit the UCL LinkedIn Learning page to find out more.

DigiLearn Online is a library of online videos which covers UCL IT essentials. Topics include remote connectivity, data storage essentials, Microsoft Office 365 applications, and much more. Visit the DigiLearn Online webpage to access the video guides.

Latest schedule

Start Date Start Time End Time Session Title Venue
31/01/2023 10:00 12:00 DSD: Software for success: Survey tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
31/01/2023 10:00 12:00 DSD: Format your Thesis (Windows) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
31/01/2023 14:00 15:30 DSD: Creating accessible Word documents This session will take place via an online teaching platform
31/01/2023 14:00 15:00 DSD: Creating Infographics using free web-based tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
01/02/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: Introduction to REDCap for research This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/02/2023 11:00 12:00 DSD: Software for success: Data analysis & statistical tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
01/02/2023 10:00 11:45 DSD: Pivot Tables in Excel – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
DSD: Mentimeter for Continuous Module Dialogue (CMD) This session has been cancelled but click the link to join the Interest list.
02/02/2023 14:00 15:00 DSD: Podcasting made easy – workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/02/2023 14:00 15:30 DSD: Enhancing the Accessibility of your Moodle Courses This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/02/2023 10:00 11:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 1: Beyond Basics Overview This session will take place via an online teaching platform
07/02/2023 12:00 13:00 PowerPoint for Researchers and Presenters: Words, Images and More This session will take place via an online teaching platform
07/02/2023 14:00 16:00 DSD: Data Visualization in R with ggplot2 This session will take place via an online teaching platform
07/02/2023 10:00 11:30 DSD: Vlookup in Excel – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
07/02/2023 10:00 11:00 DSD: Planning a short film This session will take place via an online teaching platform
07/02/2023 12:00 13:30 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – WORKSHOP 1 (Campus-based) Campus-based session 
07/02/2023 14:00 15:00 DSD: Filming advice for a short film This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/02/2023 11:00 12:00 DSD: Software for success: Working with Bibliography and Citation Apps This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/02/2023 14:00 16:00 DSD: Advanced statistics with Excel 2016 (Campus-based) Campus-based session
08/02/2023 10:00 11:30 DSD: Styles and Table of Contents in Word – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/02/2023 DSD: Use online whiteboards to encourage student interaction This session has been cancelled but click the link to join the Interest list.
08/02/2023 DSD: Digital book-making This session has been cancelled but click the link to join the Interest list.
09/02/2023 10:00 11:00 DSD: Scripting Stata Graphs This session will take place via an online teaching platform
09/02/2023 14:00 15:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio – Part 1 (Remote classroom) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
14/02/2023 & 21/02/2023 14:00 16:00 DSD: Getting Started with SPSS – 2 parts Campus-based sessions
14/02/2023 14:00 15:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 2: Managing & Participating in Meetings  This session will take place via an online teaching platform
14/02/2023 14:00 15:00 DSD: Design an impactful research poster using UCL templates This session will take place via an online teaching platform
14/02/2023 10:00 11:00 DSD: Make a short film using your iPhone This session will take place via an online teaching platform
DSD: Managing your digital profile and social media presence This session has been cancelled but click the link to join the Interest list.
15/02/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: User access and multiple instruments in REDCap This session will take place via an online teaching platform
15/02/2023 10:00 11:00 DSD: Managing participants in REDCap This session will take place via an online teaching platform
15/02/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: Software for Success: Winning with charts This session will take place via an online teaching platform
15/02/2023 10:00 11:15 DSD: Basic image editing using free tools (Demo) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
15/02/2023 12:00 13:30 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – WORKSHOP 1 (Campus-based) Campus-based session
16/02/2023 10:00 12:00 DSD: Software for success: Data visualisation This session will take place via an online teaching platform
16/02/2023 10:00 11:45 DSD: OneNote – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
16/02/2023 14:00 16:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio – Part 2 (Remote classroom) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
17/02/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: Software for success: Writing tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
21/02/2023 10:00 12:00 DSD: Software for success: Survey tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
21/02/2023 14:00 15:30 DSD: Sway, Microsoft’s modern presentation tool – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
21/02/2023 14:00 15:00 DSD: An introduction to free graphic design tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
21/02/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – WORKSHOP 2 (Campus-based) Campus-based session
22/02/2023 10:00 17:00 DSD: Think like a computer programmer Campus-based session
22/02/2023 10:00 11:00 DSD: Word Tips and Tricks This session will take place via an online teaching platform
23/02/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: Qualtrics tips and tricks This session will take place via an online teaching platform
23/02/2023 10:00 13:00 DSD: Scripting Stata’s new Tables and Collections Campus-based session
23/02/2023 15:00 17:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio – Part 3 (Remote classroom) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
23/02/2023 10:00 11:00 DSD: Microsoft Forms Demo This session will take place via an online teaching platform
24/02/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: In a Nutshell: Starting a Nvivo Project This session will take place via an online teaching platform
28/02/2023 14:00 16:00 DSD: Format your Thesis (Windows) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
28/02/2023 10:00 11:45 DSD: Pivot Tables in Excel – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
01/03/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – WORKSHOP 2 (Campus-based) Campus-based session
02/03/2023 14:00 16:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio – Part 4 (Remote classroom) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/03/2023 10:00 11:30 DSD: Creating accessible PowerPoint Presentations This session will take place via an online teaching platform
07/03/2023 10:00 12:00 DSD: Software for success: Survey tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
07/03/2023 14:00 17:00 DSD: A Quick Introduction to UNIX (Campus-based) Campus-based session
07/03/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – WORKSHOP 3 (Campus-based) Campus-based session
08/03/2023 14:00 17:00 DSD: Further UNIX  (Campus-based) Campus-based session
08/03/2023 10:00 11:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 3 – Document Management and Collaboration  This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/03/2023 14:00 15:00 DSD: Excel Tips and Tricks This session will take place via an online teaching platform
09/03/2023 10:00 11:00 DSD: LaTeX: Demo of Overleaf This session will take place via an online teaching platform
09/03/2023 14:00 15:30 DSD: Creating accessible Word documents This session will take place via an online teaching platform
10/03/2023 12:00 13:00 DSD: In a Nutshell: Excel functions we should all know This session will take place via an online teaching platform
14/03/2023 & 24/03/2023 10:00 17:00 DSD: Introduction to Matlab – 2 parts Campus-based session
14/03/2023 10:00 11:30 DSD: OneDrive for sharing files This session will take place via an online teaching platform
15/03/2023 & 16/03/2023 17:00 20:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio (Campus-based) 2 parts Campus-based session
15/03/2023 10:00 11:30 DSD:Vlookup in Excel – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/03/2023 14:00 16:00 DSD: Intermediate statistics with Excel 2016 This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/03/2023 10:00 11:45 DSD: Charting with Excel This session will take place via an online teaching platform
23/03/2023 14:00 16:00 DSD: Better Tables in R This session will take place via an online teaching platform
25/04/2023 14:00 15:30 DSD: Enhancing the Accessibility of your Moodle Course Campus-based session

