🧑‍🎓 Learning Slate

Navigating the intricacies of a robust CRM like Slate is a fundamental challenge for Slate captains, whether they are newly implementing or have taken over an existing instance. It can be hard to know where to go to not only gain knowledge, but truly gain expertise of the platform. With that in mind, we're providing a list of suggestions for resources to demystify Slate.

🟦 Technolutions

Go straight to the source and make the most of the resources provided by Technolutions, the makers of Slate. 

1. Learning Lab - These online courses give participants an opportunity for hands-on experience at their own pace. If you've never worked in Slate before, this is an essential starting point.
2. Community Forums - Linked directly from your Slate homepage, you can ask questions and having them answered by fellow Slate users, community moderators and even Technolutions employees. In addition, taking time to regularly read posts from others will give you a sense of what issues or questions similar institutions are having. Thus, you can anticipate problems for your institution before the happen. 
3. Slate Feedback - Similar to the Community Forums, you can access this from your Slate homepage. You can request new features be added to Slate here, so you may be wondering where the learning opportunity is. Well, if someone is requesting something, that means that the feature most likely doesn't exist. Gaining familiarity with these requests can be a way of calibrating your own sense of what the platform is and isn't capable of handing at the moment. 

⌨️ Digital Spaces

1. Facebook - There is an active Slate user group on Facebook called Super Slate Technolutions Friends with almost 4,000 members at the time of this writing. Questions asked in this group tend to be more casual than what you'll see in the Community Forums and people do build up relationships with other users over time. If you are looking for other Slate users to bounce ideas off of or to help with rubber duck debugging, this group is a great place to find them.
2. Slack - The Slate User Slack Workspace is almost as large as the Facebook group, with over 3,500 members at the time of this writing. Posts in this workspace are arranged by Slate module, so it can be a good source for learning what the current trends and issues are in a given area. In addition, this group tends to tackle technical issues not addressed in some of the other spaces.

Learn more in our article on Making the Most of the Slate User Community!

🗓️ Events

1. User Groups - There are many Slate user groups based on affinity such as region or institution type. These groups regularly host online events and some include in-person events as well. Connecting with Slate users who share commonalities with you will fast track your Slate learning. A new state law may impact how you're able to collect data in Slate. Your user group may discuss ideas for implementing these updates. And even if this new law doesn't impact your institution directly, the next time you face a similar issue you will already have options to present to your leadership.
2. Preferred Partners - Several preferred partners now host Slate training webinars and workshops. You can find out more by visiting the Preferred Partner Directory in the Discover Slate section within the Database in your Slate instance.
3. Technolutions Events - The Slate Summit Conference, Community Conversations and webinars offered by Technolutions are more than just an opportunity to get out of meetings. By attending these events, you have the opportunity to learn from industry peers, see how other institutions overcome obstacles in Slate and get the inspiration needed to come back and keep excelling at your home institution.

Did you know we have a podcast all about Slate Summit? Check out The ReWorkflow Podcast: Road to Slate Summit!

🚶Approach

We recommend researching the above resources, then choosing the ones that work into your schedule. Maybe that looks like joining one user group and reading through the Community Forums twice a week. Or you may read through the Slack workspace as you settle in with your coffee in the morning. Finding the resources that you connect with is the important thing. 

In addition, finding a Slate friend or two can really accelerate your learning. Having someone at your institution or within the Slate user community that you can call on for help will transform your problem-solving techniques in Slate like nothing else will.

Last, we echo Matthew Schieren's 2022 Summit presentation in which he encouraged the Slate user community to play within their Slate instances. Perhaps you take time once a month to try a new feature in Slate or tinker with a new portal you don't have an immediate use for. Learning to do things in Slate before you have an immediate need for them will help you work faster and more efficiently over time.

Are you not only new to Slate, but new to higher ed. as well? Check out our article on Unfamiliar Academic Terminology.