Welcome to this mini-site for staff digital skills training at the University of York.
On this page, you will find details of our Core Google Workspace training , additional Staff 'Bitesize session', and longer form Training Course offers. Browse the other pages of this site to see our sessions on Creating Accessible Content and see our full digital skills training offer including more advanced/niche sessions. We run each of our sessions multiple times a year, but if you are struggling to balance your individual/team commitments with attending training, visit the Training Planner page to take a look at the year at a glance and plan accordingly.
For any queries or issues related to our digital skills training, and for all associate-staff and temporary worker sign ups, or if you require this information in an alternative format please email it-training@york.ac.uk
Use the links below to jump to:
Prior to the session, participants are recommended to read the Introduction to Google Workspace guide.
Brand new to Google Workspace? A reluctant Microsoft convert in waiting? Or just can’t wrap your head around it? This training will explore the essentials of using Google Workspace applications for collaborative working at the University of York. We will explain what Google Workspace actually is and unpack the fundamental sharing & storage concepts that underpin all of the Workspace applications.
Tuesday 30 September 2025, 10am - 12pm
Thursday 29 January 2026, 10am - 12pm
Thursday 14 May 2026, 10am - 12pm
(2 hours - TAUGHT IN PERSON, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
In this session, we will look at using Google Drive effectively for collaborative working and storage management. We will cover using sharing permissions to work with others, organising Drives, and using cloud features when moving items and sharing links. In addition to this, we will look at how to choose between using My Drive or Shared Drive for collaborative work and how to manage ownership. You will get the opportunity to put what you learn into practice with collaborative exercises and hands-on support. It is also a rare opportunity to ask live questions to two Google experts for any specific individual / team concerns you may have when using Google Drive.
Prerequisites: If you are new to using Google Workspace we recommend that you complete the Google Workspace Essentials Training or explore the Google Workspace Practical Guide to familiarise yourself with Workspace basics before attending this Google Drive training.
Tuesday 21 October 2025, 10am - 12pm (LFA/015 - Harry Fairhurst building)
Tuesday 17 March 2026, 10am - 12pm (LFA/144 - Harry Fairhurst building)
(2 hours - TAUGHT IN PERSON, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
In this session, we will look at making the most of Google Docs and all of the clever collaborative features it has to offer, showing you how it is so much more than just a simple word processor. We will cover using smart chips & building blocks for collaborating on emails, creating project & content trackers, connecting with people, making comments & suggestions, assigning actions, using version history to track & restore changes, and much more! This is a chance to see how others are working effectively with Google Docs and get hands on with the practical application of these features.
Tuesday 11 November 2025, 10am - 12pm (D/N/114)
Thursday 16 April 2026, 10am - 12pm (LFA/144 - Harry Fairhurst building)
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
*Now featuring NEW Google Education Plus features...*
In this session we'll uncover tips and tricks to get the most out of Gmail and make it work for you. Whether you’ve been using Gmail for a while or it’s all new to you, this session will show you something you didn’t know or have long since forgotten. We will explore topics including:
Themes, display & personalisation
Creating attractive, customised email layouts
Inbox types
Labels and different ways of organising your inbox
Advanced settings and a range of useful little tips to make Gmail work for your needs
Tuesday 07 October 2025, 1pm - 2pm
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
In this session we'll explore how to get the most out of Google Calendar and discover lots of little features hiding inside which will help you get organised and see how it's more than just a diary. In this session we will explore things such as:
Customising how your calendar looks & personalising your settings
Creating new calendars, sharing your calendar and subscribing to others
Organising your calendar through labels & getting time insights
Quick ways to find times to meet with people
Tuesday 14 October 2025, 1pm - 2pm
(1 hours - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Our training session on Google Forms will help guide you through the essentials of creating sleek and effective online surveys. Whether you are brand new to Forms or just looking for a refresher, this session will give you the confidence to craft user-friendly forms with ease! We will explore topics including:
Google Form basics
Implementing conditional survey logic
Sharing and sending your form securely
Real-time data analysis features
Navigating advanced form settings
Thursday 19 June 2025, 1pm - 2pm
Tuesday 04 November 2025, 1pm - 2pm
Tuesday 10 March 2026, 1pm - 2pm
Thursday 18 June 2026, 1pm - 2pm
If you're brand new to using Google Workspace, or just want to brush up your skills, our Google Workspace Practical Guide has been designed to show you the ropes. It provides an introduction to Google Workspace, as well as specific pages and suggested exercises for Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Sites, and other Core Google Apps.
