Learning Opportunities

Winter-Fest '99

The Center for Academic Computing will be offering free computer workshops for faculty, staff, and teaching assistants on numerous computing topics in January, 1999. "Winter-Fest '99" will be held at University Park the week before classes begin on Monday, January 4 through Friday, January 8. For more information, click on "Winter Break" from the CAC training Web page at: http://cac.psu.edu/training/

Microsoft Office 97 Classes for Faculty and Staff

The Center for Academic Computing is offering its series of "Mastering Microsoft Office" classes during November and December at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend these hands-on workshops which are specifically designed for the Penn State community.

The workshops are three hours in length, light refreshments will be served, and a quick reference guide will be distributed to all workshop participants. The cost of each workshop is $25. See http://cac.psu.edu/training/mso/ on the Web for workshop descriptions and registration information. Following is a list of workshop titles, dates and times:

More Excel 97
Advanced Charts & Formatting
11/2 9am-12pm

More PowerPoint 97
Enhancing Your Presentation
11/2 1:30pm-4:30pm

More Microsoft Access 97
Building on the Basics
11/9 9am-12pm

Pulling It All Together
Productivity Tips Using MS Office
11/9 1:30pm-4:30pm

More Microsoft Word 97
Efficient Publishing and Editing with Word
11/16 9am-12pm

Converting Microsoft Office Documents to the Web
11/16 1:30pm-4:30pm

More Excel 97
Advanced Charts & Formatting
12/7 9am-12pm

More PowerPoint 97
Enhancing Your Presentation
12/7 1:30pm-4:30pm

More Microsoft Access 97
Building on the Basics
12/14 9am-12pm

Converting Microsoft Office Documents to the Web
12/14 1:30pm-4:30pm

Web-based Tutorials

One certainty about information technology is that it is always evolving. Another certainty is that its usefulness is directly proportional to the amount of training its users receive. As a result, information technology training has become one of the most important issues for the 21st century workplace.

Many training approaches are possible, reflecting the fact that different people learn in different ways. Some people are self-reliant enough to learn from a well-written book. Other people need a hands-on classroom environment with structured lessons and human interaction. No learning style is superior, they are simply different. CAC recognizes this by offering a wide variety of training opportunities.

The Penn State On-Line Tutorials are an attempt to provide current information technology training to people who are able to learn independently. The Tutorials are web-based, and only require that the student have an Internet connection and a web browser (such as Netscape).

These tutorials have been designed and developed primarily by Penn State students. In some cases they were developed as part of their coursework and donated to the Penn State community.

Each tutorial includes an index of topics and screen-shots to illustrate important points. A navigation bar at the bottom of each page allows the student to easily move between tutorial sections. Many tutorials include a self-assessment and a feedback form.

There are currently 14 tutorials available, covering 7 subjects as mentioned below. Although this article focuses on the student-developed tutorials, other, commercial on-line tutorials are being acquired by CAC to extend the range of subjects covered. A future article will cover these other tutorials.

Previous tutorials:

• Eudora - Eudora is the recommended electronic mail client for the Penn State electronic mail service. Four tutorials cover Eudora from Version 1.5.4 Light through Version 4.0 Professional.

• Netscape Navigator - Navigator is the web browser most frequently used at Penn State. Three tutorials cover Netscape Navigator Version 3.0 and Version 4.0.

• Microsoft Word - Word is the popular word-processing component of Microsoft Office. Three tutorials cover Word from Version 6.01 through 97.

New tutorials:

• Microsoft Access 97 - Access is the popular DBMS component of Microsoft Office. This tutorial, developed as part of a student project, covers introductory Access 97.

• Listserv - Listserv is an Internet service for support of asynchronous group meetings. One tutorial covers the basics of Listserv from a user perspective.

• Netscape Collabra - Collabra is the Usenet NEWS newsreader that is built into the Netscape suite. This tutorial, developed as part of a student project, provides an introduction to Usenet NEWS and the Collabra newsreader.

• How to Check your E-mail at Places Other than Penn State -- This tutorial provides information for anyone needing to forward their electronic mail to another account. This could be useful for students spending a summer or semester break at home, or for a faculty member taking a sabbatical or an extended leave.

Tutorials in progress:

• Managing your Webspace -- This tutorial will provide information relevant to anyone managing webspace on the Penn State CAC web server www.personal.psu.edu. Initial sections on web accounts and FTP will be ready during September, with the rest of the tutorial available by the end of the Fall semester.

• Internet Relay Chat -- This tutorial, part of a student project, will cover the basics of the worldwide IRC service. It should be ready by the beginning of Spring Semester, 1999.

• Scanning Graphics for Web Publishing -- This tutorial, part of a student project, will cover the basics of scanning graphics at CAC public labs for use on the World Wide Web. It should be ready by the beginning of Spring Semester, 1999.

Web Site

All of the Penn State On-Line Tutorials may be accessed through the Tutorials home page at http://cac.psu.edu/ets/projects/modules/modhom.htm

Any questions, comments or ideas should be sent to Gerry Santoro, Tutorials Project Coordinator, at gms@psu.edu.

Illustration by Dave Stong