Develop your digital skills this term – new dates released for Autumn 2022

By Louise Pollock, on 26 September 2022

 

What’s on offer

ISD Digital Skills Development Team has released new dates for Term 1. Most of our sessions will be offered remotely using Microsoft Teams.  See our latest schedule below.

We are offering a wide range of courses covering Stata, Unix, Microsoft apps (including Teams, OneNote, and Sway), and much more.

Highlights include the following brand new additions:

  • DSD: PowerPoint for researchers (Windows)
  • DSD: Software for success: Survey tools 
  • DSD: Design an impactful research poster using UCL templates  
  • DSD: An introduction to free graphic design tools 
  • DSD: In a nutshell: Git version control
  • DSD: How to look after your health at the computer
Outlook calendar and paper calendar

How to book

As a reminder, please note that most of our events are interactive training sessions and are not recorded. Therefore, we ask that you please ensure you are able to attend before booking and cancel your place if you are no longer able to attend. If you have any accessibility requirements, please let us know by emailing the ISD Digital Skills Development mailbox in advance: isd-digiskills@ucl.ac.uk

Please ensure you are using Desktop@UCL or the UCL VPN when booking.

Prizes to be won!

We have new monthly term-time prizes to be won by staff and students who attend and evaluate our courses.  All you have to do to be in the running to win £20 ‘Love to Shop’ Gift Voucher is complete one of our training sessions, and submit our course evaluation form. The evaluation form should take no more than 1 minute to complete. Good luck!

Find out more

For more information on how to book and join a session on the day, please visit our Practical Course Information page.

Drop-ins

We are also hosting our usual weekly drop-in sessions remotely and face-to-face for those who would like individual support on a specific issue. The dates and times of the sessions, along with the joining link, are available in our ISD Digital Skills Development Moodle course.

More digital skills development opportunities…

Learn online with a vast range of high-quality video-based courses from LinkedIn Learning.  These cover technical skills but also business, personal and creative skills as well.  Visit the UCL LinkedIn Learning page to find out more.

DigiLearn Online is a library of online videos which covers UCL IT essentials. Topics include remote connectivity, data storage essentials, Microsoft Office 365 applications, and much more. Visit the DigiLearn Online webpage to access the video guides.

