Programs

Microsoft Office Level I (2 week course)

This course is offered over two weeks and introduces basic tools for using a computer and common software programs such as Microsoft Office (MS). At the end of the course a client will have basic knowledge in navigating a desktop, using the internet through google search, become familiar with MS programs (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), using email and gain experience in keyboarding.
Recommended for clients with minimal or no computer experience who will benefit from learning how to navigate basic computer concepts.
Learning objectives:

• Ability to access and search on the Internet
• Confidence utilizing basic features of email
• Create basic Microsoft Office documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint and understand how to save, edit, and share them

Understanding of external USB drive and file management

Microsoft Office Level II (2 week course)

This course is offered over a two week period and builds on existing knowledge of computer applications and common software programs where clients will enhance their ability to modify documents, create formulas and navigate a computer.
Recommended for clients who have prior computer experience in the workplace or have completed Computers Level 1.
Learning Objectives:

• Become familiar with snipping tools, creating shortcuts and the calculator
• Understand how to download and install programs
• Understand Internet security and precautions
• Efficiently utilize online job search web sites
• Increase skills on MS Office: insert header/footers, line/paragraph spacing, hyperlinks, create a basic spreadsheet and sort data

Microsoft Office Level III (2 week course)

This course is offered over a two week period and builds on existing knowledge of computer applications and common software programs where clients will enhance their ability to modify documents, create formulas and navigate a computer.
Recommended for clients who required advanced computer knowledge for future employment and have completed Computers Level 2.
Learning Objectives:

• Word - use track changes and feedback, use of images, add charts or tables, link text boxes to control flow text, additional save options.
• Excel - data analysis using Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts, apply advanced functions including VLOOKUP, SUMIF, IF and Index
• PowerPoint - insert excel worksheets into a presentation, become familiar with Smart Art and print a presentation.
• Outlook - set up and change layout and view, understand available tools such as, delay delivery of an email, saving important emails as notes, and display long emails as conversations, etc.

Computer Basics for the Workplace Level I (4 week course)

Computer Basics for the Workplace Level I is a one-month part-time course geared towards individuals with little or no computer skills. This course is designed for individuals who are seeking employment and who are lacking basic computer skills. This course will teach individuals simple tasks of how to use the mouse, change and manipulate windows, open, close, save, and print documents. It will gradually introduce individuals to keyboarding, as well as how to proofread and edit their work. Participants will be introduced to skills in the Microsoft Office Suite, allowing them to create simple documents in Word, basic spreadsheets in Excel, and a simple presentation in PowerPoint. Each participant will produce their own resume at the end of this course. Finally, this course will teach individuals how to do research on the Internet and how to maximize this resource in their job search. Individuals will be also taught how to set up their own email account and manage it as a useful communication tool with their prospective employers. The program will be tailored to the needs of each individual client, allowing them to get the most out of the course.

Computer Basics for the Workplace Level II (4 week course)

Computer Basics for the Workplace Level II is a one-month part-time course geared towards individuals with some basic computer skills. If candidates have used computers in the workplace or to do basic tasks at home, this may be the course for them. In this course, the candidates continue to expand their knowledge of the computer realm. This is, again, generally conducted through the Microsoft Office Suite but creates a deeper understanding of the programs. In Word, the candidates will learn about intermediate and advanced functions; in Excel, they will learn deeper functions and ways of presenting data; in PowerPoint, they are able to create elaborate presentations to expand their horizons and comfort on the computer. Candidates will also be given the opportunity to move into more challenging areas if they feel comfortable, sometimes looking at programs that fit with their personal interests or their future career goals. Again, the focus is on smoothing the candidates’ transfer into a technological workplace.

Computer Basics for the Workplace Level III (4 week course)

When working in Microsoft Word, there are times when the project moves beyond the basics that are covered in our first two levels. This is usually when someone is working with major essays, reports, other long documents, or pamphlets/handouts. In Level III, our students will become more capable in these areas, being put in a situation in which they need to work with long documents. The program will begin with a substantial review of the more complex portions of what was covered in the first two levels. This will include:

• Working with visuals such as pictures, screenshots, shapes and text boxes.
• Altering the appearance of the document by varying margins, indents, and tabs in different sections of a document
• They will also be expected to work with cover pages, page borders, headers, and footers at this stage.

After completing this review, students will be expected to work with a long document to create the aspects of an effective report, but depending on the focus desired by the client, essays could also be used.
Areas of focus would include:

• Applying styles to a whole document/section
• Creating a table of contents/works cited/table of figures
• Creating internal hyperlinks
• Creating footnotes
• Tracking changes, making/responding to comments
• Proofing/inspecting/printing the final document
• Creating PDF versions and printing to the Web

Computer Basics for EAL Learners (4 week course)

Equilibrium School has long conducted both computer and EAL classes. Now, we can combine the two to make a class that will help EAL clients to build their computer skills and business English skills at the same time. Our four-week courses provide our students with advantages over a typical computer class, as we have created a program that can be individualized to each clients’ needs.

