About Training & Development

DU Training and Development offers professional development oppurtunities to support individual and group job performance at all levels of the University. We focus on strategically relevant learning that will provide DU employees with the knowledge and skills they need to help the University effectively compete in the 21st century educational landscape.

Learn more about our programs by browsing through the following:

MISSION

DU Training and Development offers professional development opportunities to support individual and group job performance at all levels of the University. We focus on strategically relevant learning that will provide DU employees with the knowledge and skills they need to help the University effectively compete in the 21st century educational landscape.

We help employees build their professional capacity by:

• Delivering a range of professional development programs that form the core of a competency-based curricula aligned with individual, departmental and institutional goals.
• Providing orientation programs for new employees.
• Collaborating with divisions, departments, work units and individuals to improve performance and meet challenges through customized performance consulting.

PHILOSOPHY

All of the programs and initiatives sposored by DU Training and Development spring from a common philosophy: Workplace learning and development should support work performance and be strategically relevant.

We all have commitments and challenges that we face everyday as we do our jobs. Time is precious, and we need to spend our time on the things that count - the most critical, high-impact aspects of what we do. What does it take to be effective and achieve this kind of impact - to be strategically relevant?

• First, strategic relevance means developing members of the DU community who understand our vision, values, culture and traditions. Only with a strong and clear understanding of the University of Denver and our unique strengths can each of us gauge what we need to do to have a positive lasting impact on this institution.
• Next, strategic relevance means developing people who understand the competitive educational landscape that we exist in - and where we hope to thrive. This demands knowledge and skill on the part of individuals, work units and departments, and the whole institution about a range of issues.
• Finally, strategic relevance means developing professional knowledge, skills and abilities of DU faculty and staff so that we are equipped to make substantial contributions to the University's success and so that we are able to achieve our goals.

Back to Top

PROJECTS

DU Training & Development works on both internal and external projects. Below is a partial list of our past accomplishments and current projects.

Contact Aimee Neu, Asst. Human Resources Director - Training & Development if you have any questions or would like to propose a collaborative project.

Current projects (2003):

• Strategic competencies: Organizational knowledge and skills to achieve DU's strategic goals (UPAC 11)
• Academic Leadership Development program
• Operational Leadership Development program
• Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) - Online help "maps" for administrative and operational processes
• Workplace Issues Series (in-depth training on legal and policy topics): Ethics, Confidentiality and Privacy
• Workplace Law: Annual Update program (multiple delivery modes)
• DU Web Strategy group: advisory group for WebCentral implementation and DU website design
• 2003 update and revision of New Employee Orientation

Ongoing projects:

• Workplace Law for DU Managers (includes introductory seminar, Workplace Issues Series, Annual Workplace Law updates)
• Professional Development Certificate program for Online Learning (initiated: 2003)
• Professional Development Grant program (initiated: 2002)
• "Ideas at Work" - the DU Reading Group
• Peer Mentoring program (annual: 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03)

Completed projects (1999 - 2003):

• Workplace Issues Series (2002-present)
• Effective Interviewing and Selection
• Managing Employee Performance
• Preventing Violence on Campus
• Contracts and Signature Authority
• Managing Employee Leave
• The ADA: Making It Work
• Workplace Law for DU Managers (100% participation over two years, now for new DU managers)
• Online registration and tracking system (2002-2003)
• Strategic planning retreats (2000 - present): four retreats for various units of the University
• Hyde Interviews (2001-2002): design and implementation of online interview team training information
• Report: Strategic Learning at the University of Denver (Dec 1999)

Back to Top

PROGRAMS BY THEME

DU Training and Development offers programs under five content themes. This framework allows us to align individual and group development with the institutional goals of the University.

WorkSmart

Increasing individual and group productivity through problem-solving, collaboration skills, effective communication, analytical and diagnostic skills and project management skills.

Administration and Management Development

Developing managerial capacity, especially in the areas of supervisory skills, performance management, policies and procedures, workplace law, strategic planning and financial management.

Life/Work Balance

Enhancing life/work balance and providing career opportunities by encouraging career self-management, enhancing wellness, reducing stress, and balancing personal needs and responsibilities with work obligations.

Technology at Work

Applying technology effectively on the job to plan, analyze, streamline processes, communicate and collaborate.

Frontiers

Understanding the educational landscape and its relevance to DU by exploring innovative educational and business practices, providing leadership development and examining strategies for competitive success.

Back to Top

LEARNING FORMATS

There are many ways people learn. We learn informally from friends, co-workers and colleagues, or through formal learning oppurtunities - from our own initiative to learning out of necessity.

DU Training and Development provides a range of learning oppotunities: face-to-face training, resources for self-study and online learning. In our schedule, you'll find a variety of learning formats:

• Seminars
  present job-related information in a classroom style. (1 - 2 hrs)
• SkillShops
  emphasize active learning and hands-on skills practice. (1.5 - 3 hrs)
• Online Courses
  allows you to learn at your own pace, at times that you determine. (3 - 8 hrs)
• Hybrid Courses
  combine self-guided online learning with seminars where you and other "cyberstudents" meet for discussion and skills practice. (5 - 10 hrs)
• Forums
  are panel discussions that highlight the diverse view of your co-workers and of experienced professionals. (1- 2 hrs)
• Colloquia
  provide occasions for campus-wide dialogue on issues that affect the entire DU community. (1-2 hrs)

Back to Top

BE CREATIVE IN PLANNING YOUR LEARNING!

The diagram below shows how different groups of DU employees might learn about different topics, by different delivery modes or learning formats. The three axes show examples of:

• Delivery factors (e.g. same time / same place),
• Theme or topic category (e.g. technology, management, etc.) and
• Audience (e.g. department chairs, program coordinators, etc.)