Basic Skills Prerequisite for Workshops

In workshops, we focus on new concepts and spend little or no time on basics and fundamentals.  Consequently, before planning to attend a workshop, be sure that you have a firm grasp of the "basics" as outlined below.  If not, review your training materials, practice, and/or, if time allows, sign up and retake an appropriate standard training session.   If you never took the prerequisite, you will be ineligible to attend the workshops that require it.  However, if you think you have the knowledge base, mastery of terminology and requisite skills but did not take the prerequisite, you can be “tested in” by Phil, x1134, if you believe this to be the case.

If the prerequisite is Level 1; you must be able to:

•  Find and Open a Document File
•  Save a Document File to a Correct Folder
•  Create a New Document File
•  Create a Folder
•  Create a File Management Scheme
•  Cut, Copy, Paste
•  Change Character Attributes
•  Change Paragraph Settings
•  Print
•  Print Preview
•  Log on to a Network
•  Do an Undo (And Undo the Undo)
•  List and perform The 5 Steps to Select
•  UnSelect
•  Use Find and Replace
•  Change "View Modes"
•  Create Headers and Footers
•  Use Field Codes
•  Set and Use Tabs
•  Use Spell Check
•  Open An Icon
•  Format a Floppy Disk
•  Open, Close, Maximize, Restore, And Minimize a Windows Application
•  Use Help
•  Set Alternate Spacing in Word
•  Use Scroll Bars
•  Use the Toolbar, Ribbon and Command Line
•  Maneuver through a document
•  Use the backspace and delete keys appropriately 

Conceptually, you must understand:

• The difference between a mouse pointer and cursor (the thing that blinks vs. The thing that doesn’t.)
• What the word "backup" means (you know who you are)
• The notion of system security
• What a "network" is in a broad sense
• The simple care and feeding of floppy disks, including the different types of disks
• What a hard disk is
• What a network drive is
• What a “smart drive” is
• What the basic "key groups" are on a pc keyboard
• The fine art of clicking (four things you can do with a mouse, and why)
• File management concepts, including hierarchy trees, drives, paths, folders, roots, and schemes
• What version numbers mean
• The different computer hardware pieces and how it fits together
• What the three categories of software are
• The difference between minimize and closing a windows application
• Other basic Windows 9x desktop conventions including:
• The different types of icons
• The difference between application windows and document windows
• Scroll bars
• Tool buttons
• Command menus
• Dialog boxes
• Status bar
• Ribbon, Ruler, Text Area
• Different Parts Of a Word Document (Header, Footer, Body)
• The Order Of Consideration When Saving a File (Drive, Folder, Filename.
• What Key Combinations Are
• What The Clipboard Is
• What a Special Character Is

 If the prerequisite is Level 1 Extended (Intro. To Excel); you must have all of the Level 1 prerequisites and be able to:

• Build an Excel Formula
• Put Together a Worksheet
• Format Cells
• Navigate Around a Large Spreadsheet
• Use Multiple Functions (SUM, AVERAGE, IF)
• Use Borders and Underlines In a Spreadsheet
• Use a Few Helpful Key Combinations
• Edit the Contents of a Cell
• Use HELP

Conceptually, you must understand:

• The Order of Operations.
• The Parts of The Excel Spreadsheet
• The Steps in Putting Together a Spreadsheet
• The Difference between a Cell Pointer, Cursor, and Mouse Pointer 

If the prerequisite is Level 1.5; you must have all of the Level 1 and Level 1 Extended prerequisites and be able to:

• Split a Spreadsheet
• Create a Chart
• Set Print Areas and Titles
• Use the Drawing Tools
• Sort

Conceptually, you must understand:

• The Difference between Absolute and Relative Addressing
• Linking Spreadsheets
• Workbooks (In Excel 5 and above)
• Ranges
• Converting Word to Excel Files
  
  

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Revised: February 6, 2008