Computer Applications

All computer application workshops are held in a Windows lab, but the concepts are platform independent. Macintosh users are encouraged to sign up if they can work comfortably in Windows.

Meet Cynthia Manika, our computer workshop facilitator!

HRD105 - Access 2007: Enter/View/Find Data

This workshop is designed for those who need to use an existing database to enter and find data. Please note that this course does not cover how to create a database.

Key Points

• Quick overview of tables, queries, forms, and reports in the Office 2007 Suite environment
• Using existing tables and forms for data entry and to view data
• Open and use existing queries and reports
• Using the Find feature
• Creating simple queries from scratch and reports using the Wizard

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HRD115 - Access 2007: Building a Database - Design, Tables, Queries, Forms, and Reports

This two-day workshop is designed for both those who wish to create a database from scratch and to make design changes to an existing database. Feel free to bring a project to work on in class.

Key points:

Database Design & Relationships

• Define a structured purpose, scope, and objectives for the database
• Learn data-gathering techniques that enable quicker starts, clarify the types if information needed from the database, and help in naming fields, grouping them into tables, and relating tables to each other
• Consolidate data into user friendly critical content areas
• Understand and implement three types of table relationships (one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many) and eliminate weak relationships with a junction table
• Apply normalization tests to evaluate the integrity of the database design

Tables

• Create relationships between tables
• Enforce referential integrity between tables to keep records in related fields valid and accurate; view sub-datasheets to related tables
• Create lookup lists and set different properties of a field in the Design view of a table
• Create an input mask for data entry and formatting
• Set validation rules and text for a field

Queries

• Understand the purpose of queries
• Create queries that are based on more than one table
• Create a calculated field
• Use queries to summarized data from tables

Forms and Reports

• Create a simple form and report using the built-in wizards
• Move fields to change the order in which they appear on the form
• Modify properties to define an object's appearance, behavior, and characteristics

Date Time Campus Location NU Employees Non NU Registrants Fee   Fee   3/16. 3/17/10 9am - 4pm Chicago Wiebold, 415 $325 Register online $405 Register here 4/27, 4/29/10 9am - 4pm Evanston Parkes Hall, 127 $325 Register online $405 Register here   Workshop Locations Back to top   HRD125 - Access 2007 Advanced This workshop is designed for those who have a strong, functioning database and wish to add some advanced features. Prerequisite: Access 2007: Building a Database. Key Points Create advanced forms and reports Add a calculated field to a report or form Modify data with Action queries Create a Make Table Query Import/Export Data from/to Excel Create single and multi-field parameter queries Use Database Documenter   Date Time Campus Location NU Employees Non NU Registrants Fee   Fee   5/13/10 9am - noon Chicago Wieboldt, 415 $90 Register online $125 Register here

