Category: Training

AberSkills Week 2024 🎉

WordPress User [shs63] Artificial Intelligence, LinkedIn Learning, Training Leave a comment

As part of Aberystwyth University’s extended induction, next week is AberSkills week! There are several events running, you can view all events being held on the AberSkills site but the Digital Skills team are a part of three sessions! These are: 

  • Everyday AI Tools: Presented by Jisc’s Senior AI Specialist Paddy Shepperd, this session will consider the practical use of AI in daily tasks, focusing on productivity-enhancing tools like Microsoft Copilot, Google Docs, and ChatGPT. We will look at AI’s role in education through applications such as Bodyswaps and Anywize and discuss how these can be integrated into learning strategies to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and overall productivity. 
  • Getting Started with LinkedIn Learning: During this session, we will demonstrate how to: 
    • Navigate the platform and search for relevant content 
    • Display certificates for completed courses and your personal LinkedIn profile 
    • Group content based on a particular topic, or content you want to watch at another time, as personal collections 
    • New features recently added to LinkedIn Learning 
  • Digital Skills Workshop: Hands-on experience for new international students here in Aber on the systems that you will use (e.g. Blackboard, Panopto, Turnitin, Student Record, Primo, etc) and some external systems also (e.g. Office 365 software like Word, PowerPoint, LinkedIn Learning etc). 

You can book all sessions through the AberSkills site, you can also view all recordings and resources from the 2023 Digital Skills Festival.  

Master your tech skills with LinkedIn Learning’s new Complete Guide Courses 👨‍💻

WordPress User [sil12] Digital learning and development, LinkedIn Learning, Training Leave a comment

Blogpost by Sioned Llywelyn (Digital Skills Lead)

Complete Guide Courses are now available in LinkedIn Learning to all at Aberystwyth University. These courses are fantastic for those that want to delve into developing specific tech skills with expert instructors. Whether you’re a beginner aiming to learn a new programme from scratch, or someone with more experience looking to progress further, these courses could be for you.

Here’s an example of some of the available Complete Guide courses with new ones being released each month:

Screenshot from the Complete Guide to Power BI course

What are the advantages of Complete Guide Courses?

  1. They are 5 or more hours in length, ensuring that you’ll gain a depth of knowledge in that chosen topic
  2. They are organised into manageable short videos and chapters meaning that you can look at only a specific piece of the course if needed
  3. Many of these courses include hands-on practice features, providing you with the opportunity to practice what you’ve learnt

If you have any questions about LinkedIn Learning, please contact the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk).

My experience with Code First Girls 💻

WordPress User [jpl11] Code First Girls, Digital learning and development, Training Leave a comment

Blogpost by Jia Ping Lee (Digital Capabilities and Skills Development Coordinator)

I remember first stumbling across Code First Girls through their social media during the summer of 2023, and then I learnt of Aberystwyth University’s new partnership with them. Having had no prior experience of coding and not having much knowledge about the tech world, I was surprised at how easy it was to look through the courses that Code First Girls were offering and regardless of what level of coding you had – there would be an appropriate course for you.

Being a complete beginner with coding languages, I had a look through their introductory courses titled MOOCs (Code First Girls’ massive open online courses). These courses were designed to introduce and provide beginner level tech skills and help build up confidence in an area of your choice. What I thought was fantastic about these courses was how it was organised and rolled out. With MOOC Sprints, they were running over 4 weeks with 1 one-hour live session per week and after the Sprint ended, you had the opportunity to test your knowledge and experience real world problem solving with MOOC Challenges and receive a certificate of completion after passing the session quizzes. I experienced a variety of the introduction courses offered including coding, web development and solving problems with Python. As I was able to review what I learned at my own pace after classes, it wasn’t as overwhelming as I initially thought, and the course tutors were always available to contact if you needed extra help or guidance.

Having thoroughly enjoyed taking the first steps towards gaining some tech confidence, I am looking forward to developing the skills I’ve learnt from the introductory courses and progressing onto the next level. I think that the most important lesson I have taken away from this experience is to never be afraid of trying something new that is outside of your comfort zone. The coding world may initially seem scary and difficult to get into, especially if you hadn’t learned about it before. But with Code First Girls, they really are here to help guide and support us to achieve the best skillset we need for future exciting opportunities!

Take a look at this blogpost where you’ll find 5 reasons why you should take advantage of Aberystwyth University’s partnership with Code First Girls. To find out more information about all the opportunities available with Code First Girls, please visit their website.

Please note that Code First Girls is open to women and non-binary people. If you are not eligible to undertake the courses offered through Code First Girls, there are many other free opportunities available, including coding challenges and courses with CoderPad and GitHub in LinkedIn Learning.

Develop your Digital Communication Skills 📱

WordPress User [sil12] Digital communication, collaboration and participation, Training Leave a comment

Want to learn how to improve your digital communication skills and especially how to use Instagram to promote your Business or Social Enterprise?

