CAL PACT Proposal

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				CAL PACT Proposal The BCST Task Force developed the CAL PACT proposal from February 1995 through June 1995. Campus outreach began in July of 1995. The task force solicited input through open forums and staff organizations. All of the information, suggestions, comments, and recommendations received are available in the appendices. CAL PACT Proposal Why do Berkeley campus staff need basic computer skills training? What is the Basic Computer Skills Training Task Force? What is the goal of BCST? What are the proposed components of the CAL PACT Program? How will CAL PACT be integrated into departments? How will CAL PACT be administered? What resources are currently available? How will CAL PACT be funded? What is the timeline for implementation? How can campus employees provide BCST with feedback? Appendices A. Task Force Charter B. Task Force Members C. Employee Development Training Plan for Computer Training D. Computers: Basic Concepts E. Berkeley Computing Environment F. Campus Resources--List of Control Units and BCST Contacts G. Campus Resources Inventory Form H. Department Computer Training Success Stories Phase I - Campus Feedback from the Forums Summary of Campus Feedback (from the Forums) July 25 Forum Comments July 26 Forum Comments July 27 Forum Comments August 1 Forum Comments August 2 Forum Comments August 3 Forum Comments Phase II - Campus Outreach to Staff Organizations The second phase of outreach to campus on the CAL PACT proposal has been presented to specific campus organizations. Notes are available for the proceedings of each meeting. September 11 - Council of Staff Organizations September 11 - Supervisors and Managers September 12 - Micronet September 20 - Chancellor's Staff Advisory Committee October 19 - Administrative and Student Services Computing Subcommittee October 31 - Business Administrative Services; Business Administrative Initiatives Why do Berkeley campus staff need basic computer skills training? Computers have become an increasingly necessary tool for staff to perform their work. Efforts across campus to streamline operations and increase efficiency with reduced levels of staff have led to substantial increases in computer use. Computers are now available to the majority of staff, and with the diversity of systems, software, and computer training available, it has become clear that not all staff are equipped to work and communicate effectively using the tools at their disposal. Employees and staff organizations organized a grassroots effort to address both the increasing disparity of staff computer skills across departments and the need for additional training. Their efforts resulted in a formal partnership between Employee Development & Training (EDT) of the Berkeley Campus Personnel Office and Information Systems & Technology (IST). The goal of this partnership is to raise the computer skills levels of campus staff to a defined minimum standard through the establishment of a campuswide task force. top What is the Basic Computer Skills Training Task Force? The Basic Computer Skills Training Task Force (BCST) was formed in January 1995 to define the basic computer competency needs of campus staff and to propose a training program to meet these needs. The task force is composed of representatives from every control unit, co-chaired by EDT and IST. top What is the goal of BCST? BCST will establish a campus program, called CAL PACT (CAL People and Computer Training), which will provide departments and employees with the opportunity, guidelines, and resources to acquire computer skills for accomplishing their work and enhancing their career development. The program will also accomplish two long-range training objectives: first, it fits squarely within the planned organizational readiness training for campus that will prepare staff employees to work in a technological environment; second, it prepares employees for additional technical computer training when initiatives such as the Berkeley Financial System, Project HIRE, and the new Payroll/Personnel System are implemented on campus. top What are the proposed components of the CAL PACT program? BCST proposes a campus-wide training program that will integrate the various existing campus training programs with newly developed courses to meet the objective levels of core competencies and computer literacy (outlined below). The coordinated program will be implemented by establishing partnerships among EDT, IST, and the departmental units who provide application-specific training classes. The program will provide departments with a framework for creating their own specific training goals and objectives, as well as opportunities for on-going education and skills development. Departments have the responsibility to ensure that employees have access to the full range of training opportunities provided by this program. (For department computer training "success stories" see Appendix H). The Core Competencies and Computer Literacy definitions provided on the following pages describe the identified minimum standards required forbasic computer skills training as determined by the task force. A training plan outline follows each definition. A mechanism for implementing changes to the CAL PACT program will be needed as staff computer training needs change. Core Competencies The building blocks that any person needs to know in order to function in the campus computing environment. These are the skills that form the foundation upon which all additional computing skills are built. Classes to achieve core competencies will focus on: The Berkeley computing environment Computers - basic concepts E-mail, network, and Internet resources Health issues BCST recommends that training for core competencies be funded by the campus for all employees. Monthly training classes can be provided through EDT or by departments according to the following guidelines. 