These digital upskilling sessions are designed to be accessible and convenient for busy staff members, with each "Bitesize" session lasting no longer than an hour. Enhance your digital skills and learn something new without sacrificing valuable time!
(For any queries or issues related to digital skills training, please email it-training@york.ac.uk)
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Google Vids is a new web-based video editing tool, available as part of Google Workspace. In this bitesize session, we’ll show you how to easily compile and edit your own videos. We’ll explore:
Using the in-built recording feature
Importing pre-existing videos
Trimming and cutting your video clips
Adding text and titles to your video
Simple animated transitions between video clips
Exporting your video directly to Google Drive (or downloading as an MP4 file)
Please note that Google Vids is part of Google Education Plus, which is available to staff and students at the University of York, but isn't available for some UoY Google accounts. See IT Services' Google Education Plus page for more information.
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Generative artificial intelligence (or AI for short) is being talked about and used all around us, including in universities. In this session, we will take a look at what generative AI actually is and which generative AI tools are available at the University.
We will explore topics including:
How generative AI works
How Gemini might be used in a work context
Data security considerations and University of York policies
Tips for writing good prompts
In the meantime, you can also see our collected generative AI resources and links to University policies and guidance in our Generative AI: Practical Guide
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Google NotebookLM is an AI-powered digital assistant that's designed to help with research and note-taking. It can generate summaries, explanations, and answers based on the content you upload. In this bitesized session we'll play with NotebookLM to see what potential it has for your research, your creativity, or even your daily life.
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
You might know some of them; you might not...But here are 10 things to make your spreadsheets somehow better. We will explore topics including:
Organising your data
Collaborative ways of working with spreadsheets
Different ways to move your data
Automation and experimentation
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Unlock the potential of web design with Google Sites! This brilliant tool allows you to build a fully functional website without the need for any coding skills whatsoever. Perfect for portfolios and project pages, Google Sites empowers you to showcase your ideas and content with ease. We will explore topics including:
Getting started with your first Google Site
Customizing your site's appearance with themes & templates
Adding multimedia content
Integrating content from Google Workspace apps such as Docs & Slides
Ensuring your website meets accessibility standards
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Using little tips and tricks like split screens and keyboard shortcuts can massively improve your productivity and reduce any frustration while working on a Windows PC. Come along to this bitesized session to find out all sorts of little golden nuggets of information you may wish you knew years ago! We will explore topics including:
Personalising your display, start menu & taskbar
Screen-shotting and screenrecording
Top keyboard shortcuts
Managing your storage
Display modes for productivity
We will also look at what's new in Windows 11 and share tips on how to get used to the switch from Windows 10!
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
This session covers the basics of using Slack and tips for best practice. Over one hour, 15 minutes we give an introduction to Slack, basics on how to use Slack, best practice tips, feature highlights and demonstrations.
Who is this training for?
Staff who haven’t used Slack much, or who need a refresher on all things Slack
Staff who are returning to work from a long period of leave or absence
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
This session covers the more advanced features of Slack: Workflows, Canvas, Lists and Templates. The session lasts for 1h15m with a short break.
Who is this training for?
Staff who have already taken the basics training
Staff who have a good knowledge of how Slack works and want to take their use to the next level
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Ready to elevate your data analytics game? Looker Studio can help you transform dull data into actionable insights and interactive visualisations! Our Bitesize training session is here to guide you through getting started with Looker Studio. We will explore topics including:
Navigating the Looker Studio interface
Connecting and importing data
Building and customising a Looker “dashboard”
Creating interactive and shareable reports
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
We all have those days where the slew of notifications, new emails and instant messages becomes too much to bear. But how do you switch off, or better yet, avoid the burnout before it happens?
In this session we will share our experiences and strategies for coping with the tidal wave of digital information we face in our day to day lives, and dealing with information overload. As the lines between work and social life become more blurred, it is important to separate one from the other and protect both ours and others’ digital wellbeing.
