New resource makes big impression in first year at UO

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Academic Impressions has made a substantial impact in its first year at the University of Oregon, reaching more than 800 people with its professional development resources. 

The platform, which offers trainings tailored for higher education audiences, became available to all community members, including faculty, staff and students, in February 2023.

About half of the people who have logged in have gone on to complete a course or register for an event, which account manager Yianna Kappas said is impressive. More than 1,400 resources have been accessed, from live presentations to recorded trainings. The top-used resources have been in the domain of leadership or diversity training.

Andy Karduna, a professor and the department head of human physiology, was among the first at the university to take advantage of the new resource, as he was part of the initial pilot program. He regularly seeks out trainings that will help him in his role as department head and forwards opportunities to the faculty in his department. 

"We should all be looking for professional development opportunities, and I feel like this platform provides a low-barrier, zero-cost option," Karduna said.

He added that recently he looked over his notes on one of the trainings he's taken to prepare for a difficult meeting.

Sierra Dawson, associate vice provost for faculty and leadership development, was part of the team that worked to bring this new tool to the university.

"My goal at this membership one-year anniversary is to ensure that even more people know what is available to them, and that they know we're offering this service to all of campus because the office of the provost believes in personal and professional development," Dawson said.

While some of the resources are geared toward faculty, the Office of the Provost worked closely with the Human Resources learning and development team to make sure all staff members benefit. 

Many offerings are valuable for all employees, whether they're working with students or supervising others, according to Tiffany Lundy, senior associate director of employee development and engagement. Lundy's team reviews content on the platform and sends out recommendations specific to staff members.

"What's really cool about this tool, as well as LinkedIn Learning, is the collaboration across campus that's gone into this," Lundy said.

The most-used resource since the launch has been the Five Paths to Leadership Self-Assessment, which provides immediate results and shares information about leadership styles. Academic Impressions offers a monthly debrief to help people understand and reflect on their results.

More than 100 people have taken the self-assessment, including human resources specialist Karen Kossow and her team.

"I feel like the biggest benefit came to our team when we were able to discuss our results together after the debrief because we learned a lot about how the three of us can function and complement our individual strengths better," Kossow said.

Dawson said she's incorporated the self-assessment into the UO Leadership Academy, and members can then take it back to their teams, as there are no additional costs for the assessment or debrief session.

There is also a lot of content on the topic of mentorship, which aligns with the UO Mentorship Reimagined initiative. Dawson said she hopes the UO community will take advantage of these resources, as well as those offered on campus, to further grow as mentors and mentees.

Employees who want to learn more about using Academic Impressions with their team, need recommendations for resources on specific topics or want to explore additional opportunities outside the membership can reach out to Yianna Kappas at yianna@academicimpressions.com.

To take advantage of the membership, employees can log in to Academic Impressions with their Duck ID, and check out these Provost Picks or explore the following most-used resources:

—Chelsea Hunt, University Communications