Google Workspace Training

As the information and communications technology (ICT) arm of UP Manila, the Human Resource Development Office, partnered with the Information Management Service (IMS) Office for a conduct of 5-day training on Google Workspace intended for UP Manila employees. The training transpired on October 4, 5, 10, 12, and 17, 2023 via Google Meet, with the first batch scheduled from 9:00 am to 12:00 nn attended by 45 participants, and the second batch scheduled at 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm joined by 39 participants. Understanding the use of Google Workspace helped our employees better utilize the platform, such as business email, online file storage, shared calendars, and Workspace applications. Further, this also helped employees be accustomed to Google Meet as their online meeting tool.

Ms. Ma. Janelle Gabion led the virtual training as the host. Geoffrey A. Solano, MSc, PhD, Director of the IMS, formally opened the program on October 4, 2023 with his opening remarks. He highlighted the importance of adapting to the innovating technology though we are now transitioning back to face-to-face and onsite work. Though the training may seem to be more relevant at the height of the pandemic, the IMS and HRDO believe that the use of these tools has now become a basic necessity to perform one’s job more efficiently.

On the first day of the training, the session was led by the Administrative Officer III of the IMS, Mr. Noriel S. Nulud. The course was inclusive of using Google Meet for conducting online meetings, Google Calendar for efficient calendar and task management, and Google Keep to create and track notes. The speaker also shared the essential features and settings to maximize the use of these productivity tools. 

The second day of the training focused on creating, editing, and managing documents and materials using Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. The participants were enlightened by the Computer Programmers II of the IMS, Mr. Edison T. Aurelio and Ms. Reyna Jane A. Faderon, in utilizing these web-based applications. The resource speakers navigated through the applications as they covered the topics, making it easier for the participants to follow through with their discussion. Basics of data management in Google Sheets through the creation of formulas and charts were taught alongside the discussion of the toolbar components. The use of default themes and exporting of themes for Google Slides presentations were tackled as well. Creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentation slides, as well as sharing files with other individuals for collaboration was also clearly demonstrated. 

Effective file management was the center of discussion on the third day of training, led by the Senior Administrative Assistant II of the IMS, Mr. Diosdado B. Calmada. The session highlighted the significance of managing personal drives and the efficiency of team drives if used adeptly. Google Drive also offers a range of advanced features ranging from convenient search tabs to easily find files, to filtering the type of files, and keywords in a file, or even based on the owner and date of creation. 

The fourth session revolved around the advanced use of Gmail, coached by Mr. Gilbert Jan T. Aquino, Information Systems Researcher II and Ms. Reyna Jane A. Faderon. The course covered the organization of inbox with the use of labels and stars, managing multiple accounts, searching through the Mail with advanced filters, personalizing one’s Gmail account by customizing the settings as preferred, creating email signatures, and setting up automated responses when needed.

On the fifth and last day of the training, Mr. Alfred John Louise L. Dejelo, Information Systems Researcher II, walked the participants through the applications for group communications and data collection using Google Chat/Space and Google Forms. A useful feature such as reply and reply as a thread in Google Chat was shared by the speaker, which will aid in making the users even more appreciate the use of these applications. In addition, when creating a Google Space, the speaker also shared that there are some settings that should be taken into consideration such as restriction and accessibility, in order to guarantee privacy and confidentiality for the members and the discourse in the Space. Mr. Diosdado B. Calmada concluded the session by discussing third-party applications that can be incorporated when using Google applications. 

For each session, participants are expected to accomplish a series of tasks in their Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) accounts to ensure that the training objectives are achieved. This includes short assignments, exercises, and quizzes. The participants are given a copy of all the resources used during the synchronous sessions to allow the participants to go back to materials at their own pace. A satisfactory completion of all activities is necessary for employees to receive their certificate on Google Workspace Training.