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Tried Google Forms and need something stronger for your surveys? Or maybe you’ve heard of Qualtrics but don’t know where to start? Dive into our Essential Qualtrics Bitesize training session, where we'll guide you through the basics of this advanced survey design platform. We will explore topics including:
Qualtrics basics & getting started
Survey formatting & customisation
Implementing skip logic and survey flow for a tailored respondent experience
Settings & sharing
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
Tried the basics in Qualtrics and looking for more? In this session we will explore the more advanced features within Qualtrics including features that do not exist in Google Forms. Learn how to control your campaign and improve survey marketing with personalised distribution, use workflows and quotas to automate survey behaviour, and create reports within the Qualtrics interface. If you have not used Qualtrics before, we would recommend first attending our Qualtrics: Getting Started bitesize session to get to grips with it. In this session we will explore features including:
Adding personalisation to your survey distribution & campaigns using embedded data
Using workflows to add automation to your survey
Using quotas to set response limits
Exporting data & creating reports from your gathered data
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
In this session we'll show you how you can create dynamic and personalised emails for mailing lists using Yet Another Mail Merge. It's a session that is not to be missed if you look after a mailing list of any kind! We will explore topics including:
Setting up a mail merge with Gmail
Quickly personalising email campaigns
Using one-click polls
Exploring analytics
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
We’ve all used PDFs before, so why dedicate a session to them? PDFs are foolproof…right?
While PDFs are ideal for sharing final versions of documents, small missteps can have a big impact - are you confident you’re using them correctly? In this session, we’ll demystify working with PDFs - what they actually are, their strengths, and how to best work with them using University supported tools on Windows and Mac. In this session, we share practical tips on editing, reading, and converting, as well as adding comments, properly redacting information, and ensuring accessibility.
(1 hour - ONLINE, BOOK YOUR PLACE)
In this session we will share how a supported and collaborative approach to adopting and reviewing our use of collaborative digital tools can foster positive team culture and more effective digital working practices. As the hybrid workplace becomes the norm, we are even more reliant on digital technologies for teamwork, chat and information management. We will offer insights from our experience of enabling digital transformation, reflect on positive and negative impacts of technology in teams, and share practical tips on how you can adopt core digital tools to better collaborate as teams.
Fri 07 November 2025 - Fri 05 December 2025, 10am - 12pm (Online)
Thurs 26 February 2026 - Thurs 26 March 2026, 10am - 12pm (LFA/144, Harry Fairhurst building)
Tues 14 April 2026 - Tues 12 May 2026, 1pm - 3pm (Online)
Originally developed to manipulate numerical data, spreadsheets are now used to manipulate and interact with all kinds of data using a wide range of functions and features. In these sessions you will learn how to exploit the capabilities of both Excel and Google Sheets, including features that are particularly helpful when working collaboratively. This course takes will take place over 5 weekly sessions.
Prerequisites & joining instructions:
We ask that you take a look at our pre-session Spreadsheet basics and have a go at the P1 exercises before the first session.
Joining instructions will be circulated by email on the working day before the first session.
Fri 26 September 2025 - Fri 24 October 2025 - 10am - 12pm, LFA/144 (Harry Fairhurst building)
Tues 13 January 2026 - Tues 10 February 2026 10am - 12pm, LFA/144 (Harry Fairhurst building)
Want to learn how to take Google Workspace further whilst learning to code?
With Google Apps Script you can extend the features of Google Sheets, Drive, Docs, Forms, and more, and connect together Google Workspace apps. This five-week course features five 2-hour long workshops that combine instruction, live coding, and project work to teach the basics of writing Apps Script, and then project work completed outside of those sessions to consolidate learning and put Apps Script into practice. The course is accompanied by the Essential Apps Script online guide, which covers all course material.
What can you do with Apps Script?
Bulk create folders in Drive (including adding other files/folders as required)
Have Google Forms send emails upon submission
Create Documents, Sheets, and/or Calendar events from Form or Spreadsheet data
Manipulate spreadsheet data (including archiving, monitoring for changes)
And lots more!
The Essential Apps Script course has the following expectations:
You commit to all five workshops and to spending a minimum of 1 hour a week on top of these to complete the project work. The course has a limited number of spaces so please cancel your place or email it-training@york.ac.uk if you cannot attend.
You consolidate your knowledge of Google Workspace before attending as the course will not cover how the Google apps work more broadly.
If you are new to coding, you use the Coding Practical Guide or the Introduction to coding session (also available to book on the LMS) to familiarise yourself with key coding concepts before attending the course.