Microsoft Office Specialist 2003(MOS) (120 hours)

Course Overview/Description

The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) program is the only comprehensive, performance-based certification program approved by Microsoft to validate desktop computer skills using the Microsoft Office productivity software: Excel, Word, Power Point, Access, and Outlook.

The Comma Method of Microsoft® Office Specialist training was designed to meet the needs of college students, educators, administrators and business professionals. The need for Microsoft Office training is vast – it is now a requirement in education, as well as in virtually all business, technical and professional jobs. It is a “must” for small business and entrepreneurs. Over 2 million MOS certificates have been issued. Microsoft is currently granting approximately 38,000 certificates per month.

“We’ve made the course a lot of fun,” said Elizabeth Nofs, creative director for Comma Project LLC. “We use a lot of real-life examples in order to make the course more practical and memorable. The course focuses on teaching the skills the employers want their employees to have. Why wade through a lot of information you’ll never use? It’s a very effective course.”

Standards and Alignment The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) program is aligned with the following standards:
• MOS Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Requirements
• ISTE NETS standards for Teachers, Administrators and Students
• Michigan Grade Level Expectations and Benchmarks for 6th grade Technology, Math and Science

This comprehensive, performance-based program teaches students to be proficient in Microsoft Office 2003: Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, and Access. The MOS program provides computer-program literacy, measures proficiency, and identifies opportunities for skills enhancement. Participants receive a certificate of completion from the college upon successful completion of the course. Students are then well prepared to take the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Test.

How to Become MOS Certified To earn the Microsoft Office Specialist (Office Specialist) certification for Microsoft Office or Microsoft Project, a student must pass one or more certification exams. Office Specialist exams provide a valid and reliable measure of technical proficiency and expertise by evaluating your overall comprehension of Office or Microsoft Project programs, your ability to use their advanced features, and your ability to integrate the Office programs with other software programs.

Note: Students should have these Microsoft products already loaded on your computer in order to take this course: Word 2003; Excel 2003, Access 2003; Outlook 2003 and PowerPoint 2003.

Course Objectives

Microsoft Excel
Description: The Complete Guide to Excel teaches users how to create spreadsheets from simple checkbooks to price sheets, market forecast and scenarios.

Objectives: On completion, users will be able to:
• Create a spreadsheet.
• Create formulas with the Function Wizard or manually.
• Audit equations and troubleshoot errors.
• Analyze data by Sort, Filter, Subtotal, and PivotTables.
• Format spreadsheets, graphs and lists for printing

Length: There are three levels of Excel: Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced. Each lesson has 3 or 4 modules. Each module can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

Microsoft Word
Description: The Complete Guide to Word teaches users how to create documents from simple letterheads and envelopes to custom web pages.

Objectives: On completion, users will be able to:
• Create a document.
• Format fonts, paragraphs, bullets and tables
• Use tables for on-line forms and webpage designs.
• Automate mail merges
• Share documents with a workgroup.

Length: There are three levels of Word: Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced. Each lesson has 3 or 4 modules. Each module can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

Microsoft PowerPoint
Description: The Complete Guide to PowerPoint offers examples of colorful, animated slideshows.

Objectives: On completion, users will be able to:
• Create a slideshow.
• Format fonts, paragraphs, bullets and text boxes
• Use custom animation, slide transitions and effects.
• Use graphics, sound and on-screen navigation.
• Prepare a slide show for live presentations and kiosk demonstrations.

Length: There are two levels of PowerPoint: Beginning and Advanced. Each lesson has 3 or 4 modules. A module can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

Microsoft Outlook
Description: The Complete Guide to Outlook teaches users how to set up and use email, an electronic calendar, contacts, tasks, and journal entries effectively. Security, administration and backups are also demonstrated.

Objectives: On completion, users will be able to:
• Use email, Contacts, and work with attachments safely.
• Organize the Inbox and filter junk mail.
• Schedule meetings, recurring appointments, and tasks
• Analyze Outlook data in Microsoft Excel or Access.

