Embracing Online Data Training for Staff

Institutional and Office Profile

Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded in 1924 by James Buchanan Duke as a memorial to his father, Washington Duke, the university employs 1,654 tenured/tenure-track faculty and 8,923 staff (as of July 2023). Fall 2023 enrollment was 16,840 across eleven schools and colleges.

The Office of the University Registrar (OUR) provides various academic services to members of the Duke community. The office supports the overall educational goals of the university by providing critical academic support. The office facilitates academic operations. OUR employs twenty-six full-time staff members (as of June 2024).

The Opportunity

Over the last several years, OUR has undergone significant changes—some due to the coronavirus pandemic and some due to the office's growing responsibilities, which include expanding student and faculty services. The office has grown from thirteen people in 2015 to twenty-six in June 2024 to support these services. This growth has also included some resource turnover. As the OUR staff began thinking about how to use training sustainably, staff members explored the following questions:

• How might an institution or an office deal with the impact of staffing changes?
• How might OUR focus on continuity?
• How might OUR create an environment of continuous learning that minimizes interruptions to business tasks and functions while building on sustainable and meaningful knowledge transfer?

Cue online learning.

Individual OUR staff members are tasked with cross-training others in the functions and processes specific to their area. Much of that knowledge transfer happens during individual or group discussions facilitated online via a videoconferencing platform or in person. Some training, such as process documentation, is provided over online collaboration workspaces (e.g., Atlassian's Confluence or Microsoft Teams). Currently, one OUR staff member trains other staff members on specific data extraction and reporting tools such as PeopleSoft Query, an end-user reporting tool, and Microsoft Excel. Until recently, this training approach was sustainable. However, with the increase in employees, it is no longer feasible. So, a staff member developed two fully online courses that support the data-training needs of internal staff and other users on campus. These courses are part of a long-term plan to allow uninterrupted access to valuable and relevant content in a Duke-supported learning-management platform. This effort is supported by the associate vice provost and university registrar.

Why Online Training?

Online training options, such as massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered via edX, Coursera, or LinkedIn Learning, bridge the gap for learners who cannot participate in a traditional, in-person environment. Research shows that these learning opportunities are even more relevant for skill acquisition and professional development in the post-pandemic era.^Footnote1 Given the variety of work arrangements—from hybrid to fully remote—an online modality made the most sense for accessibility and sustainability.

How Is the Training Set Up?

The trainer is a highly qualified higher education professional who is versed in institutional jargon and technical know-how; familiar with core institutional functions, tasks, systems, and processes; and aware of adult-learning methodologies. Currently, OUR has two online asynchronous courses on the Duke Canvas learning management system, with another in development.

• Data Fundamentals for Higher Ed Business and Data Analysts (DATA 101): This course offers digital literacy skills that support communication, collaboration, and understanding of data (managing, analyzing, and critically evaluating data). DATA 101 also includes awareness about data privacy regulations, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
• Fundamentals of PeopleSoft Query (QRY 101): This course covers basic and advanced PeopleSoft Query functions for PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. Participants learn how to design queries and apply criteria to filter data, develop expressions to perform configurable online calculations, and leverage runtime prompts that build flexibility and reusability into queries.

Both courses incorporate online collaboration through MS Teams or Canvas, our LMS platform, and include information about data privacy and security issues. The courses include assessments, quizzes, assignments, evaluations, and a variety of learning materials—from videos to downloadable job aids—to accommodate different learning styles and aid retention. Problem-based learning (PBL) is used to enhance problem-solving skills and encourage innovative thinking. The trainings encourage participants to explore the material, test themselves, think critically and creatively, and be unafraid to fail (this is part of the learning process).

Considering the Adult Learning Experience

In his book, The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity, George Couros emphasizes the need for leaders, coaches, and educators to create learning opportunities that are driven by learners' personal and professional experiences.^Footnote2 In the context of higher education professional development for non-faculty staff, this approach can enhance learning, boost employee satisfaction, and maximize skill acquisition. Often, higher education staff members must be cross-trained. In addition to knowing how to do their core tasks, they should also have a rudimentary understanding of data definitions, extraction, or reporting. Adult learners may be impacted by various factors (see figure 1).

OUR outlined the following additional considerations when planning the two online learning experiences.

