Keep Working Manual

The Keep Working Manual is a companion guide that accompanies our Adult Continuing Education Keep Working website. It includes links to all the documentation referenced in that site, plus links to related articles and external resources. It is intended for Winona State University staff who are assigned telework. This is collection of step-by-step instructions that any Winona State University employee can use to accomplish the most common administrative activities online quickly and easily. All of the tools referenced in this manual are available to all Winona State University employees.

Your telework toolbox

Winona State University supports a lot of tools for facilitating telework. Assuming you already know how to use the specific tools required to do your job (e.g., Microsoft Office tools, ISRS), focus your attention on the following four tools:

Your networked devices

For many of you, this means your laptop. If you have a Winona State University laptop through the eWarrior Digital Life and Learning Program, you already have a device capable of accomplishing much of what you need to telework. Your phone may also be powerful tool for keeping in touch and handling some work tasks. There are also some very helpful phone and tablet apps that can help make working remotely easier.

The Internet

Reliable access to the Internet is critical when teleworking. While connected to the Internet using your laptop or phone, check your Internet speed using a tool like the Spectrum Speed Test. Most high speed home Internet plans provide around 7 to 50 mbps speeds for uploads and downloads. Your upload speed is typically much slower than your download speed. Working with email, Teams, Office, and Zoom usually requires very little bandwidth and most activities can be accomplished at speeds that dip below 1 mbps. On a slow Internet connection, you will notice a lag when uploading large files (e.g., a video or big document) and you may experience some degradation of Zoom audio and video. If you have any questions or concerns about your access to the Internet while teleworking, contact the Technical Support Center (TechSupport@winona.edu, 507-457-5240, Somsen Hall 207).

Email and Instant Messaging

The most important tools in your toolbox are those that help you communicate with your coworkers. Maintaining your presence online and your contact with others during the work day should be your top priority. Our supported email system at Winona State University is Microsoft Outlook. Some of you access your Outlook mailbox online through your Microsoft Office 365 web portal. Some employees access their email using the Outlook application installed on their laptops. Some employees access their Winona State University email using the Outlook mobile app. Microsoft Teams supports instant messaging and online status awareness.

Office 365 Productivity Tools

Microsoft Office 365 is a suite of integrated productivity, creativity, and collaboration tools available to all Winona State University students and employees. The suite includes the latest version of familiar Office applications (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel) for installation on your PC or Mac, a cloud-based file storage system called OneDrive, a web portal for accessing online Office applications and services, and apps that can be installed on your mobile devices. All laptops provided through the eWarrior Digital Life and Learning Program and all Winona State University desktops in offices and labs come with Office applications installed. All Minnesota State schools use Office 365 under a single license, facilitating sharing, communication, and collaboration across the system.

VPN

Winona State University Information Technology Services provides a secure virtual private network (VPN) for employees working from off-campus locations. To maintain data security, access to some online systems and services requires a direct connection to our private campus network. Using our virtual private network (VPN), employees working remotely can emulate this direct, private connection and access these services as if they were on campus. Most employees do not need a continuous VPN connection when working remotely. Employees cannot establish a VPN connection using a personally-owned device and must use multi-factor authentication to verify their credentials when connecting to our VPN.

Zoom

Zoom is a web conferencing tool that you can use to host online meetings. You can meet one-on-one and in small and large groups. Use your laptop's camera and microphone to communicate and share your screen with others. Other meeting participants can also share their screens with you. Meetings can be recorded and shared online. Zoom supports polling, voting, breakout groups, and text messaging. Access your Zoom host dashboard to activate your account and schedule meetings.

Teams

Microsoft Teams is an application that can be used to support collaboration. You can create your own Teams sites to support departments, committees, projects, and anything else that requires collaboration. Add your coworkers as members, and configure it to meet your needs. It includes a text messaging feature and is well-suited for supporting group projects and teamwork. Access Teams online or using the desktop or mobile app.

How to

Communicate

Access Your Files and Services

Collaborate

Going mobile

Mobile apps for telework

Learn and get help

External links

Except where otherwise noted, text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.