AberPreneurs, part of the University’s Careers Service, are running an exciting online event, Instagram for your Business/Social Enterprise – with Kacie Morgan, on Wednesday 24 April (14:10-15:00). This session will be delivered online on MS Teams, and you can join here.

For any queries, please contact aberpreneurs@aber.ac.uk.

Learn to code FOR FREE with Code First Girls! ⚡

WordPress User [sil12] Code First Girls, Digital learning and development, Training Leave a comment

Have you ever wanted to learn how to code? Well now you can do so, for free, by taking full advantage of our partnership with Code First Girls! We’ve listed 5 reasons below why you should make the most of this wonderful opportunity.

Please note that Code First Girls is open to women and non-binary people. If you are not eligible to undertake the courses offered through Code First Girls, there are many other free opportunities available, including coding challenges and courses with CoderPad and GitHub in LinkedIn Learning.

Questions❓

If you have any questions about the courses available with Code First Girls, please contact them directly.

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Come to our Digital Skills Drop-ins throughout Semester 2

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A member of the team will be available each week to support both students and staff at one of our weekly Digital Skills drop-ins.

We can help you with:

  • Finding resources that you can use to develop your digital skills
  • Providing basic support for using Microsoft software (e.g. PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Teams and Outlook)
  • Giving general advice about developing your digital skills
  • Discussing your Digital Discovery Tool report 

📍 We’ll be at the Skills Hub (indicated by the star on the image below) on Level D of the Hugh Owen library on the below Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:00-12:00 throughout Semester 2. If you have any questions, please email digi@aber.ac.uk.

Tuesday
⏰ 11:00-12:00		Wednesday
⏰ 11:00-12:00
16 January ’2424 January ’24
30 January ’247 February ’24
13 February ’2421 February ’24
27 February ’246 March ’24
12 March ’2420 March ’24
No drop-in sessions over EasterNo drop-in sessions over Easter
16 April ’2424 April ’24
30 April ’248 May ’24

Join us next week for the Digital Skills Festival! 🎆

WordPress User [sil12] Digital Skills Festival, Students, Training Leave a comment

Aberystwyth University’s first Digital Skills Festival for students will take place next week from 6 to 10 November 2023!  

Throughout the week, there will be 28 events covering an array of topical digital areas. Events will include presentations on Artificial Intelligence, online safety, digital wellbeing, managing your digital footprint, and using Welsh on your computer. Additionally, external speakers from companies like Barclays and Clicky Media will discuss the digital skills necessary to excel in their own and similar companies. Finally, there will also be several interactive workshops on topics such as using software such as Microsoft Excel and mastering group work with an array of online tools.  

All students who attend three online sessions will be entered into a raffle where they will have the opportunity of winning one of two £50 vouchers.

You can view each session and book through the Digital Skills Festival programme, or take a look at the images below to find out what’s on each day of the week!  

Festival Programme

Digital Skills Training: Semester 1 ’23-24

WordPress User [jpl11] Digital Discovery Tool, LinkedIn Learning, Training Leave a comment

Are you interested in learning what resources are available to help you assess and develop your digital skills? Or, perhaps you’re interested in learning more about how you can support your students to develop their own digital skills?

We will be delivering several training sessions for staff throughout Semester 1. If you are unable to attend any of these sessions, please feel free to email digi@aber.ac.uk to arrange a conversation with a member of our team.

Welsh-medium sessions:

English-medium sessions:

Training for Academic Staff: Introduction to the Digital Discovery Tool

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The Digital Skills Team will be delivering training sessions in September for academic staff who will be supporting their students to review their individual Digital Discovery Tool reports, and who will be facilitating conversations about digital skills in general.

Online sessions will be available in Welsh and English on the following dates:

  • 12 September ’23 (10:00-11:00): Introduction to the Digital Discovery Tool (Book here)
  • 12 September ’23 (14:00-15:00): Cyflwyniad i’r Offeryn Darganfod Digidol (Book here)
  • 18 September ’23 (10:00-11:00): Cyflwyniad i’r Offeryn Darganfod Digidol (Book here)
  • 18 September ’23 (15:00-16:00): Introduction to the Digital Discovery Tool (Book here)

For all enquiries, please contact the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk).

Training for Academic Staff: Introduction to the Digital Discovery Tool

WordPress User [sil12] Digital Discovery Tool, Training Leave a comment

The Digital Skills Team will be delivering training sessions in September 2023 for academic staff who will be supporting their students to review their individual Digital Discovery Tool reports, and facilitating conversations with students about digital skills in general.

Online sessions will be available in Welsh and English on the following dates:

  • 12 September ’23 (10:00-11:00): Introduction to the Digital Discovery Tool (Book here)
  • 12 September ’23 (14:00-15:00): Cyflwyniad i’r Offeryn Darganfod Digidol (Book here)
  • 18 September ’23 (10:00-11:00): Cyflwyniad i’r Offeryn Darganfod Digidol (Book here)
  • 20 September ’23 (15:00-16:00): Introduction to the Digital Discovery Tool(Book here)

For all enquiries, please contact the Digital Skills Team (digi@aber.ac.uk).