Length: There are three levels of Outlook: Email, Calendar, and Administration. Each lesson has 3 or 4 modules. A module can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

Microsoft Access
Description: The Complete Guide to Access teaches users how to create database tables, forms, queries and reports. The focus is on optimizing the databases for efficient data entry and generating comprehensive reports.

Course Objectives: On completion, users will be able to:
• Create tables, forms and reports.
• Use queries to find, filter, update and calculate.
• Create forms that handle data automatically
• Optimize the database for easy navigation, and data input.

Length: There are three levels of Access: Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced. Each lesson has 5 modules. Each module can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

Course Outline

Level 1-Beginning Windows
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Highlight text in document, Apply font formats: bold, italic, underline, Use the Spelling and Grammar checker (commands), Highlight text in document, understand beginning hardware troubleshooting, file management and administration features/procedures.

Level 2-Beginning Word
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Cut, copy, and paste, Insert pictures from ClipArt Menus: Edit Undo, Redo, Copy, Paste, Insert Picture Activity: Drag and drop editing, Move text, Insert ClipArt, and Resize pictures

Level 3-Beginning Word
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Insert date and time, Insert picture from file, Format font and font size, File Save As a template

Level 4-Beginning Word
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Locate and insert an existing document, Format newspaper columns, Use Paste Special Beginning Excel: Enter text, dates and numbers, Use AutoFill, Use the Chart Wizard, Modify Charts.

Level 5-Beginning Excel
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Format font styles (size, color, and styles), Apply number formats (currency, percent), Format borders and shading, Use AutoSum, Insert and delete rows or columns, Hide and unhide rows and columns, Set up headers and footers, Use references (relative), Use Functions: Average and IF

Level 6-Intermediate Word
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Use advanced text alignment, Use Mail Merge: Create main document, Create data source, Sort records to be merged, Merge the document and data. Intermediate Excel: Single and multilevel sorts

Level 7-Intermediate Word
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Create and format tables, Add borders and shading, Merge Cells, Save as a Web Page, Create Hyperlinks, Use Design Gallery Live, Practice Working with TABS Using Bookmarks with Hyperlinks

Level 8-Outlook
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Read, Compose and Address Mail, Use Address Book, Use mail features: Forward, Reply and Recall, Flag Mail messages, Send Mail, Work with attachments, Work with Contacts, Create a Distribution List, Use Inbox Rules, Handle Junk Mail, Archive Outlook, Instant Messaging

Level 9-Intermediate Excel
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Schedule appointments, Schedule events, Recurring appointments, Add and remove attendees. Plan meetings with others, Track the responses, Create Tasks, Assign a task, Work with the Journal, Find an appointment, Customize the calendar view. Intermediate Excel: Use Conditional Formatting, Merge and Center Cells, Use references (relative), Create form controls

Level 10-Intermediate Excel
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Rename a worksheet, Copy or Move worksheets, Link worksheets and consolidate data. Advanced Excel: Use Relative References, Absolute References, Work with Scenarios, Use Goal Seek, Use the Auditing Toolbar to trace errors. Calculate Revenue, Create a grand total from several spreadsheets, Understand Absolute and Relative References

Level 11-Beginning PowerPoint
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Navigate different views, Create a presentation from a template or a wizard, Use the Outline View, Use Bullets and numbers, Work with Graphics, Work with text boxes, Use the Slide Sorter, Add slide transitions, View the Slide Show, Modify the Slide Master, Insert headers and footers, Apply formatting, Add and group shapes, Animate text and objects, Custom Animation, Animation Effects, On screen navigation tools, Add and Print speaker notes.

Level 12-Advanced Word and Excel
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Create and modify forms, Make controls: Drop Down Lists, Date and Time Fields, Protect the document, Activity: Create an on-line form with drop down lists and default text values. Advanced Excel: Create a PivotTable, Use PivotTable auto format, Analyze data with a PivotTable.

Level 13-Advanced Topics
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Create and edit styles, Create a Table of Contents, Use Headers and Footers, Create Section Breaks, Use the Document Map. Advanced Excel: Filter the Data, Create Subtotals, Group and Outline Data, Use the VLookup Function

Level 14- Advanced PowerPoint
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Use advanced formatting and design, Add new slides from an Outline, from Word, from another presentation, Modify the slide design, customize a presentation with sound, narration, and action buttons. Prepare a presentation for different formats: speaker, kiosk, CD.

