Basic Computer Skills

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course is designed for individuals who want a basic comfort level understanding the operating systems and various popular software programs. It will include a brief overview of the following topics:

  • What does the Operating System do?
  • Mouse techniques—how to use the mouse and the keyboard to communicate with the computer;
  • Finding “stuff” on the computer—explore the search menus, windows explorer, folder, files, and creating organization of your files;
  • Use the Recycle bin to clean up and retrieve files;
  • Explore “My Documents”, “My Pictures”, open and close documents;
  • Use Excel spreadsheets—open, save, close , and introduce simple formulas;
  • PDF type of files and how they are used;
  • Email—how to keep organized; sending and receiving emails.
  • Backing up and saving files;

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to navigate the basics of computer operations. This course could be customized to accomplish a company’s specific requirements.

Microsoft TEAMS

Standard course duration: 4 hours

Collaboration and teamwork are the defining characteristic of modern organizations. Microsoft Teams is a unified communication and collaboration platform in Office 365 that combines workplace chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. Learn how to stay connected, anytime, anywhere with the fastest growing app in Microsoft’s history.

In the course, participants learn the capabilities of MS Teams in the areas of:

• Hosting online meetings from 1:1, teams, or web conferences as live events
• Sharing content and context for effective and collaborative meetings
• Assuring high-quality audio, video and screen sharing
• Assuring the Office 365 level of data/content security and compliance
• Scheduling assistance, meeting note taking, meeting recording, instant messaging
• Audio conference – traditional or “on the go” to meet today’s mobility needs
• Better manage the meeting life cycle – before, during and after

Participants will understand the mainstream functionality and capabilities of MS Teams, and will be ready to begin applying to their specific meeting/collaboration opportunities.

Microsoft Office Desktop (all versions)

Excel

Level I

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course presents the basic concepts of Microsoft Excel software. Participants may request additional topics to cover during the class. Manuals are provided with exercises to facilitate learning.

The following topics are included:

  •  The Excel Application Window: from columns to rows we will cover the significant “hotspots” on the Excel window
    • The new ribbon and its various tabs
    • The Quick Access Toolbar and how to customize
    • Identifying cells and cell ranges
    • Status bar and sizing the screen
  • Opening, closing, naming and saving Excel files
  • Selecting cells and cell ranges
  • Editing worksheets
    • Clearing contents versus deleting
    • Using the auto commands (autocomplete, autocorrect, etc.)
  • Design Formulas
    • Create simple formulas
    • Use common Excel functions
    • Use relative referencing and absolute referencing
  • Moving and Copying data
    • Use several methods to move data within a worksheet and to other worksheets
    • Copy data to other worksheets by pasting or dragging data
    • Copy formulas by dragging
  • Formatting techniques for making the report look professional
    • Changing the font, centering titles across columns
    • Using underlines, double-underlines, patterns, and shading
    • How to handle error messages
  • Create conditional formatting
  • Format columns and rows by sizing, hiding, and protecting
  • Printing a report intact—keeping your columns together
  • If time permits:
    • Freeze panes
    • Date functions
    • Date shortcuts
    • Sorting and filtering data
    • Linking to other worksheets

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to master the basics of Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet software. This course could be customized to accomplish a company’s specific requirements.

Level II

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course presents the intermediate concepts of Microsoft Excel software. Participants may request additional topics to cover during the class. Manuals are provided with exercises to facilitate learning.

The following topics are included:

  • Arranging and moving worksheets; split screens, freeze panes
  • Insert comments and notes
  • Use Printing techniques to set margins, headers and footers, and titles; printing comments
  • Review date math, and inserting dates and times with functions
  • Review of basic calculations—relative and absolute referencing using basic formulas
  • Introduce some new and handy functions such as ‘counta’ and ‘sumif’
  • Introduce named ranges, and named cells to add “documentation” to a workbook
  • Introduce financial functions (PMT,FV) and logic functions (IF)
  • Create Tables in Excel
  • Introduce some database functions for sorting and filtering items in long lists and conditional formatting.
  • Use Data Validation
  • Hide columns, rows, and worksheets and protect columns, rows and worksheets
  • Link data to other cells
  • Create Templates

Upon completion of this course participants will be able function at an intermediate level in Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet software. This course could be customized to accomplish a company’s specific requirements.