Latest schedule

Start Date Start Time End Time Session Title Venue
11/10/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio – Part 1 (Remote classroom) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
11/10/2022 10:00 11:15 DSD: Microsoft Teams Introduction (Prerequisite Course for Advanced Workshops) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
11/10/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Mentimeter for Continuous Module Dialogue (CMD) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
12/10/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Pivot tables in Excel – Demo This session will take place via an online teaching platform
12/10/2022 15:00 16:00 DSD: Inspiration: Mind mapping tool – an overview demo This session will take place via an online teaching platform
13/10/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Software for success: Data analysis & statistical tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
13/10/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Word tips and tricks This session will take place via an online teaching platform
14/10/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Getting Started with Stata – Part 1 (Orientation and materials) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
18/10/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio – Part 2 (Remote classroom) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
18/10/2022 14:00 15:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 1: Beyond Basics Overview This session will take place via an online teaching platform
18/10/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Planning a short film This session will take place via an online teaching platform
19/10/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Creating accessible PowerPoint presentations This session will take place via an online teaching platform
19/10/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Excel tips and tricks This session will take place via an online teaching platform
19/10/2022 TBC TBC DSD: Excel Essential Skills – WORKSHOP 1 Campus-Based
25/10/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Filming advice for a short film This session will take place via an online teaching platform
20/10/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: VLookup in Excel – workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
21/10/2022 10:00 12:00 DSD: Getting Started with Stata – Part 2 (Using Stata) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
25/10/2022 10:00 11:45 DSD: Pivot Tables in Excel – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
25/10/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio – Part 3 (Remote classroom) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
25/10/2022 12:00 13:00 DSD: Inspiration: Mind mapping tool – an overview demo This session will take place via an online teaching platform
26/10/2022 15:00 16:00 DSD: How to look after your health at the computer This session will take place via an online teaching platform
26/10/2022 12:00 13:00 DSD: Software for Success: Winning with charts This session will take place via an online teaching platform
26/10/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Sway, Microsoft’s modern presentation tool – Demo This session will take place via an online teaching platform
27/10/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 2: Managing & Participating in Meetings This session will take place via an online teaching platform
27/10/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Podcasting made easy This session will take place via an online teaching platform
28/10/2022 10:00 12:00 DSD: Getting Started with Stata – Part 3 (Scripting techniques) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
01/11/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio – Part 4 (Remote classroom) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
01/11/2022 14:00 15:30 DSD: XMind mind mapping tool – workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/11/2022 10:00 12:00 DSD: Software for success: Survey tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/11/2022 10:00 11:15 DSD: Basic image editing using free tools – demo This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/11/2022 14:00 15:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 3: Document Management and Collaboration This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/11/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – WORKSHOP 2 Campus-Based
03/11/2022 11:00 12:00 DSD: Read&Write: Text-to-speech software – an overview This session will take place via an online teaching platform
03/11/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: LaTeX: Demo of Overleaf This session will take place via an online teaching platform
03/11/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Software for success: Writing tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
03/11/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Best practice for video captions and transcripts This session will take place via an online teaching platform
04/11/2022 10:00 12:00 DSD: Getting Started with Stata – Part 4 (Modelling and reporting) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/11/2022 12:00 13:00 DSD: Introduction to REDCap for research – demo and Q&A This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/11/2022 10:00 17:00 DSD: Introduction to Matlab Campus-Based
08/11/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Creating Infographics using free web-based tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/11/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Introduction to stop motion animation This session will take place via an online teaching platform
09/11/2022 12:00 13:00 DSD: Software for success: Working with Bibliography and Citation Apps This session will take place via an online teaching platform
09/11/2022 10:00 11:45 DSD: OneNote – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