1. Berkeley Computing Environment (45-60 minute session) The objective will be to familiarize individuals with the major electronic campus resources and the policies and guidelines that govern them. Recommended content is supplied in Appendix E. The lecture-style class will also include hand-outs that provide more information, such as lists of resources and source documents, information on accessing automated library catalogs, and identification of on-line information servers for specific departments, such as pointers to the Personnel or Accounting gopher servers. 2. Computers - Basic concepts (45-60 minute session) The objective will be to familiarize individuals with the basic concepts of how a computer works, jargon, and associated general information. See Appendix D for a proposed outline. The format will be a hands-on show and tell and will allow the opportunity for questions. This class could include more than one instructor to allow more one-on-one assistance. (Note: Platform-specific instruction will be available in the next segment: Computer Literacy.) 3. E-mail, network, and Internet resources (45-60 minute session) The objective is to provide an overview of electronic communication and information resource tools. The class will include a discussion of the concept of e-mail and the variety of e-mail software tools commonly in use on the campus, as well as a general discussion of the World Wide Web, Gopher, and how to access these. Also provided will be a list of specific e-mail classes. (Note: Specific e-mail training sessions will be available in the next segment: Computer Literacy.) 4. Health-related matters The objective is to ensure understanding of the health implications of working on computers and the requirements for a healthy work environment. We propose coordinating with HealthMatters to offer a class covering issues such as: Campus Vision Display Terminal (VDT) health and safety guidelines Health issues related to computer use Ergonomic workstation design Healthy work habits Computer Literacy Includes the core competency building blocks and additional computing skills and knowledge required by the departmental work environment.* Computer literacy modules will consist of a recommended set of classes coordinated by IST, EDT, or departmental units. Costs may be split between the department and campus, paid by the department, or paid by the individual. 1. Application/Systems Software The current topics to be covered by these classes include: Operating Systems (Windows, DOS, UNIX, MAC, etc) Word Processing Spreadsheets Presentation Graphics Databases E-mail Assist departments in identifying special instructional needs that aren't met by this list of classes. We recommend monitoring the waiting lists for these courses and offering more classes as demand increases. 2. Campus administrative systems Coordinate with the appropriate campus units the classes that will be made available on central administrative systems. For example, the list would include training for: CAP, CARS, BFS, OLADS, TeleBEARS, Classroom Scheduling, etc. We recommend offering monthly training classes on these systems. 3. Departmental resources The BCST task force will provide a master handout for departments to use in creating a resource document for each employee. The handout should include information on: systems used within the department type of e-mail the department uses support people the department employs and who does what where classes can be taken on campus what training the department does internally copies of applicable campus policies on computer use We recommend that EDT and BCST maintain this master until the suitable technical partner is identified. 4. Partnership in training for on-going assistance. We recommend: The CALS Project add a computer skills component to offer opportunities for one-on-one continuing tutor-learner training. Investigate a peer-to-peer training program to develop a network of skilled software users who can respond to hot-line requests for help. Identify a lab site where peer-to-peer or tutor training can be conducted. Departments formulate a training strategy. This could include identifying departmental staff who are computer-knowledgeable and establishing a structure for offering cross-training and assistance. top How will CAL PACT be integrated into departments? Introductory components of CAL PACT will be offered through a pilot program in two departments: one academic and one administrative. As additional components become available, they will be tailored to these pilot departments. Pilot departments will be responsible for evaluating the program and aiding in the reshaping of the program, if necessary. After the pilot program has been evaluated and revised, CAL PACT will be offered campus-wide. Specifics will be determined this fall. Additionally, BCST recommends that each department needs to have access to a computer support coordinator who is familiar with the department mission and its members. This coordinator will arrange all areas of computer support: from system administration, through hardware support, to training. The coordinator may not necessarily provide these services personally, but should be familiar with where these services can be obtained and should know where training resources are available in the department, the campus, and from the private sector. top How will CAL PACT be administered? BCST recognizes the need for an administrative function to provide direction for the operation of the computer skills training program. The success of CAL PACT will require continual review and revision, removing outdated