Level III

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course presents the advanced concepts of Microsoft Excel software. Participants may request additional topics to cover during the class. Manuals are provided with exercises to facilitate learning.

The following topics are included:

  • Protecting Worksheets
  • Advanced Calculations: 3-D calculations across several worksheets; Time and Date Functions, Date calculations; Math functions: Sumif, Mina, Countif; Rounding functions
  • Using Lookup and Reference functions such as Vlookup
  • Logic Functions: The “If” function
  • Text Functions: Proper and Concatenate functions (changing case of text, and joining two strings of text together)
  • Advanced Financial Functions such as IRR and NPV, XIRR and XNPV
  • Advanced Filtering
  • Conditional Formatting
  • Tables
  • Analyzing data: using Trend lines and Goal Solver
  • Pivot Tables
  • Auditing: Finding errors in worksheets
  • Creating Charts

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to master the advanced concepts in Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet software. This course could be customized to accomplish a company’s specific requirements.

Advanced Applications

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course goes beyond traditional training in advanced concepts of Microsoft Excel software. In a hands-on workshop format, participants will apply advanced tools or features of Excel to needs and problems from their workplace.

Participants will bring their Excel-related projects and in class they will work out solutions to the identified targets and they will learn and practice a consistent and effective approach to determining how best to apply tools, features, and combinations thereof to achieve the desired objective. Depending upon the number and complexity of projects, the instructor will select those that are the best fit for class in terms of general applicability and scope.

The following topics are typical:

  • Planning the solution; what’s my objective
  • Laying out the logic to reach the objective
  • Applying formulas and functions individually and in combinations
  • Applying advanced calculations
  • Applications of the “If”, “Count”, “Find” and other key functions
  • Advanced Filtering
  • Applying conditional formatting to make things obvious
  • Analyzing data: using Trend lines and Goal Solver
  • Working with Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to approach Excel application opportunities with a standard approach and will understand how to get from objective, to planning the logic, and then implementing a solution.

Word

Level I

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course presents the basic concepts of Microsoft Word software. Participants may request additional topics to cover during the class. Manuals are provided with exercises to facilitate learning.

The following topics are included:

  • Create a Basic Document
    • Open and explore the User Interface: The word window and new ribbon
    • Customize the Word Environment
    • Enter Text
    • Name and save documents
  • Edit Documents
    • Open existing documents
    • Insert, delete and rearrange text
    • Undo changes, search and replace text
  • Copy and Move Text
  • Format Text
  • Format Paragraphs
  • Control Page Appearance
    • Page Layouts
    • Headers and Footer
    • Numbering Pages
  • Proofing
    • Check spelling, grammar and word count
    • Use AutoCorrect and create AutoText
  • Printing Document

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to master Microsoft’s Word document creation software. This course could be customized to accomplish a company’s specific training requirements.

Level II

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course presents the intermediate concepts of Microsoft Word software. Participants may request additional topics to cover during the class. Manuals are provided with exercises to facilitate learning.

The following topics are included:

  • Introduction to the new user interface
  • Controlling page appearance and the flow of text –headers, footers, page breaks and links
  • Options for setting Word defaults—customizing the Quick Access toolbar; setting other defaults
  • Paragraph formatting—spacing, borders and shading
  • Using Word’s new Quick Styles to add style as well creating new styles
  • Bullets and numbering
  • Tables
  • Building Blocks
  • Mail Merge

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to master Microsoft’s Word document creation software. This course could be customized to accomplish a company’s specific requirements.

Level III

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course presents the advanced concepts of Microsoft Word software. Participants may request additional topics to cover during the class. Manuals are provided with exercises to facilitate learning.