• Address resistance to learning about data. Institutional staff are often called upon to work with data from the student information system, and some do not see the inherent value in learning about this data. How could we work with staff and help them overcome their hesitance to learn about data?
  • Articulate the value of data skills, emphasizing how such skills benefit the office and advance personal and career growth.
  • Explain how data skills align with job responsibilities, and clearly define the goals of the data training program.
  • Foster a positive environment that reinforces learning and growth and offers support even after learners complete their training.
  • Assess learners' prior knowledge of technology and their personal goals, expectations, and concerns, perhaps through a pre-course survey.
• Emphasize 21^st-century skills. What do we know about 21^st-century skills, and how could we incorporate those skills to enhance staff development?^Footnote3
  • Train learners to leverage technology to demonstrate competency in reporting tools or data extraction and analysis methodologies.
  • Teach learners how to recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world. Understanding how to use data output and share information responsibly and ethically are essential, especially related to FERPA compliance.
  • Help learners build upon their computational thinking competencies, which can help boost their problem-solving skills. Examples of such competencies include describing a complex problem and using technological tools to find the solution, collecting data and using tools to analyze or visualize the data, and developing a series of steps to solve a problem.^Footnote4
  • Incorporate opportunities for reflection after learning to make the experience last beyond the course and deepen learners' understanding of the material. For example, the instructor might ask learners to tackle a practical assignment, submit the solution, and then reflect on the outcome.
    • How did you double-check your results?
    • How comfortable were you in answering this question?
    • What was the most challenging part of this activity?
    • What did you enjoy about this activity?
    • Can you provide an example of applying what you learned to your work?
• Support continuous training. What techniques could be used to enhance learner engagement and success in instructional content?
  • Incorporate relevant use cases and problems to help learners better connect to and retain instructional content.
  • Check in regularly with participants and offer encouragement and support. Use quizzes and final assignments to help learners understand how they are progressing in the course. Provide rubrics to communicate expectations and standards to learners (see table 1).
  • Provide multiple ways to view and retain the content; e.g., video presentations, supplementary PDF files, slide decks, or spreadsheets.
  • Facilitate collaboration by allowing learners to engage with the instructor and other participants offline or online via MS Teams, Zoom, or the Canvas discussion page.
  • Provide effective feedback for hands-on assignments using techniques such as those outlined by Emily Wray, an award-winning instructional designer, in her RISE (reflect, inquire, suggest, and elevate) model, or Grant Wiggins, developer of an award-winning curriculum design framework, in his "Seven Keys to Effective Feedback."
  • Motivate learners and prepare them to apply for more data-centric roles within the office or institution by encouraging them to complete training as part of their annual professional development plan.
  • Give every participant a certificate of completion after successfully completing a course. This recognition helps learners recall their achievements and share them with others (see figure 2).

Table 1. Sample Final Assessment Rubric for a PS Query Course

Rubric for Challenge: Manipulate and Filter Your Data! Getting Functional with Functions and Expressions This rubric takes into account 21st-century skills and computational thinking standards. It's designed to assess learners' ability to construct knowledge, think computationally, collaborate with others, and think critically. The scale should provide a comprehensive assessment of learners' skills and abilities in the context of a PeopleSoft Query course.
Criteria	Exceptional	Highly Competent	Keep Working on It!	Not Yet There
Knowledge Construction and Computational Thinking Solid understanding of the topic and creation of effective solutions leveraging the tools and methodology made available. Proven ability to break down complex problems and implement solutions.	Consistently understands and applies advanced query concepts independently and accurately; demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of Expressions, Aggregate Functions, and Joins.	Understands and applies query concepts independently most of the time; demonstrates a good understanding of Expressions, Aggregate Functions, and Joins, with minor gaps in knowledge.	Understands and applies basic query concepts but struggles to apply them independently; demonstrates a basic understanding of Expressions, Aggregate Functions, and Joins, with some significant gaps in knowledge.	Has difficulty understanding and applying basic query and requires additional support.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Critical evaluation of a topic and problem in a way that identifies the issue in an organized manner. Development of a problem-based solution with clear reasoning.	Consistently analyzes complex problems and makes informed decisions independently.	Analyzes problems and makes informed decision independently most of the time.	Can analyze and make decisions with some support.	Struggles to analyze problems and make decisions independently.
Digital Citizenship Ability to use technology responsibly, safely, and respectfully in line with specific data privacy regulations and frameworks.	Consistently demonstrates an understanding of and curiosity for privacy regulations such as FERPA; shows clear rationale for data extraction and sharing decisions based on who "needs to know"; uses effective data manipulation techniques responsibly.	Understands privacy regulations such as FERPA; shows rationale for data extraction and data sharing; uses data manipulation techniques responsibly.	Has a general understanding of FERPA and can decide how and when to share data with some support.	Needs more support in grasping FERPA and the need for accounting for regulations when working with student data.
Communication Good communication of ideas and thoughts in a clear and effective manner.	Consistently communicates ideas, thoughts, concerns, and opinions; provides at least one example and refers to how learning can be applied to work or life situations; uses proper grammar and structure throughout.	Communicates ideas, thoughts, concerns, and opinions; provides relevant examples most of the time; uses proper grammar and structure most of the time.	Can communicate some ideas, thoughts, concerns, and opinions; does not always provide relevant examples; may improve on grammar and structure.	Struggles to effectively communicate ideas.
Rubric created by Anna Kourouniotis. Adopted from Cam McDonnell from an adaptation of Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, Carnegie Mellon University.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