10/11/2022 10:00 17:00 DSD: Introduction to Matlab Campus-Based
10/11/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Sway, Microsoft’s modern presentation tool – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
10/11/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Record a narration over your PowerPoint on a PC This session will take place via an online teaching platform
11/11/2022 10:00 17:00 DSD: Getting Started with Stata – (Campus based) Campus-Based
15/11/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Data Visualization in R with ggplot2 This session will take place via an online teaching platform
15/11/2022 14:00 15:30 DSD: Styles and table of contents in Word – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
15/11/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Explore the potential of UCL Mediacentral This session will take place via an online teaching platform
16/11/2022 17:00 20:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio (Campus-based) Campus-Based
16/11/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Microsoft Forms Demo This session will take place via an online teaching platform
16/11/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Word tips and tricks This session will take place via an online teaching platform
16/11/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Excel Essential Skills – WORKSHOP 3 Campus-Based
17/11/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Getting Started with SPSS This session will take place via an online teaching platform
17/11/2022 10:00 11:15 DSD: Microsoft Teams Introduction (Prerequisite Course for Advanced Workshops) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/11/2022 12:00 13:00 DSD: In a Nutshell: Git version control This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/11/2022 15:00 16:00 DSD: Read&Write: Text-to-speech software – an overview This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/11/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Creating accessible Word documents This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/11/2022 14:00 15:30 DSD: Getting Started with Markdown This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/11/2022 10:00 11:00 DSD: Excel tips and tricks This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/11/2022 14:00 15:30 DSD: OneDrive for sharing files This session will take place via an online teaching platform
22/11/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Design an impactful research poster using UCL templates This session will take place via an online teaching platform
23/11/2022 17:00 20:00 DSD: An Introduction to R with Rstudio (Campus-based) Campus-Based
23/11/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 1: Beyond Basics Overview This session will take place via an online teaching platform
24/11/2022 12:00 13:00 DSD: PowerPoint for researchers (Windows) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
24/11/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Getting Started with SPSS This session will take place via an online teaching platform
28/11/2022 14:00 15:45 DSD: Pivot Tables in Excel – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
29/11/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Intermediate statistics with Excel 2016 This session will take place via an online teaching platform
29/11/2022 14:00 15:15 DSD: Basic image editing using free tools (Demo) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
30/11/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Better Tables in R This session will take place via an online teaching platform
30/11/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Sway, Microsoft’s modern presentation tool – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
01/12/2022 10:00 11:45 DSD: Charting with Excel This session will take place via an online teaching platform
01/12/2022 12:00 13:00 DSD: In a Nutshell: Excel functions we should all know This session will take place via an online teaching platform
01/12/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Format your Thesis (Windows) This session will take place via an online teaching platform
02/12/2022 14:00 17:00 DSD: Scripting Stata’s new Tables and Collections Campus-Based
06/12/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 2: Managing & Participating in Meetings  This session will take place via an online teaching platform
06/12/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: Make a short film with your iPhone This session will take place via an online teaching platform
07/12/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Photo editing with Pixlr X – Workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/12/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Advanced statistics with Excel 2016 This session will take place via an online teaching platform
08/12/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Creating accessible PowerPoint presentations This session will take place via an online teaching platform
09/12/2022 10:00 17:00 DSD: Think like a computer programmer Campus-Based
13/12/2022 14:00 15:30 DSD: Creating accessible Word documents This session will take place via an online teaching platform
13/12/2022 14:00 15:30 DSD: VLookup in Excel – workshop This session will take place via an online teaching platform
13/12/2022 14:00 15:00 DSD: An introduction to free graphic design tools This session will take place via an online teaching platform
14/12/2022 14:00 16:00 DSD: Kick-starting your literature review Campus-Based
15/12/2022 10:00 12:00 DSD: Data Manipulation in R with Rstudio This session will take place via an online teaching platform
15/12/2022 10:00 11:30 DSD: Microsoft Teams Workshop 4: Forms Polling in Channels, Chats and Meetings This session will take place via an online teaching platform
16/12/2022 12:00 13:00 DSD: In a Nutshell: Starting a Nvivo Project This session will take place via an online teaching platform

