PROFESSIONAL SKILLS FOR COMPUTER ADVISERS ITTI PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT The materials for this course are now available from the Universities Staff Development Group in Sheffield. The Professional Skills for Computer Advisers course is designed for computer advisers or computer Help Desk staff in institutions of Higher Education. The aim is to train advisers in the skills they need, in addition to their techical knowledge, to provide a good service. The emphasis of the workshops is on interpersonal skills rather than computer-related training; it will therefore be applicable to any computing environment. The course consists of two practical workshops of three and two days' duration. The first workshop concentrates on aspects of communication between the adviser and the user and includes several role play exercises. The second workshop focuses on the organisational and personal skills needed by the advisory team. Topics in the workshops include Caring for the Customer, Communicating with Users, Analysing Problems, Coaching Users, Organising the Advisory Session, Time and Stress Management and Problem Control and Teamwork. The course is suitable for both new and experienced advisers in academic computer centres. It is recommended that participants attend both workshops, if at all possible. Course materials consist of a student manual with exercises and a full presenter's pack including notes for the lecturer, overhead projector slides, and notes for the demonstrator. The complete pack costs 185 pounds to UK higher education institutions whilst the student manual on its own costs 40 pounds. Both are available from Jean Burgan, Resources Administrator, CVCP, USDU, Level Six, University House, Sheffield S10 2TN, Tel: 0742 725248, email J.Burgan@sheffield.ac.uk. The course was developed by Joan Pateman and Gillian Colkin at the London School of Economics and Political Science, in collaboration with BIS Applied Systems Ltd. The project was funded by the UK UFC(ISC) Information Technology Training Initiative. As part of the project, a panel of experienced presenters was established, all of whom have either taught on the course or attended it. These presenters are available to give the course at sites in the UK. Further details of fees and local arrangements can be obtained from Joan Pateman, University of London Institute of Education, tel. 071-612-6695, electronic mail J.Pateman@IOE. _______________________________________________________________________ | | | In general the copyright for material on the NISS Bulletin Board | | is held by the CHEST & NISS Centre (University of Bath) or by the | | authors. | | | | Copying or reproduction of the material is permitted provided that | | | | (a) the source is acknowledged | | and (b) the material is not used for commercial gain. | | | | However, material must not be made available outside the academic | | community without prior consent. | |_______________________________________________________________________|