PPD Online Courses 2017-18

At work and at home, it’s all too easy to speak and act without thinking – and then regret it afterwards. Acting on instinct can lead us to behave aggressively or passively. Both of these are generally unhelpful for our own reputation and for our relationships with others.

Communicating Assertively will show you how to avoid both extremes and instead to use assertive behaviour to build constructive and respectful working relationships.

This online module will help you understand the assertive mindset and highlight what assertiveness looks and sounds like.

View a short trailer for the online module.

For additional guidance you can visit our Guide to successful online learning.

If you would prefer to complete the blended programme, which provides an opportunity to put your assertive skills into practice in a face to face workshop, as well as completing the online module, please visit the booking page for the blended programme.

"It all boils down to communication", how many times have we heard that phrase? This interactive online module is packed full of useful tips and practical examples to help you get your point across more clearly, ask the right questions and listen better to what others have to say.

The module introduces you to the key concepts of communication skills through a variety of media, offering those new to this topic a solid grounding in the essentials, as well as a great refresher for more experienced communicators.

If you’re short of time and just need the basics, or you want to explore things in a bit more detail, the versatile structure of this module offers you the flexibility to learn in the way that best fits with your schedule.

View a short trailer for the module.

This online course offers a short introduction to data protection concepts, explains why they are important to the University, and signposts to further guidance materials. As nearly all University staff are likely to collect and handle personal information about living identifiable individuals in one way or another, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the main issues.

The content of this course reflects the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation as well as related data protection law.

The Staff Review and Development (SRD) process provides the opportunity for supervisors, managers and academics to engage in constructive discussion with their staff or academic colleagues about current and future work and their personal and career development.

This online module, including visual, audio and filmed material, will focus on an overview of the process, practical advice and useful reminders of good practice to help you to make the most of SRD. You will need a PC, Mac or tablet device.

Please make a booking to receive instructions about how to access the online module. For additional guidance you can visit our online learning section of the website.

View a short trailer for the online module.

This short online guide for all staff provides hints, tricks and tips to help you manage your Inbox.

Giving effective feedback to your team members is one of the key responsibilities of anyone who supervises or manages others. It improves performance, boosts morale and can help people to do their job to the best of their ability.

This module is full of key tips to help you give feedback that is supportive, constructive and helpful and incorporates instructional film resources to help you apply what you have learned. It also focuses on how to avoid common mistakes when giving feedback to others and how to receive feedback well.

This online course welcomes new staff to the University and provides key information to help them settle into their new role quickly and achieve their full potential within their role as soon as possible. It will give new staff an overview of the University, including what to expect from induction and essential information along with some background on the history and traditions.

This online course complements the local induction new staff will receive in their institution, department or faculty.

A Raven password is needed to access this online course. If you don't already have one, visit http://www.cam.ac.uk/cs/docs/faq/n5.html

Change is a constant feature in today’s workplace and this level of change certainly won’t go away and may indeed become more intense.

Studies show that the line manager has a critical role to play in ensuring staff are ready for change and in successfully implementing it. It can therefore be helpful to reflect on how we personally approach and manage change and how we can lead and support our teams through change.

This online course will give you some practical steps to help you lead your team through change whilst maintaining your own wellbeing.

For many people having challenging conversations can be difficult and feel uncomfortable; however the ability to be able to talk about sensitive and emotive issues is an integral part of effective line management and can be critical to managing performance, promoting attendance and improving team dynamics.

This module will give you some practical steps to help you handle these conversations better and, where possible, get the right outcome for you, the individual and the University.

Minute taking is not usually about writing a verbatim record of what is said but it is about understanding why minutes are required and recognising what is important to record.

This module is an introductory guide for anyone who is required to take minutes. It does not cover the additional skills required to take minutes at University committee meetings.