Level 15: Beginning Access
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Use and design tables, forms, and queries in Microsoft Access, create Queries to find and select records by criteria, write and test update queries.

Level 16: Intermediate Access
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: Create forms with subforms to represent one-to-many relationships, use criteria, parameters, concatenation, and operators in Query designs: calculate with DateDif(),Left(), and IIF(), improve report designs with Sorting and Grouping.

Level 17: Advanced Access
At the end of this unit, the student will be able to: link information and automate data entry, create a Search Form that uses a Combo Box to filter the records, use Microsoft Access and Word together in a Mail Merge, as well as publish an Access report to Word, optimize a database for multiple users.

Prerequisites/Audience

There are no specific prerequisites for this course other than an Internet connection and emailing capabilities.

This course is intended for students who want to learn how to effectively use the Microsoft Office 2003 suite of programs. This course will help prepare students to sit for the official Microsoft Office Specialist national certification exam.

PC Requirements/Materials Included

 

This course is compatible with the Windows Vista operating system.

Textbooks-----

Your tuition includes the following textbooks:

Beginning Guide to Microsoft® Word
Intermediate Guide to Microsoft® Word
Advanced Guide to Microsoft® Word
Beginning Guide to Microsoft® Excel
Intermediate Guide to Microsoft® Excel
Advanced Guide to Microsoft® Excel
Beginning Guide to Microsoft® Access
Intermediate Guide to Microsoft® Access
Advanced Guide to Microsoft® Access
Complete Guide to Microsoft® PowerPoint®
Complete Guide to Microsoft® Outlook®

It is recommended that these Microsoft products already be loaded on the computer in order to take this course: Word 2003; Excel 2003, Access 2003; Outlook 2003 and PowerPoint 2003.

Older versions of Microsoft Office or Microsoft Office XP may be used to take this course, but be aware there will be discrepancies between the textbook, online content, and your Microsoft Office software.

PC Requirements-----


• IBM-compatible (PC) computer running Windows 2000 or later or Windows XP



• Microsoft Office 2003 including:


• Word


• Excel


• PowerPoint


• Outlook


• Access



• Adobe Acrobat Reader (free version) If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, you will be provided the link in the Admin Pro course to download the free reader


• Flash Player. If you do not have the Flash Player, you will be provided the link in the Admin Pro course to download the player. Internet Connectivity


• Preferred: Cable or DSL internet access.


• If your internet service provider uses only dial-up, a minimum of 56K connection rate is recommended.

 

Instructor Bio

Elizabeth Ann Nofs is co-founder and the Creative Director for Comma Project, LLC. Her research on how men and women approach computer learning provided the foundation for the Comma Method of training, as well as The Computer Mama Show, a pilot produced with WFUM/TV28 (PBS), Flint, Michigan.

Elizabeth is the Computer Mama! She is the designer and developer of the Complete Computer Guide series. The teaching methodology incorporated into the Guide is a breakthrough in producing gender balanced training with outstanding student completion, retention, and mastery rates.

Elizabeth has been a network administrator for many businesses as well as a Microsoft course instructor. Elizabeth has taught several thousand men and women from government, manufacturing, small business, and education. She has developed Microsoft Office solutions and databases since 1993.

She is the author of several books including The Computer Mama Guide to Computers (2001), The Comma Method of Computer Training (2003), The Comma Teachers Edition (2003) and The Complete Computer Guide (2005).

Elizabeth received her B.A. degree in Biology from the University of Michigan., Ann Arbor.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Should I upgrade to Microsoft 2007?
Microsoft Office used the same menus for almost 12 years. When you open Microsoft Office 97 or Office 2003, you will see a familiar set of menus and commands. Microsoft Office 2007 is a significant upgrade. The menus and commands have been replaced with colorful Ribbons, and because of the extensive changes, even experienced users will need additional training to make use of the new features in Windows Vista® and Office 2007.

Windows Vista® and Microsoft Office 2007 training will be offered beginning in June 2007. The Complete Computer Guides will be aligned with the new certification guidelines once they are released.