components, and incorporating modules for new technologies. To ensure a continuing, cohesive and integrated program, we recommend the establishment of a campus-wide advisory group, with representation from each control unit. Each member will participate in planning as well as identify their control unit's current needs and available resources. We recommend the establishment of an administrative position to coordinate and direct this campus effort. This position would be responsible for the following areas: Planning and Operations Convene the advisory group on a regular periodic basis. Regularly review and update existing training modules to stay current with technological advancements and campus needs. Update training materials and handouts. Identify and coordinate all related training efforts across campus to minimize duplication of effort and to consolidate resources. Identify existing campus expertise and determine optimal methods to integrate these resources into the campus training efforts. Identify and recommend training options for newly developed central campus systems. Communications and Information Distribution Plan, implement, and maintain a WWW/Gopher site. Include the following information: CAL PACT, which outlines the core competencies and computer literacy modules. Campus resources available to meet basic training needs. An information packet template for departments (about the campus computing environment, policies, departmental computing systems and software, support staff, and other resources). Brief help documents and training aids. As a representative of the advisory group, participate in campus strategic planning. Identify computer training issues and recommend a course of action. top What resources are currently available? BCST will gather information on existing campus computer training resources and develop a master list of these resources. This resource list will be accessible campus-wide and will be updated monthly or as resources evolve. To collect this information, a standard questionnaire was developed, based upon information from task force members (please see Appendix G). This questionnaire will be used during one-on-one interviews with representatives from each campus control unit regarding their units' training resources and needs. (For a list of BCST members and control unit/contacts, see Appendix F). BCST will produce an organized list of training resources available within each control unit. Within control units and departments, the information will be organized into the following five sections: Financial Resources, Human Resources, Space/Equipment Resources, Electronic Resources, and Training Classes. This information can be made available both in paper format and electronically on a campus WWW page. A mechanism will be established for central updating of both the paper and electronic documents. When the list is available on a WWW page, e-mail can be sent from departmental representatives to the central computer training coordinator to update training information. (This aspect of the program was never completed.) Outline of Basic Computer Skills Training Resources List Control Unit/Department:_________________________ Financial Resources Human Resources a. Departmental or central campus trainers b. Departmental Software/Hardware Experts c. Power users d. Help Desk Pool e. The Scholar? Workstation (TSW) f. Workstation Software Support (WSS) g. User Groups (Magnet, Micronet, Novnet, BMUG, local) Space/Equipment Resources a. Computers b. Overhead Projectors c. TV/VCR d. Audio/videotapes e. CD ROM servers f. Training facilities in University Hall or Evans Microcomputer Training Facilities g. Office of Media Resources (OMS) Electronic Resources a. Online documentation (Gopher, ftp sites, Cornucopia, Melvyl, Gladis, WWW sites/ Netscape) b. e-mail (drmicro@garnet, Micronet, Magnet, Novnet) c. Users groups, mailing lists d. Online courses (UC Extension) Training Classes a. On campus - Departmental: CAP, BEARS, TeleBears/Olads b. On campus - Central: IST Microcomputer Training c. Off Campus - UC Extension, Catapult, Vista d. Ergonomic Training Health*Matters Departmental Safety Coordinator Program Written materials available top How will CAL PACT be funded? BCST currently has a one-time allocation from central campus funding for the pilot implementation of this project. Additionally, funding was made available for a staff position in EDT to administer CAL PACT through June 1996. However, for the program and its administration to continue beyond the pilot, additional funds must be secured. The cost to implement CAL PACT after the pilot program will be determined after the task force presents this proposal to the campus for feedback and discussions. top What is the timeline for implementation? During July and August, the task force will solicit campus feedback on the CAL PACT proposal draft. Various outreach methods will be employed, including presentations at staff meetings and organizations, focus groups, one-on-one interviews with campus managers, and a campuswide brownbag seminar. The task force will summarize recommendations and address funding issues by early September. The task force will then develop a pilot project for implementation during the fall semester. Additional training and program components will be offered throughout the fiscal year. top How can campus employees provide BCST with feedback? Feedback from employees across campus is an important part of developing CAL PACT. Employees can provide their input in a variety of ways during July and August of 1996. BCST will meet with various staff organizations and campus groups over the next few weeks. BCST has also set up an e-mail address for feedback: calpact@tuna.berkeley.edu. top

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