In this training, a client will participate in a program that is tailored to their needs within the overall skill-building. They will receive personal attention. We keep our classes small to allow individual time to be spent with each student. When a student is having an issue understanding a topic, some vocabulary, or just frustrated with a skill, our teachers are comfortable providing one-to-one assistance within the class. This sort of personal attention is particularly welcomed by EAL students, who are often left behind in less adaptable programs. On top of that, there is an opportunity to learn some English for the workplace, as we have certified EAL teachers to assist in creating materials for the program such as workplace vocabulary and effective email composition.

Microsoft Outlook Fundamentals

Outlook is a key component of office life for most people. In it, the user is able to send and receive emails (including opening and attaching emails and dealing with junk mail), organize their work lives using the calendar function, and create and maintain contact lists.
In our 1 week course, the students will learn these key skills:

• Setting up Outlook
• Creating a contacts list
• Inputting contacts
• Removing contacts
• Creating mailing lists
• Writing emails
• Structure (To, CC/BCC, Subject, Message)
• Effective Subject lines
• Effective email structure (Greeting, Body, Signature)
• Creating attachments (via attachment or directly from Office documents)
• Reply, Forward, Reply All functions.
• Calendar functions:
• Creating/Deleting events
• Creating invitations to appointments
• Rescheduling events/appointments
• Miscellaneous areas
• Personalization
• Creating folders for organization
• Setting up signatures

Students will become comfortable using Outlook so that, when they begin working with it in an office setting, they will be able to hit the ground running.

Basic Excel Skills – Level I (2 week course)

Basic Excel Skills – Level I course is a two-week, part time course. This course helps participants get started with Microsoft Office Excel. The participants learn how to navigate the Excel user interface, use Excel commands, create, and save a basic workbook, enter cell data, and use Excel help. The participants learn how to create worksheet formulas and insert functions and modify worksheets including inserting, deleting, adjusting cells, columns, and rows. The participants also learn how to format worksheets including applying text formats, number formats, aligning cell contents, styles and themes and creating and using templates.

Basic Excel Skills – Level II (2 week course)

Basic Excel Skills – Level II course is a two-week, part time course. This course helps participants expand their Microsoft Office Excel knowledge. The participants learn how to work with ranges, specialized functions, work with logical functions, date and time functions and text functions. Participants are introduced to working with lists and sorting, filtering, and subtotaling data. They learn how to create and modify tables and apply intermediate conditional formatting. The participants also learn how to visualize data with charts, use links and external references and consolidate data.

Advanced Excel Course (4 week course)

Advanced Excel program is a four-week part time course geared towards individuals with intermediate computer skills. In this course, the individuals will be introduced to the following skills:

1. Create and manage worksheets and workbooks (navigate, format and customize worksheets and workbooks)
2. Apply formulas and functions (utilize cell ranges, summarize data with functions, utilize conditional logic in functions, format and modify text with functions)
3. Create advanced charts, objects and charts (formatting, adding legends, modifying charts and graphs parameters, applying chart layouts and styles, positioning charts and graphs, create and manage PivotTables)
4. Apply custom formats and layouts (apply advanced conditional formatting and filtering, prepare a workbook for internationalization and accessibility)
5. Create and manage multiple workbooks
6. Apply custom formats and layouts
7. Create advanced formulas (utilize IF function in conjunction with other functions, utilize AND/OR functions, nested functions, utilize SUMIFS, AVERAGEIFS and COUNTIFS functions)

One-handed Typing (2 week course)

One-handed typing is a two-week part time course geared towards individuals with an arm or hand injury. This course is designed for individuals who cannot use both hands to type and will teach individuals how to type using only one hand, using a simple yet effective method. Our one-handed typing program is designed to allow clients to improve their typing ability with the hand that they continue to have adequate use of. To do this, we use a standard keyboard and a program that has proven to allow clients to shift from either hunt-and-peck typing or standard two-hand typing to touch typing with one hand. One of the advantages of this specific program is that it allows the client to go forward and use a standard keyboard in their future work environments. We offer the use of a smaller-sized keyboard should there be challenges in reaching keys effectively, but we dissuade clients from using some of the specialized keyboards, as they may not be able to find effective accommodation for those in a future work setting.

Voice Recognition Technology Course (2 week course)

This course is two weeks long and is offered on a part-time basis (12 hrs of instruction per week). It introduces clients to a speech recognition program called Dragon. Clients learn how to use their computer hands-free and apply speech-to-text technology. They learn how to use their voice to dictate and format text, open and close programs and windows, as well as interact with their email. At the end of the course clients will be able to improve their productivity by correcting misspellings and grammar, all without having to touch their mouse or keyboard.

---