Course information

Gain proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite and learn how to share data between applications. In this short course, you’ll develop essential skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the Cloud, enhancing your productivity for everyday professional tasks.

This course is ideal for individuals with basic computer experience but limited familiarity with this software.

The aim of this course is to help you become proficient in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the Cloud, improving your productivity for everyday work activities.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• understand Microsoft 365’s purpose, benefits and key features
• understand the Cloud; explore the basics and benefits of cloud computing and understand how Microsoft 365 uses the cloud with OneDrive
• identify the common features of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint: how to use the shared functionalities across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• create documents, use templates, insert images, and format using Word
• create spreadsheets, use formulas, and format cells and charts using Excel
• create presentations, add text and images, apply transitions and animations, and run slideshows using PowerPoint
• share data between Microsoft Office applications using methods and best practices for sharing files and data between Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Introduction to Microsoft 365

• Working in the Cloud & what is Microsoft 365
• Understanding applications and apps in Microsoft 365

Understanding the Cloud

• The Cloud
• Online vs Desktop
• Understanding Office online

Common features of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• Ribbon
• Tabs
• Quick Access Toolbar
• Zoom control
• Themes
• Recent files
• Pinning files
• Pinning applications to the Task Bar
• Contextualised ribbon
• Shortcut menus
• Common shortcut keys for Microsoft 365

Microsoft Word

• Understanding word processing
• Starting Microsoft Word
• Using Word built-in templates
• Creating blank documents in Word
• Typing text into a document
• Nonprinting characters in Word
• Inserting images into your document
• Typing numbers into your document within a table
• Inserting a date into your document
• Making basic changes to your document
• Checking the spelling in your document
• Saving your new document
• Printing a document
• Printing your document as a PDF (portable document format)
• Safely closing your document
• Word Shortcut Keys

Microsoft Excel

• Understanding spreadsheets
• Starting Microsoft Excel
• Using Excel built-in templates
• How spreadsheets work & functionality
• Understanding Excel
• Using the blank workbook template
• Typing into a worksheet
• Saving your new workbook
• Making changes to cell content
• Alignment
• Typing numbers into a worksheet
• Typing simple formulas in a worksheet
• Easy formulas referencing
• Function library
• Typing dates in a worksheet
• Easy formatting
• How to copy formatting in Excel
• How to clear formatting in Excel
• Charting your data
• Printing a worksheet
• Safely closing a workbook
• Excel shortcut keys

Microsoft PowerPoint

• Understanding electronic presentations
• Starting Microsoft PowerPoint
• Using CoPilot to create a presentation
• Using PowerPoint built-in templates
• The PowerPoint screen
• Creating a new presentation
• Understanding slide dimensions in PowerPoint
• What elements can you add to a presentation?
• Adding text to your presentation
• Saving your new presentation
• Themes
• Master
• Layouts
• Placeholders
• Inserting images
• Safely saving and closing a presentation
• Opening an existing presentation
• Transitions
• Animations
• Running your slideshow
• Printing audience handouts
• Shortcut keys in PowerPoint

Sharing data between Microsoft Office applications

• Why would you share your files?
• What is OneDrive
• Here are the top 5 methods of sharing a file

Due to the comparative complexity of each application in the MS Office suite, the time spent on each application will vary and will be guided by participants’ needs.

This course provides an introduction to Microsoft Office. It assumes little or no knowledge of Microsoft software, however you must have some experience using a computer before attending.

You should be familiar with the basic functions of a computer operating system such as navigating the environment using a mouse and keyboard, starting applications, copying and pasting objects, formatting text, creating folders, opening files, saving files, familiarity with the accessing the Internet and use of common web browsers.

Delivery mode

Face-to-face, presenter-taught training in a computer lab.

Course materials are provided electronically using Dropbox.