One of the many lessons learned during the pandemic is the significance of being prepared and ready to adapt to new technologies, business processes, modes of communication, and training modalities. Developing internal training for higher education staff using an online learning model and incorporating PBL strategies offers several benefits, but it also has some limitations and conditions.

Benefits

• Accessibility: Training can be easily accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world via a web-based interface.
• Flexibility and adaptability: Internal training allows the program to be adapted for an individual office or organization. Adaptability enables essential skills to be refined and content to be edited as necessary to reflect changes in processes or technologies and shifting goals.
• Collaboration and communication: If built appropriately, an online model allows staff to learn together and reach out to one another for support. Leveraging collaboration tools like MS Teams or Zoom is critical to success.
• Cost-effectiveness: In-house training reduces costs for the office and institution because travel costs are minimized. This type of training also reduces external or internal consultancy fees. Duke University invests in professional development through internal organizations, such as the HR department's Learning and Organization Development (L&OD) unit, which focuses on developing, improving, and sustaining organizations and teams. However, the training and consulting services offered by the L&OD are not without cost to individual offices. L&OD consulting fees typically cost $150 per hour. The Advanced Excel course costs $170 for eight hours of content.
• Employee retention and satisfaction: Providing accessible internal training to staff helps to retain talent within the office and the institution. It may also help reduce costs associated with recruiting new employees. Long-term staff can contribute to institutional memory and expertise, ensuring continuity in their areas of specialization and helping others learn new and transferable skills.^Footnote5
• Professional development and job exploration: Training not only enhances employee learning of specific material, but it may also expose people who would not ordinarily know or be interested in learning about a topic outside of their specialization.
• Customization and relevance: Learning can be customized to provide relevant working scenarios for staff members and their business and data processes.

Limitations and Conditions

• Resistance: Not all employees will embrace new technologies and learning methods.^Footnote6
• Infrastructure-reliant: Learning may be stifled if the technology is outdated; e.g., due to a lack of efficient internet connectivity.^Footnote7
• Human and technological resources: Access to instructional technology tools, such as, but not limited to, learning management systems (e.g., Canvas, Brightspace, or Moodle) and content creation (e.g., Panopto, Camtasia, or Captivate for video creation), is necessary to enhance training and promote collaboration among staff. Human knowledge and talent are needed to train others (train-the-trainer model).
• Management buy-in: Management must support training development efforts and offer a clear vision that incorporates and promotes internal training.
• Community: OUR has strong ties with the Student Information Services and Systems Office (SISS) and, when appropriate, exchanges technical knowledge of data. The PS Query course also shares relevant resources from professional associations such as the Higher Education User Group (HEUG).
• Continuous assessment: Learning experiences should be regularly assessed in multiple ways—from summative and formative assessments to course evaluations and even informal conversations about whether value is gained from the trainings.

When considering online courses, instructional designers should include "authentic and relevant" content to "anchor learning."^Footnote8 Using problem-based learning enables learners to connect with the topic, and this applicability enhances their understanding of their work. Adult learners seem to benefit from real-world examples that are tailored to their areas. If the learning objectives do not account for real-world learning, learners may not understand how those outcomes will fit into their work or can help them achieve their career goals.^Footnote9

Participant Feedback

Following are just a few of the things participants said they appreciated about the online and in-person PS Query courses:

Quizzes

• "Having the ability to test my knowledge following a demonstration of a topic is great!"
• "I found the quizzes to be interactive and relevant to the content we covered."