Microsoft Office 2007 also uses a new XML (Internet standard) file structure. When you create a new Word document, it is a .docx file, not the common .doc file. This means, people who do NOT have Office 2007 can NOT read your file. If you want other offices or departments to read your Word 2007 document, you will have to go to File-> Save As and change the File Type to Word 97-2003 to create a common .doc file.

Microsoft Office 2007 is a great product, however, these two significant changes—new approach and file formats— will make many businesses reluctant to upgrade their software.

Many companies are taking another look at the previous version: Microsoft Office 2003. The popular productivity software which includes Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Access 2003 is now “On Sale” after Microsoft released Office 2007. Because of the value, it is a good time to take advantage of the discount prices from Microsoft.

Microsoft also announced that they will support Windows XP through 2009. Windows XP and Office 2003 is a stable, efficient combination. It is familiar, trustworthy software that will be widely used in business, government and education for years to come.

2. How do I register?
Click on the register button at the top of the page and follow the directions. It is important that you type all your information in the boxes, then print it out to sign.  Payment and sending instructions are in the bottom right corner of the form.

3. How much do the courses cost?
The fee is in the pink box at the top of the page.

4. Can I register for courses if I live outside the United States?
Yes you can!

5. Do I ever have go to the school I register with?
All of our courses are delivered entirely online, so you never have to go to a class or travel to the school.

6. How long does it take to complete a course?
All of our courses are self-paced and open enrollment. You can start and finish the course at your own pace. When you register for a course, you are given 180 days (6 months) to complete the course. If you need more time, extensions are available.

7. Do I have to buy additional materials?
All materials are included. The cost of materials is covered by your tuition. GES ships all materials via UPS ground service upon registration.

8. Can I get financial aid?
GES courses are non-credit courses, so they do not qualify for federal aid. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses.

• GES provides a loan opportunity for students. Simply go to www.collegeloanapplication.com to apply for an easier qualifying loan at a slightly higher rate. Click here for more information on this loan program.

9. What happens when I complete the course?
Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion from the school with which you registered. You must obtain a final passing grade of 70% or greater to be awarded a certificate.

10. Am I guaranteed a job?
GES courses will provide you with the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. We do not provide direct job placement services, but our instructors will help you build your resume and are available to give advice on finding your first job. Instructors will also be available to use as a professional reference upon completion of the course. Potential students should always do research on the job market in their area before registering.

11. Who will be my instructor?
Each student is paired with a facilitator for one-on-one interaction. The facilitator will be available (via email or phone) to answer any questions you may have and to provide feedback on your performance. All of our facilitators are successful working professionals in the fields in which they teach.

12. What do I have to have in order to take an online course, and what are the system requirements?
In order to take our online courses, you must have access to a computer and the Internet (a normal dial-up connection is fine). You can access the course contents from any Web-enabled computer. There are no necessary plug-ins. You do not have to use the same computer to log-in to the course every time. We recommend that you have a word-processing program (Microsoft Word is best) and the latest version of Internet Explorer.

13. Can this course be taken on a Mac?
No.

Note: An IBM or IBM clone PC is any standard desktop computer that is not an Apple or MacIntosh. IBM and IBM clone PC's run some version of Windows as an operating system and come in many brands other than just IBM, such as Dell, Gateway, and Compaq just to name a few.

14. How can I get more information on the course?
All of the information we have is available online under our course catalog (www.gatlineducation.com). If you have questions that are not answered online, please feel free to email us at courseinfo@gatlineducation.com or call 817-870-2870. We will answer your questions promptly.

15. Do the Microsoft and CompTIA programs get me prepared for actual certification?
The Gatlin online IT programs provide students the training for the exam. Once you complete your online certification coursework, it's time to take your certification exam. Microsoft, CompTIA, and LPI certification testing is administered by third-party vendors such as Prometric and Virtual University Enterprises (VUE), two leading providers of technology-based testing. Both offer a network of computer-based testing centers with thousands of locations worldwide.

For more information about Prometric, visit www.2test.com, and for more information about VUE, visit www.vue.com.