Deskside coaching

Deskside Coaching aims to work with staff and research postgraduate students at their desk to develop their skills in using a range of applications such as the Microsoft Office suite, the TeamSite content management system, the use of SmartBoards and common learning space familiarisation.   

Deskside Coaching provides targeted advice and training enabling staff to solve task-related issues by enhancing their skills without taking time away from the office.

To arrange a deskside coaching visit, please complete the coaching request form following the link below

November 2010

iSolutions is now going live with our Windows 7 and Office 2010 rollout, as a result of this Coaching and Training staff are extremely busy supporting users through this transition.  Subsequently we are now offering a limited service for Microsoft Office 2003 coaching and training. 
In order to assist you further during this period we have listed links to a number of on-line resources that we hope will address your immediate need. 

Microsoft on-line training resources
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/training-FX101782702.aspx

Downloadable Microsoft 2003 training resources
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/download-office-2003-training-HA001161816.aspx

We also have self-study documentation available to download from our webpages:
http://www.soton.ac.uk/isolutions/computing/training/user_documentation/index.html 

To find out more about the Windows 7/Office 2010 upgrade
http://www.soton.ac.uk/isolutions/windows7/index.shtml 

Please contact Serviceline if you have an urgent requirement that you are unable to resolve

To contact ServiceLine
Email: serviceline@soton.ac.uk
Phone Ext 25656 (internal calls), 73-25656 (SGH), or +44 (0)23 8059 5656 (external calls)

Request coaching by completing the coaching request form

people using a computerWhy this approach?

We understand that staff are increasingly busy and devoting time to developing and learning new skills is seen as a luxury for many.  Therefore we can minimise time away from the office by coming to you and focussing on your specific requirements.

Who is eligible?

All staff and postgraduate research students across the University can have deskside coaching sessions as and when required - this is a free service.

What does the Service Cover?

  • Agresso 5.5.3
  • MS Access (limited support available)
  • MS Excel
  • MS PowerPoint
  • MS Word
  • MS Outlook
  • MS Project 
  • Lecture theatre familiarisation
  • File Management
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • SUSSED
  • TeamSite Content Management System
  • WorkSite Document Management System
  • Discoverer Viewer
  • SmartPhone

 

How does it work?

In one of two ways - Your team can book visits to your office (floorwalking sessions) either mornings or afternoons. The Coaching and Training Services team will be available to answer individuals' questions on an ad hoc basis.

Alternatively, if you know that you have a specific requirement, an individual visit can be requested in advance at a mutually convenient time.

What can we help with?

Deskside Coaching can take many forms. A member of staff…

  • May be new to the University or have had an upgraded system recently installed
  • May have been using a specific feature within an application for a while, but is perhaps unsure as to whether they are using it to its fullest capacity
  • May be aware that the software can be used for certain tasks but is not sure how to do this
  • May have attended a formal training course and either
    • Would like a reminder of the new skills they were shown
    • Or, is having trouble using their new skills on their own data and would like some assistance