Classes and Workshops

Note: All listings on this page reflect Pacific Time. Unless noted otherwise, classes are held virtually via Zoom.

Class Spotlight

NEW Required class for all managers: GROW Plus: Accountability Conversations for Managers is part 2 in the training series on manager and employee performance conversations. Sign up now to reserve your spot. Several times and days available.

Stretch ‘n De-Stress | Friday, April 26: This is a class designed to help stretch the muscles, release stress, and focus on calming the mind, blending stretches and deep breathing for a rejuvenating exercise.

Delivery Skills | Wednesday, May 8: This session will focus on identifying anxieties about presenting and how to prepare for them, explore different presentation styles and techniques to engage with your audience, and tips and tricks to making your next presentation a success!

STEP Deadlines & Resources

STEP learning resources | Performance appraisal learning resources | STEP learning resources and documents

Watch the short STEP overview video

FY2024-2025 “Define Criteria” phase.

April 1, 2024 – Initiate the “DEFINE CRITERIA” phase for the FY2024-25 performance year. You and your employees begin the FY2024-2025 performance cycle by setting new 2024-2025 goals and objectives as well as continuing goals. Record them using the documents available in the STEP platform.
May 31, 2024 – Complete and record the “DEFINE CRITERIA” phase into the STEP platform.

Download the STEP Guidebook for step by step instructions.

Contact step@ucop.edu for all questions or attend one of the available STEP office hours below:

April 26, 9-10
May 10, 10-11
May 17, 9-10

Zoom link for all sessions: https://UCOP.zoom.us/j/5109879810 (advanced registration is not required)

Having Technical Issues with STEP? Review this FAQ

Upcoming Classes and Workshops

Featured

Excel Power BI

Online : Thursday, April 25, 9:00am - 12:00pm

In this three-session class, users will learn how to use Power BI to:

Connect to data sources.
Perform data cleaning, profiling, and shaping.
Visualize data with Power BI.
Create interactive visualizations.
Enhance reports and dashboards.
Publish and share reports and dashboards.

Participants must attend all three sessions on Thursday, April 25, May 2 and 9 from 9am-12-pm PT to receive credit for the course.

Stretch 'n De-Stress

Online : Friday, April 26, 8:30 - 9:00am

Stretch your body and de-stress your mind with this meditative practice. This is a class designed to help stretch the muscles, release stress, and focus on calming the mind, blending stretches and deep breathing for a rejuvenating exercise.

*Occurring every Friday until May 31

GROW Plus: Accountability Conversations for Managers

Online : Friday, April 26, 9:30am - 12:00pm

GROW Plus: Accountability Conversations for Managers is the second part in the live training series on manager and employee performance conversations. This training answers the question: What do I do when my coaching is not improving performance? In this virtual, live, and highly interactive workshop, we will cover providing productive critical feedback, managing emotions, creating efficient documentation, and holding effective accountability conversations. Managers will also practice having role Accountability Conversations using the UCOP GROW Plus framework. The previous STEP trainings are all prerequisites to this course.

Additional Sessions:

Thursday, May 9 (9:30am-12pm PT)
Thursday, May 23 (9:30am-12pm PT)
Thursday, May 30 (9:30am-12pm PT)

UCOP STEP Training: Define Criteria

Online : Wednesday, May 1, 11:00am - 12:00pm

In this instructor-led training on the Staff Talent Evaluation Process (STEP), we will expand on the materials presented in the STEP Fundamentals for Employees eCourse by going into detail on the first stage of STEP, called Define Criteria. You will practice writing goals and review strategies for choosing focus competencies.

GROWing your Check-In Conversations for Managers

Online: Thursday, May 2, 10:00am - 12:00pm

GROW is a popular coaching framework used around the world for problem solving, goal setting and performance improvement. This interactive session provides managers the opportunity to discuss and practice using the GROW framework as a strategy and tool to support engaging STEP checkpoint conversations GROW is a simple meeting structure that supports a growth and development stance in employee-manager coaching and feedback conversations.

Note: The ecourse “GROWing your Checkpoint Conversations must be taken prior to this class”

Delivery Skills

Online: Wednesday, May 8, 9:00am - 12:00pm

For many, public speaking and giving formal and informal presentations can be uncomfortable and daunting. Luckily, delivery skills ca be practiced and improved on with each presentation. This session will focus on identifying anxieties about presenting and how to prepare for them, explore different presentation styles and techniques to engage with your audience, and tips and tricks to making your next presentation a success! This session will be interactive and participants are asked to bring a recent presentation, outline, or presentation idea to practice.

Burnout Prevention

Online : Wednesday, May 8, 1:00 - 1:45pm

Escape from persistent burnout is within reach! Begin by recognizing the signs, taking proactive steps, and embracing mental wellness exercises to cultivate a joyful and healthier environment. Join our webinar to discover the path to a brighter, more balanced life.

