Information Technology Services
Computer Training Newsletter
September 2003 Issue 29
ITS Training offers a wide range of computing courses throughout the year. This monthly newsletter provides details of upcoming courses and highlights some of the services provided by the ITS Training Department. For further details and Application Forms contact: ITS Reception, telephone: (03) 479 8559, email: its.reception@stonebow.otago.ac.nz or check out our WWW pages: http://www.otago.ac.nz/ITS/training
Excel at Making Charts
In Excel, it is easy to turn information you have gathered into a chart using the Chart Wizard. Start off by entering all the information you need into your spreadsheet.
Next, select the information required to create the chart. When you are doing this, make sure you do not have any blank rows between headings and data, as Excel will include these in the chart. Do not include any totals or headings. You will have an option in the Chart Wizard to add a heading. With the information selected click on the Chart Wizard icon If the icon is not visible, go to Insert menu, and select Chart... The following will now appear:
Select the type of chart you wish to use, and preview by pressing Press and Hold to View Sample. Once you have chosen a suitable chart type, click on the Next button.
This window shows the range of data you selected to create the chart. If you are satisfied with this, click Next to continue.
Here is where you create titles for the Chart, the ‘x’ axis (horizontal axis) and ‘y’ axis (vertical axis) as previously mentioned. The titles will appear in the sample chart in the dialogue box. Clicking Next will take you to the final dialogue box:
Choose where to place your chart. Select your preferred destination then click Finish.
You can still move the chart around your worksheet. Simply grab the selection handles and drag it to where you want it. If you don’t like the formatting, hold down the control key and click on the area you wish to change. The following will appear:
Make the changes then click OK. You can also resize the chart by holding down the option key and dragging one of the corner selection handles in or out. Your completed chart can now be inserted or copied and pasted into a Word document.
To find out more, come along to our course:
Excel Core Concepts, Monday 22nd September
COMPUTING TRAINING COMING UP THIS MONTH
Databases, Spreadsheets, Presentation, Data Management . . .
DATABASE COURSES
FILEMAKER 4: WEB PUBLISHING Thursday, 11 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, Cost $115 This course is for anyone who wants to put their FileMaker Database on the Web. It provides an introduction to FileMaker 4 Web Publishing and covers the use of CDML (FDML) tags, Web Publishing an existing FileMaker Database, Web Security, and creating format files using Claris Homepage. FILEMAKER BUTTONS & SCRIPTS Wednesday, 24 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, Cost $115 Learn further FileMaker techniques to help automate complex tasks. The course takes an in-depth look at ScriptMaker, the FileMaker scripting language and functions, and how to use buttons with scripts. ENDNOTE ADVANCED TECHNIQUES Thursday, 25 September, 9am - 12noon, Cost $115 This course follows on from EndNote Overview and includes how to use email and screen capture to collect references, how to import references that have been saved as text files, what filters are and how they work, on-line searching with EndNote, launch a URL from EndNote, customise reference types, export your library as html, and subscribe to EndNote interest group.
SPREADSHEETS AND STATISTICS COURSES cont...
EXCEL PRODUCTIVITY Friday, 26 September, 9am - 12noon, Cost $115 This advanced level course investigates specialised features of Excel including the use of filters to store and search for information, using Pivot tables to summarise data, importing text files from other applications and performing statistical analysis.
DATA MANAGEMENT COURSES
INTRO TO ENQUIRY AND PIMS Wednesday, 17 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, Cost $115 The standard Staff access program to the University Student Records System is Enquiry. It is a text-based only program running on the University Corporate Systems Computers, and accessed via “Terminal Emulation” software on your desktop computer. Enquiry allows you to view/print Student Information and Academic Records, both for an individual student, and for a large variety of Student Lists based on subjects, courses, departments, etc. Enquiry also allows you to produce Mailing Labels for a list of students, using the term address, or home address as required. In addition, the new web-based Student Records access system (PIMS) allows you to look up an individual student quickly and easily, using your Web-browser. You need to have a Student Records Usercode to attend this course. CRYSTAL REPORT DESIGNER 2 days in September (date to be confirmed), Cost $995 This training course is designed to provide the practical knowledge necessary to build reports using Seagate Info Report Designer or Crystal Reports, the world’s biggest selling report writer. In our classroom environment, attendees are instructed on how to analyze and report on data according to their requirements. Through practical examples, a variety of different reports are generated that include data selection, search criteria, formatting, functions and graphing.