Workshop Locations Back to top   All computer application workshops are held in a Windows lab, but the concepts are platform independent. Macintosh users are encouraged to sign up if they can work comfortably in Windows. HRD205 - Acrobat 9.0 This workshop provides the knowledge and skills needed to use Adobe Acrobat effectively.  Participants learn how to create, modify, and distribute PDF (Portable Document Format) files and fill-in forms. Feel free to bring a project to work on. Key Points Become familiar in the Acrobat environment by using tools and palettes Page through a PDF document using Acrobat's built-in navigational controls Create and edit links to different areas within a document Create a form for distribution and learn how to collect the results in an Excel file Convert different types of files to PDF Create a new PDF portfolio Date Time Campus Location NU Employees Non NU Registrants Fee   Fee                               This workshop will be offered again in the Summer Quarter. Registration starts May 1st. Workshop Locations Back to top Dreamweaver Fundamentals Dreamweaver Advanced   HRD250 - Dreamweaver Fundamentals This workshop introduces the fundamentals of creating and maintaining a web page with Macromedia Dreamweaver, a tool requiring no programming knowledge. Participants examine the three main steps in the web publishing process: plan content and design; create a web site; and transfer files to the web. *Special Note: All Dreamweaver classes are held in a Windows lab. However, the concepts are platform independent. Macintosh users are encouraged to sign up so long as they are comfortable working in a Windows environment, or you may bring your own MAC laptop. Key Points Become familiar with basic HTML and Internet concepts Plan and define a site Create, save, edit, and set properties for documents Create a table structurethat makes displayed text and images easier to format Add, delete, format, and import text and images Add hyperlinks, named anchors, and e-mail links to text and graphics Discuss maintaining a site with updates, deletions, and other modifications   Date Time Campus Location NU Employees Non NU Registrants Fee   Fee   3/9/10 9am - 4pm Evanston Parkes Hall, 127 $225 Register online $325 Register here 4/13/10 9am - 4pm Evanston Parkes Hall, 127 $225 Register online $325 Register here Workshop Locations Back to top HRD260 - Dreamweaver Advanced This workshop explores Dreamweaver features that are easy to incorporate into new and existing web pages.  Participants learn to create effective meta tags; use styles to consistently format web pages; create forms with text fields, lists, radio buttons, and check boxes; plus create rollovers to enhance web pages. Prerequisite: Dreamweaver Fundamentals or consent of instructor. Key Points CSS – Cascading Style sheets and understand all 3 types of styles Create Library items Create, use, and edit a page Template Create a rollover images and navigational bars Work with Flash text and Flash button objects Build an HTML form that gathers data from a site visitor (binding to a database is discussed only) Insert multimedia content Insert meta tags to describe the content of a site, making it easier for search engines to find   Date Time Campus Location NU Employees Non NU Registrants Fee   Fee   5/4/10 9am - 4pm Evanston Parkes Hall, 127 $225 Register online $325 Register here   Dreamweaver Advanced will be offered again in the Fall quarter. Please check our website for new offerings in August. Workshop Locations Back to top

HRD155 - Excel 2007: Beyond the Basics

This full-day workshop is ideal for self-taught users of Microsoft Excel who would like to fill in the gaps in their know-how as well as learn time-saving tips and tricks. Techniques to produce reliable Excel workbooks are covered, including how to display, format, edit existing worksheets and develop new ones plus how to make the most of Excel by creating formulas to analyze data quickly. Prerequisite: Office 2007: Fundamentals or equivalent experience.

Key Points

• Quick tour of the Excel 2007 Environment
• Enter and edit labels, values, and formulas in a worksheet
• Use Autofil to quickly fill in predefined labels and to copy text, numbers and formulas
• Move and copy data, insert and delete ranges, and work with relative and absolute references when creating and copying formulas
• Understand function syntax and use functions such as SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, and COUNT to perform calculations in a worksheet
• Format text, numbers, rows, and columns in a worksheet to make them more prominent and easier to read
• Preview, control Page Setup options for, and print worksheets and set and clear a print area
• Try the new SmartArt

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HRD175 - Excel 2007: Working with Charts and Multiple Worksheets

This workshop provides the techniques needed for mastering Excel's charting capabilities and working with multiple workbooks to illustrate data, relationships, and trends. Participants learn to quickly transform hard-to-read numbers from a table or spreadsheet into professional-looking charts, to update several worksheets at once using 3-D formulas, and to effectively manage large workbooks with multiple worksheets. Prerequisite: Excel 2007 - Beyond the Basics or equivalent skills.

Key Points

• Create different types of charts
• Format charts with themes and styles
• Add titles, gridlines, annotations, and a data table to a chart
• Work with a 3-D chart
• Change viewing options, hide and display data, and print large worksheets
• Insert, delete, rename, move, and copy multiple worksheets
• Summarize data from different worksheets using the Consolidate command
• Use 3-D formulas and external links to perform calculations on data from multiple worksheets and workbooks

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HRD185 - Excel 2007: Sorting, Filtering, Subtotals and Pivot Tables

This workshop provides the techniques for mastering some of Microsoft Excel's data-management and analysis features. Participants learn to create a list in Excel to keep track of related data. After a list is created, it is easy to find, organize, and analyze its information with Excel's rich set of list-management features. Feel free to bring your own files to practice with.