Scenario Learning

• "I learn best when I can make a connection from my own work to the subject being learned. The examples in the course are relevant."
• "I love that I was able to share a problem I was having querying my data and having that be used as an actual assignment!"

Resources

• "I find the materials very helpful, especially the ones that include Duke-specific information."
• "In this course, I was exposed to supportive online communities I didn't even know existed."

Course Impact

• "I feel empowered after taking this course. It was engaging even though it is delivered online."
• "I want to learn more about PS Query after this."

Advice for Other Institutions

Implementing a successful and sustainable in-house training model requires innovative managers who take a transformative approach to supervision and want to see their administrative and professional staff grow, reskill, and upskill. Research shows that reskilling and upskilling are important "since two-thirds of skills that are critical for today's job requirements will change or become obsolete generating a skills gap." And, according to a 2024 thematic analysis that explored research questions around higher education learning and development initiatives created in response to the coronavirus pandemic, there is a "need for a dynamic and responsive workforce in higher education."^Footnote10

If staff members are thirsty for knowledge or indicate that they want to upskill but do not have enough time to do so, metaphorical bells should be ringing in managers' ears. Managers should help staff make the time. They should make training intentional and take advantage of competent, knowledgeable, and motivated staff to help coach others. These staff members should be placed in the forefront as champions of learning. Investing in staff may lead to higher retention, employment satisfaction, and an empowered workforce whose upskilling will advance the institutional mission of serving students and helping them succeed.

Notes

1. Hana AlQaidoom and Asadullah Shah, "The Role of MOOC in Higher Education During Coronavirus Pandemic: A Systematic Review," International Journal of English and Education 9, no 4 (October 2020): 141–151; Azneth Patino and Nadia Naffi, "Lifelong Training Approaches for the Post-Pandemic Workforces: A Systematic Review," International Journal of Lifelong Education 42 no. 3 (May 2023): 249–269; Huyen Pham and Nguyen Thi Thao Ho, "Professional Development with MOOCs—How an Organization Learns in the Age of Digital Transformation," in ICEMT '20: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Education and Multimedia Technology, (Kyoto, Japan: Association for Computing Machinery, 2020), 20–25. Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.↩
2. George Couros, The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity (San Diego: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc., 2015). Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.↩
3. "ISTE Standards: For Educators," International Society for Technology in Education (website), accessed May 1, 2024. Jump back to footnote 3 in the text.↩
4. "ISTE Standards: For Students," International Society for Technology in Education (website), accessed May 1, 2024. Jump back to footnote 4 in the text.↩
5. B.J. Erasmus, A. Grobler, and M. van Niekerk, "Employee Retention in a Higher Education Institution: An Organisational Development Perspective," Progressio 37, no 2 (November 2015): 33–63. Jump back to footnote 5 in the text.↩
6. Stanley J. Kania III, "Taking Employee Training to the Next Level: A 'Flipped Classroom' Approach to Workforce Development," in Proceedings of the 40^th Annual Meeting, eds. Norman Sigmond, Jerry D. Belloit, and Cori Myers (State College, PA: Northeastern Association of Business, Economics and Technology, 2017): 198–202. Jump back to footnote 6 in the text.↩
7. Ibid., 198. Jump back to footnote 7 in the text.↩
8. Michael Ralph, "Teaching Strategies of Award-Winning Online Instructors," Edutopia (website), April 17, 2020. Jump back to footnote 8 in the text.↩
9. Daphne Koller et al., "Retention and Intention in Massive Open Online Courses: In Depth," EDUCAUSE Review, June 3, 2013. Jump back to footnote 9 in the text.↩
10. Ramona Diana Leon, "Employees Reskilling and Upskilling for Industry 5.0: Selecting the Best Professional Development Programmes," Technology in Society 75 (November 2023):102393; Jagdish Kumar Mishra and Girish Kumar Painoli, "Learning and Development Initiatives: Adapting Human Resources Practices to Upskill Higher Education Institution Employees in a Pandemic," The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Organizational Studies 19, no. 1 (January 2024): 437. Jump back to footnote 10 in the text.↩

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Anna Kourouniotis is Database Analyst II at Duke University.