November roundup
November was another busy month for IT Services as we resolved 4,718 support queries and supported the smooth running of Winter Graduation.
1. Delivering a webinar for UCISA
On Friday 14 November, Pauline Brown, Associate Chief Information Officer (Service Delivery) and Fiona Philip, Business Productivity Specialist delivered the UCISA Support Services Community (SSG) webinar ‘Why our Business Productivity role is so important in today’s HE climate.’
The session explored how tailored IT inductions, practical productivity workshops, and proactive community initiatives help University staff make the most of existing tools and services.
2. Presenting at an AI and automation workshop
On Monday 17 November, leaders from Professional Services were invited to a ‘world cafe’ style workshop to explore possibilities around new technology. Monica Cecil, Fiona Philip and Kris Getchell from IT Services attended to provide expertise on a variety of topics from generative artificial intelligence to Microsoft 365.
3. Celebrating 25 years service
Ally Kirk, Systems Specialist began employment at the University of St Andrews on 1 November 2000. Congratulations on 25 years service!
4. Supporting Winter Graduation
Our IT/AV team supported Winter Graduation by streaming the ceremony live on YouTube for those who cannot attend. They also and manage overflow spaces and broadcast the Chapel services linked to graduation.
5. Using Copilot as a presenter coach
During Cuppa Teams this month, we explored ways which staff can use transcription and Copilot to ask for feedback ahead of a presentation. Using prompts such as ‘what filler words do I use most?’ and ‘how can I improve structure?’ allows staff to build confidence and fine tune their session ahead of time.
During the drop-in, participants found the feedback more helpful if they asked Copilot to give the feedback in a particular style. For example “direct and no sugar coating” or “analytical and detailed.”