Prerequisite: Excel 2007- Beyond the Basics or equivalent skills.

Key Points

• Create a structured list to maximize current and future data productivity
• Format as a Table - new list capabilities in 2007
• Sort a list using several techniques
• Add subtotals to worksheets without writing any formulas
• Use the AutoFilter to display only the records that meet one's criteria
• Examine the new filtering options for Dates and Numbers
• Create a powerful and flexible custom filter
• Create Pivot tables and Pivot Charts to summarize a data list
• Protect a workbook by enabling a password and locking cells to prevent unauthorized changes

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HRD165 - Excel 2007: Advanced Functions

Participants learn to use Excel's built-in computational and analytical tools to make complex calculations quickly and easily. Learn tips and tricks from the expert to make your spreadsheets efficient in this new 2007 environment.

Prerequisite: Excel 2007- Beyond the Basics or equivalent skills.

Key Points

• Use additional Statistical functions not previously covered
• Use Logical functions
• Nest multiple functions
• Lookup function and naming ranges for pulling in data
• How and when to use Error functions
• Format and calculate date and time functions
• Calculate investments using financial functions
• Concatenate, left, right, middle and other text functions
• Plenty of time to answer your specific questions - Bring your files if desired
• Loads of Tips and Tricks
  

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HRD305 - Office 2007 Fundamentals

This workshop is ideal for new users and those that haven’t had to work in these applications daily. It covers the basics of Microsoft Office's Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications. Participants learn how to display, format, and edit new and existing Word documents, Excel spreadsheet, and PowerPoint presentations.

Key Points

• Tour of the Office Suite 2007 Environment
• Open, edit, save, and navigate through files in all of these applications
• Use templates to create new documents, workbooks, and presentations
• Add, delete, and format text; change font type, color, and size
• Use the Undo, Redo, and Repeat commands
• Run the Spelling, Grammar, and Thesaurus features
• Find answers quickly using the application’s built-in help function

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HRD340 - Transitioning to Microsoft Office 2007

Learn what's new in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Key Points

• Learn to navigate through the new Tabs and Ribbons
• Add your favorite commands to the Quick Access Toolbar
• Learn what will and will not work in "Compatibility Mode"
• Learn what’s been added, changed and removed from this new version
• Plenty of time to answer your specific questions - bring your files if desired

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HRD325 - Outlook 2007

This introduction covers all aspects of Outlook - mail, contacts, calendar, and tasks. It is ideal for those who are new to the Outlook environment or wish to use Outlook more effectively. Tips and tricks to help manage your email more effectively.

Key Points

• Components of Outlook and the Outlook environment
• Working with e-mail (i.e., sending, receiving, and managing the inbox)
• Create Personal Folders and Rules to store and organize your mail
• Learn how to turn on you Out of Office message
• Managing Contacts (personal addresses and Northwestern directory) with Categories
• Using the Calendar to manage your time
• Using Tasks to organize a to-do list or assign Tasks to others
• Printing Options

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HRD365 - Managing Productivity with Outlook 2007

Organize yourself with an application you are already using. This class will provide you with a structure and proven techniques to simplify and organize your overwhelming information flow. Learn best practices for organizing your time commitments and blocking time to accomplish your work thereby reducing stress and work overload.

Key Points

• Overview of Outlook environment and preferences to modify
• Managing Your E-mail & Communications with an efficient system
• Organize your Commitments & Activities in your Calendar
• Keep track of and organize your Contacts
• Plan your Projects/To-Do List in Tasks
• Printing options

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HRD210 - Photoshop

This workshop explains how to use Photoshop to optimize images. Participants work with digital or scanned images and save them as PSDs, JPGs and GIFs - formats that are widely used in printing and web-based environments. Prerequisite: Intermediate computer skills. Feel free to bring your own files to practice with.