Leading Across Difference: Understanding Self, Understanding Leadership

Online : Friday, May 10, 10:00am - 12:00pm

This is a 2-session training experience focusing on disrupting racial bias and anti-blackness, increasing awareness of institutional, structural, and systemic inequity through race, and applying this information to increase leadership skills at all levels. Leaders will examine the ways in which their own biases have a huge structural impact while engaging in discussions and that will shed light on leadership growth areas. This training is based on the facilitator’s Authentic Leadership model which moves participants from theoretical concepts to context-driven practice; to that end, leaders will be challenged to implement systemic and leadership change within their context as a concrete deliverable. Given the transformative, sensitive, and often painful content around racism, this training embeds facilitative social-emotional best practices to create a supportive environment. Participants will:

Build a foundational understanding of historical and social foundations of structural racism and anti-blackness in America.
Increase leadership skills towards improved relational outcomes with colleagues and direct reports.
Grapple with the question: “Who do I need to become to radically shift my leadership?”
Create a learning community of leaders better equipped to transform workplace culture.

Participants must attend both sessions from 10am-12pm PT on Friday, May 10 and 17 to receive credit for the course.

UCOP Safety: Basic Awareness

Online: Tuesday, May 14, 1:00 - 2:00pm

Melissa Collins, Program Manager for Security, Risk and Resilience, will facilitate this live virtual class that will provide basic safety tips to help employees feel informed, alert, and safe as they travel to and from the workplace. Extra time will be allotted for questions and feedback.

Additional Sessions:

Wednesday, June 5 (1-2pm PT)

Excel Macro and VBA

Online : Wednesday, May 15, 9:00am - 12:00pm

In this two-part series, the learner will understand how Macros and VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) help users customize and automate repetitive tasks in Excel. Macros can automate those tasks to be repeated when needed. Where macros are limited, VBA coding can expand a user’s ability to perform those necessary tasks.

We strongly recommend that the learner has successfully completed MS Excel Intermediate or have the requisite skills taught in this class before enrolling.

Key concepts for parts one and two includes:

Recording and Executing Macros
Editing Macros
Adding Visual Basic to Enhance Macros
Creating Interactive VBA Procedures
Design Decision-Making VBA
Looping VBA Procedures
Debugging and Error Handling VBA Techniques

Participants must attend both session from 9am-12pm PT on Wednesday, May 15 and 22 to receive credit for the course.

People Leader Forum - Team Professional Development Plans

Online: Friday, May 17, 1:00-2:00pm

The People Leader Forum is a monthly opportunity for people managers to connect with one another to develop leadership skills, build community, share best practices, swap strategies for navigating current challenges and learn to better support themselves and their teams.

May 17: Addressing Conflict in the Workplace – Conflict is a normal part of all aspects of life. At this session, UCOP Ombudsperson Callale Concon will share strategies to address and navigate conflicts in the workplace.

2024 PLF Topics:

June 21: Political Acumen as a Skill – Organizational politics can feel like a shadowy monster lurking around every corner or a mask we have to put on to “play the game,” but it doesn’t have to be that way. What if we could shift our mindset to see our strengths and others’ as ways to build political savvy and deeper connections? Join Catherine Burns, Senior Trainer and Content Developer, to explore a skill-based lens on navigating politics with a tool from Mary Ann Rettig-Zucchi from Jupiter Consulting Group and have lively discussion with peers.
August 16: Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
September 20: Reflecting on People Management Biases
October 18: Equity Process Review

Design Thinking to Focus, Collaborate, and Play

Online : Wednesday, May 22, 10:00am - 12:00pm

This hands-on workshop includes an overview of the design thinking process and leaves you equipped with the key design thinking concepts and techniques that you can apply right away. Design Thinking helps build ability to think creatively and work collaboratively to solve significant problems.

Key takeaways

Understand the key aspects of design thinking including working with your stakeholders to co-create innovate solutions together
Get insights into the challenges related to workplace interruptions and solutions to address them
Learn valuable tips and techniques for collaborating and problem solving in the workplace and beyond

PDF Accessibility

Online : Thursday, May 23, 10:00 - 11:30am

This course focuses on Adobe Acrobat and advanced PDF accessibility remediation techniques. You will learn how to edit or enhance accessibility within a PDF file and check PDFs with a screen reader.

UCOP Safety: Active Attacker Training

Online: Thursday, May 23, 1:00 - 2:00pm

This live virtual class will teach participants skills and strategies to respond if exposed to active attacker situations. The course will review real-life incidents and discuss options in the event of potential similar encounters.

Additional Sessions:

Wednesday, June 12 (1-2pm PT)

Additional Classes

UCSB Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Training

Online: , Register for UCSB Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Training on

This certificate course will be facilitated UCSB Lean Six Sigma instructors at no cost to participants. Each cohort will consist of 3- four hour sessions with hands on practice, project simulations, and intersession homework. Attendance at all 3 sessions is mandatory for course completion. At the end of the cohort, Participants will receive a Yellow Belt certificate of completion.

To register login to the UC Learning Center and type UCSB Lean Six Sigma into the search bar at the top right of your screen.

Using the UC Learning Center

Registration: Log in to the UC Learning Center using your UCOP login and password. In the Search box on the left, enter the name of the class you want. Select the session you want, then select the Register box and Submit.

Cancellation: You can cancel your registration through the UC Learning Center. We ask that you cancel 48 hours before the scheduled class time so that others may sign up, or contact the Learning & Development Team.

If you require any assistance or accommodation with finding, registering or attending a class please email the Learning & Development Team.