The following topics are included:

  • Protect documents and reports; create custom templates
  • Examine the new approach to Styles
    • Quick Parts
    • Style Sets
    • Building Blocks
  • Use Review functions to track changes in documents
  • Customize forms for use in mail merging; use the mail merge feature
  • Insert math features (if requested)
  • Organizing long documents
    • Cross-referencing
    • The Table of Contents
    • Indexing
    • Citations
  •  Create Newsletters using columns

If time permits—introduction to Macros

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to master the advanced functions of Microsoft’s Word document creation software. This course could be customized to accomplish a company’s specific requirements.

PowerPoint

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course presents the presentation concepts of Microsoft PowerPoint software. Participants may request additional topics to cover during the class. Manuals are provided with exercises to facilitate learning.

The following topics are included:

  • Introduction to the User Interface
    • Introducing “The Ribbon”
    • The new File tab
    • Backstage View from the File tab
    • Screen Shot Options
  • Navigate the parts of the PowerPoint screen
    • Customize the Ribbon
    • Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
    • The Window Frame including the slide number, zoom and shortcuts
  • Create a presentation with slides
    • Edit the text using the Outline feature
    • Add new slides and arrange
    • Import a Word document directly into PowerPoint
    • Duplicate slides
    • Apply slide designs
    • Apply and arrange graphic objects such as clipart, Wordart, audio, pictures and more
    • Add Excel tables and charts to slide presentation
    • Run a presentation using transitions, animations, and links
    • Print notes and handouts for audiences
    • Create a master slide to control uniform formatting throughout the presentation
    • Create an “automated” slide show using different file formats

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to master the creation of presentations in Microsoft’s PowerPoint software. This course could be customized to accomplish a company’s specific requirements.

Outlook

Standard course duration: 4 hours

This course presents the capabilities of Microsoft Outlook software. Participants may request additional depth in a topic area applicable to their environment. Manuals are provided, along with exercises to facilitate the learning process.
The following topics are included:

  • Using email
    • The email screen – understanding the icons and tools
    • Sending and receiving email
    • Attaching and downloading documents
  • Using contacts
    • Creating contacts
    • Managing an address book
    • Emailing using Contacts
    • Creating and sending V-cards
    • Developing the contact file content
  • Managing email
    • An organized inbox
    • An organized filing system
    • Good housekeeping practices
  • Managing your calendar
    • Scheduling appointments and meetings
    • Sending invitations
    • Sharing your calendar

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to use Outlook in their daily work activities as an email management tool and as a calendar management tool. They will quickly be able to adopt any company-specific applications of Outlook in these areas. This course can be customized to include a company’s specific requirements.

Writing Effective Email With Microsoft Outlook

Standard course duration: 8 hours

In many businesses, communication is identified as a critical improvement area, and in today’s business environment, a primary form of business communication is email. The objective of this course is to engage participants in a practical look at how email is used in their own environment, the plusses and the minuses, provide techniques and guidelines for writing email that is both effective and efficient and then teach participants how to use Microsoft Outlook as their email software tool. Examples are provided throughout and class participation using company examples is encouraged. The course is divided into two topics.

The first topic of the course starts with definition of various types and purposes of email, when email is the right choice and when it is inappropriate, a discussion of sender/receiver psychology, and some cautions regarding privacy. The topic explains an easy-to-read, easy-to-write approach to business email, with emphasis on getting to the point, providing the appropriate level of detail, and formatting. In addition, the topic will target these skill sets:

  • E-mail etiquette and other practical concerns
  • E-mail conventions: subject heading, salutation, closing, and format
  • Tips on paragraphs, bullet lists, and sub-headings
  • Appropriate tone and level of formality
  • Editing for clarity, conciseness, and correctness
  • Using templates to save time and energy

The second topic of the course concentrates on the capabilities of Microsoft Outlook software. The following topics are included:

  • Using email – email icons and tools, sending and receiving email and attaching and downloading documents
  • Using contacts – creating and using contacts, managing an address book, and developing contact content
  • Managing email – inbox, filing, and good housekeeping
  • Managing a calendar – scheduling meetings, sending invitations, and sharing calendars

Upon completion of the course, participants will have learned and practiced their email skills using Microsoft Outlook, relating the skills and techniques taught to specific email problems/challenges that they have identified. Participants will be able to use Outlook as their email tool within the rules or guidelines established within their organization.