Key Points

• Get to know the Photoshop environment by using tools and palettes
• Resize and crop images
• Optimize and adjust the resolution of images based on the output medium, such as Web or print
• Use selection techniques to change specific parts of an image
• Darken, lighten, and clean-up photos
• Work with layers and flatten images
• Create a composite image for image maps or flyers
• Explore the many filter options to give an artistic look to you image

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HRD355 - PowerPoint 2007 Inrtoduction

This full-day workshop provides the techniques to turn ideas into professional presentations. Learn the foundations and technical aspects of Microsoft PowerPoint to create electronic slideshows.  Feel free to bring your own ideas and images to incorporate in the final class project.

Key Points

• Explore the PowerPoint 2007 Environment
• Learn elements of a good presentation
• Create, edit and save a new presentation
• Manipulate slides- layout, add, move, and delete
• Work in various views: Normal, Slide Sorter, Outline, Notes, and Slide Show
• Format text and backgrounds with the new Slide Designs
• Insert images, create charts, diagrams, SmartArt and tables
• Learn about Slide Masters

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HRD445 - PowerPoint 2007 Advanced

PowerPoint can be used for much more than just to replace “transparencies” for stand-up presentations. This full-day workshop builds upon the lessons learned in the Fundamentals class.  Examples on how best to convey your messages depending on the audience and location, focusing on streamlining information for impact without losing anything important. Plus, learn how to take that presentation/course and create handouts for students and a manual for the presenter/instructor. Feel free to bring your own ideas and images to incorporate in the final class project.

Prerequisite: PowerPoint 2007 Fundamentals or equivalent skills.

Key Points

• What makes a GREAT stand-up presentation
• Build a presentation in Wide-Screen format with Hi-Resolution
• Custom Animation with Motion paths
• Edit existing and create new Slide Masters
• Using PowerPoint on a stand-alone kiosk or to create a course for the classroom
• Use Multiple Masters for a long presentation or course
• Create templates to use in the future with your customs settings
• Create different handout types and instructor;s coordinating manual
• Insert Multimedia and learn the pitfalls when transferring to another computer
• Compact your presentation to take on the road or give to others

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HRD335 - Project 2007

This workshop is designed to help project managers coordinate a variety of tasks that need to be completed within a time frame and a set amount of resources. It can help keep track of all of the project details, resources, and costs so that project goals are met.

 Pre-requisite:  Project Management Essentials or Foundations of Project Management (SCS).

Key Points

• Create project schedule, calendar and custom reports
• Create and assign resources
• Outline tasks and link dependencies between tasks
• Update project plan data with others

Pre-requisite:  Project Management Essentials or Foundations of Project Management (SCS).
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HRD220 - Publisher 2007

In this course you will learn the core features and functions of Publisher 2007. You will learn how to create and edit publications, arrange text and graphics, work with master pages, and create and format tables. You will also learn how to flow text across text boxes, create a facing-pages layout, and prepare publications for printing. Feel free to bring a project to work on in class.

Key Points

• Explore the publication templates available
• Navigate in a Publisher publication document and explore the Publisher environment
• Create a Flyer and understand object positioning
• Create a multipage booklet
• Working with text boxes and text box linking
• Inserting graphics then resize, rotate, align and wrap text options
• Create and format basic tables
• Stacking and grouping objects
• Master pages and guides
• Saving & printing your publication

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HRD230 - Visio 2007

In this course you will learn the fundamentals of working with the most common applications of Visio 2007. You will create five types of diagrams: a direction map, workflow chart, cross-functional flowchart, an organization chart and a floor plan. By using multitudes of templates and stencils, you will get a broad understand of creating graphics or drawing in this powerful, yet user-friendly application. Feel free to bring a project to work on in class.

Key Points

• Explore the various templates available for creating a Visio document
• Navigate in a Visio document and explore the Visio environment
• Drag shapes from Visio stencils, then resize, rotate, align and transform them
• Create a direction map
• Create a flowchart & cross-functions flowchart
• Create an organization chart
• Create an office floor plan to scale
• Saving & Printing your drawings

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HRD405 - Word 2007: Beyond the Basics

A complete guided tour of Microsoft Word's best features, this workshop is ideal for self-taught Word users who would like to hone their skills and improve their efficiency. It covers how to display, format, and edit existing documents and create new ones. Participants learn all the techniques necessary to produce professional-looking word processing documents. Prerequisite: Office 2007: Fundamentals or equivalent experience.