PRESENTATION COURSES
ADVANCED FEATURES WITH POWERPOINT Thursday, 4 September, 9am - 12noon, Cost $115 This course looks at including background pictures on the slide master, agenda slides, creating and activating action buttons, creating hyperlinks to other presentations, files, or web pages, and creating custom shows.
SPREADSHEETS AND STATISTICS COURSES
EXCEL MULTIPLE WORKSHEETS Tuesday, 9 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, Cost $115 This course develops skills in Excel including using multiple worksheets and workbooks, creating 3D formulae, group editing across worksheets, naming cell ranges, sorting, and using tracers to audit formulae. EXCEL CORE CONCEPTS Monday, 22 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, Cost $115 An introduction to the Excel application including basic spreadsheet concepts, screen elements, navigation, inserting and editing data, using formulae and performing functions.
BLACKBOARD AND DOCUMENT PROCESSING COURSES
BULK LOADING FILES INTO BLACKBOARD Monday, 1 September, 1pm - 2pm, No Charge Do you find it time-consuming to import folders of files into Blackboard? This course will teach you how to link a folder of files together using a short html file, compress it and import it into Blackboard.
COMPUTING TRAINING COMING UP THIS MONTH
Blackboard, Email, Desktop Publishing, Graphics . . .
BLACKBOARD AND DOCUMENT PROCESSING COURSES cont...
BLACKBOARD AND POWERPOINT Friday, 12 September, 9am - 10am, No Charge This course will illustrate different modes of delivery and discuss advantages and possible problems of using a variety of PowerPoint file formats. Participants will learn how to upload a range of PowerPoint presentations to Blackboard. Attendance at the Blackboard Overview and PowerPoint Overview courses prior to this course is strongly recommended. BLACKBOARD ASSESSMENT MANAGER WORKSHOP Tuesday, 16 September, 9am - 11am, No Charge The Assessment Manager allows you to make quizzes and surveys available on-line for your students. In this 2-hour workshop you will create and modify pools of questions for use in assessment, assemble a selection of questions into a quiz, run the quiz, monitor results via the on-line grade-book, and learn about the options available to you in managing student grades. BLACKBOARD OVERVIEW Thursday, 18 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, No Charge This course will give hands-on practice with Blackboard. Starting from the perspective of a student, you will see how to login to the courses you are enrolled on, read announcements, download course documents, check tasks and calendar events and add your own important dates, communicate and discuss topics with tutors and fellow students and complete assignments and surveys. From the tutor’s point of view you will gain practical experience in putting your paper on line, including adding announcements and documents, setting assignments and quizzes, picking up student essays, communicating with students via email and discussion groups, and viewing student grades. ADOBE ACROBAT OVERVIEW Monday, 29 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, Cost $115 Adobe Acrobat is a tool for creating files for distribution in a format that can be read by anyone who has Acrobat Reader - regardless of the software used to create the original file. This course looks at ways to enhance documents you create - for example adding navigation tools to aid the reader, and combining together different Adobe Acrobat documents into one.
DESKTOP PUBLISHING AND GRAPHICS COURSES
CORELDRAW OVERVIEW Friday, 5 September, 9am - 12noon, Cost $115 An introduction to the computer drawing program, CorelDRAW, including an overview of its uses, descriptions of the main tools and the property bar, creating a drawing, incorporating and formatting text, importing clipart and editing pictures. PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS OVERVIEW Monday, 8 September, 9am - 12noon, Cost $115 Adobe Photoshop Elements is an art program designed with the amateur photographer in mind. Learn about the basic Photoshop tools for photo retouching, image editing, colour painting and preparation of work for the web and for print.
EMAIL COURSES
OUTLOOK EMAIL OVERVIEW Wednesday, 10 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, Cost $115 Outlook is a useful tool, not just for email, but also for keeping track of your work and appointments. This course introduces the main features of Outlook including Email, Address book, Calendar, Task tracking, Post-it notes and Journal entries. EUDORA EMAIL OVERVIEW Tuesday, 30 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm, Cost $115 Eudora is an email application used widely throughout the University. This course teaches the basic skills necessary to exchange email with anyone around the world. In addition users will learn how to set up nicknames, signatures, folders and other skills to make better use of their email accounts.
MOS COURSES
MOS WORKSHOP (Weekly for 8 weeks) Tuesday, 2 September, 9.00 am - 12.00 pm, Cost $450 This course will give you a checklist of the skills that you need to be able to demonstrate in order to gain MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) certification in your chosen application. You will have the opportunity to work through a practice test with a tutor present to help with any difficult questions.