Blended Learning Essentials has definitely got started!

By Eileen Kennedy, on 7 November 2015

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https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/blended-learning-getting-started

Managing the ambitious Ufi-funded MOOC project that is Blended Learning Essentials has required a leap of imagination. Back in May, we had no video, no scripts, no quizzes, no Padlets, no glossary, no crib sheets, no Digital Champions, no flyers, no tweets, no conference keynotes, nothing built on the FutureLearn platform. Diana Laurillard and Neil Morris had expressed a desire for video of actual teaching with actual learners using actual blended learning techniques in actual colleges and actual private training providers. Where were we going to get that from? And to add some extra spice, by the time Suzanne Scott from Borders College had consulted teachers in the Vocational Education and Training sector to establish what we needed, it was the height of summer, and all the colleges were having a break.

Thankfully, we had a supremely talented team combining Evans Woolfe Media, who travelled the country interviewing, shooting and editing video, and University of Leeds Digital Learning Team who put it all together, and as if by magic we started to see a MOOC emerge. Meanwhile, Maren Deepwell from ALT was working tirelessly on planning a marketing campaign to beat all others, and plotting accreditation pathways for our learners to progress from the MOOC. In the background, Richard Nelson from Bradford College was assembling a force of Digital Champions to support the MOOC, and creating a plan for how they could do it.

I was working with further education teachers to make the crib sheets – including the brilliant Wendy Rogers, just retired from a glorious career at Croydon College, Phil Durrant, and my colleagues at UCL Institute of Education – Rebecca Wilson, Tim Neumann and Kit Logan, who also helped to bring them to life in our UCLeXtend Moodle course. Rachel Challen from Loughborough College was thinking about the best way to evaluate the course, and all our other partners in colleges and organisations (AELT, ETF, AOC, Tinder Foundation, NIACE, Sheffield College and Northern College) were contributing to videos and promoting the course to their members. So many people, so much enthusiasm, so much talent! Even so, it was an incredible challenge – six months to launch the first of our two MOOCs to transform the landscape of vocational education and training.

But finally it is a reality, and we have reached the end of week 1. It was a major feat from our end to be sure, but that was only ever half the story. The participants themselves are the main part of the picture. I am seriously impressed by the energy and insight of the contributions that everyone is making on and off the FutureLearn platform. I have never enjoyed a MOOC so much – the discussion is great. Obviously, it is my favourite subject, but even so – I have to stop myself spending all my time reading the comments, and following the links that people have posted. It is making me think that this project could really change things and it is great to have been a part of it.