Key Points

• Tour of the Word 2007 Environment
• Lots of tips and tricks to make working in Word fast and efficient
• Add, delete, and format text in documents
• Use the Undo, Redo, and Repeat commands
• Change font type, color, and size; copy formats with the Format Painter
• Create bulleted and numbered lists
• Create and format Word tables
• Adjust margins and tabs and control where a page breaks
• Add page numbering to documents
• Add borders to tables, paragraphs and pages
• Align and indent text in paragraphs and adjust paragraph spacing
• Use Word styles and built-in templates

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HRD315 - Word 2007: Mail Merge

This workshop provides the techniques to master one of Microsoft Office's greatest features for automating routine and time-consuming tasks. Participants learn step by step to use Word's Mail Merge feature in conjunction with data sources such as Microsoft Excel and Access files to create letters, envelopes, and labels for mass mailings. Feel free to bring your own files to practice with.

Prerequisite: Word 2007 - Beyond the Basics or equivalent skills.

Key Points

• Create form letters, labels, envelopes and lists
• Discuss broadcast emails using Outlook contacts as your data source
• Attach different data sources, such as Excel, Access and Word tables
• Understand how different data sources required a different method of inserting the field placeholders
• Edit a data source
• Preview and merge documents

Date	Time	Campus	Location	NU Employees		Non NU Registrants
				Fee		Fee
3/10/10	1pm- 4pm	Evanston	Parkes Hall, 127	$90	Register online	$125	Register here
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HRD415 - Word 2007: Advanced

This advanced-level workshop is for those who work with long reports, lengthy research papers, and documents requiring multiple revisions. Feel free to bring your own files to practice with.

Prerequisites: Word 2007- Beyond the Basics or equivalent skills.

Key points

• Learn Quick Styles and Themes for quick and consistent formatting
• Learn to use the Outline Mode in Word
• Learn words for a Table of Contents and Index, then generate both
• Add Footnotes and Endnotes that automatically renumber with changes
• Add Bookmarks and Hyperlinks to be able to jump to locations quickly
• Insert sections breaks, change document settings such as orientation and different odd/even page numbering
• Track changes with Word's built-in reviewing tools
• Insert, edit, print, and delete reviewer comments and use the Highlight tool to mark text
• Plenty of time to answer your specific questions - Bring your files if desired
  

This workshop will be offered again in the Summer Quarter. Registration will start May 1st.
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HRD425 - Integrating Word, Excel & PowerPoint

This workshop is designed for Office Power Users that need to harness the power of using the Office Applications together - whether it is to link an Excel Chart in PowerPoint or Word; bring a PowerPoint Presentation in Word and format for an instructor/speaker manual; or bring in items built in any other applications.

Prerequisites: Word/Excel and PowerPoint 2007 -Beyond the Basics or equivalent skills

Key points

• Link between Office applications
• Publish a presentation to Word and format for an instructor/speaker or student manual
• Hyperlink to files associated with other applications
• Hyperlink to websites or start an email message
• Bring Visio and Photoshop objects into PowerPoint or Word
• Bring all of the pieces together for a master document
  

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One-on-one & Group Coaching

One-on-one and group coaching sessions are available. One-on-one sessions are conducted at our lab or at the participant's desk, around his or her schedule, and focus on how to work successfully on his or her own projects. To schedule one-on-one coaching or to inquire about customized group coaching and fees, please contact us at 847-467-5081 or training@northwestern.edu. We provide coaching for the following:

• Dreamweaver, Photoshop and InDesign
• Microsoft Access, Excel, Outlook, Power Point, Publisher, Word and Visio
• Visio
• Basic computing skills for Windows and Macintosh
• Database design and web site design

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