Office Admin Tutorial Letter PDF

Preview

Summary

Guide office administration studends on much needed typing skills...

Description

Course Title:

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

Level:

LEVEL 1

Unit of Learning:

DEMONSTRATE BASIC WORD PROCESSING SKILLS

Element of Learning:

PRODUCE A BASIC WORD PROCESSING DOCUMENT

Compiled by:

SYDNEY KABUKU

APRIL 2020

TUTORIAL LETTER Introduction This document is intended as a support document to be used to plan training courses for Level I Certificate, Office Administration. This unit of learning specifies the competencies required to demonstrate basic word processing skills to perform administrative duties in an office environment. It includes the application of basic keyboard skills, the producing of a basic word processing document, retrieving, formatting and editing a document, using spelling and grammar functions, using the help function, printing a document and proofreading of a document. This unit of learning is intended for those who work in an office environment. Office equipment may include but is not limited to computer, mouse, external devices, storage devices and basic computer applications. In this Assignment you were required to choose only one single element of learning. The element of learning is further broken down into smaller pieces that refer to the objectives of the element of learning. For example: Produce a Basic Word Processing Document: Objectives: Upon completion of this module, you will be able to: • Outline the procedures to demonstrate basic keyboarding skills • Apply the procedures for producing a draft basic word processing document • Demonstrate the procedures to format and edit a word document • Outline the procedures for using the spellcheck, grammar and thesaurus functions • Demonstrate the procedures for using the Help function • Apply the procedures to complete a final document The Purpose: Formulate here the ‘why’ of the learning. This section must motivate the learners to want to know more. It emphasize why it is important for them to know about the production of a basic word processing document Example of a purpose statement: with knowledge and skills to produce basic word processing documents in order to perform administrative duties. This includes safe work practices and the application of basic keyboard skills by producing a basic word processing document at a minimum speed of 15 words per minute. After the purpose the development of the content of your learning starts. The numbering of the document also now starts. Below is an example. 1.

Outline the procedures to demonstrate basic keyboarding skills

This learning outcome is achieved when you can do the following: 1.1 Demonstrate the procedures for touch typing techniques What is touch typing? A touch typist never looks at the keyboard. The fingers hit the right keys by force of habit. The typist is entirely focused on the text being typed, reading the words and phrases as the fingers type the text reflexively. Touch typing can be learned by performing special exercises.

1.2 Steps in Touch Typing Step 1 Meet the home keys. These are the most important keys used during touch typing - they are how you find your way around the keyboard. There are different home keys for different fingers.

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On your left hand - Place your smallest (pinky) finger on the 'A' key, your ring finger (next one along) onto the 'S' key, your middle finger (longest finger) onto the 'D' key and your pointer finger (next to the thumb) onto the 'F' key.

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On your right hand - Place your smallest (pinky) finger onto the ';' (semicolon) key, your ring finger onto the 'L' key, your middle finger onto the 'K' key and your pointer finger onto the 'J' key.

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Your thumbs - Place both of your thumbs onto the space bar - but align each hand's thumb so it's roughly underneath the key its pointer finger is on.

Step 2 Wiggle your two pointer fingers around the bottom of the 'F' and 'J' keys - you should notice a little bump. These are there so that touch typists can locate where the home keys are. So, if you're ever lost when you are trying to touch type, don't worry about looking down - just find the little bumps

*Note: looking for the bumps on the keyboard? Not all computer keyboards have bumps especially if you have an older one.* The home keys are very important - as soon as you move a finger, for example you use your left middle finger (on the home key 'D') to type a letter (for example 'E'), you have to place that finger back onto it's home key straight after its use. It's just a general rule, but keeps your fingers together instead of all over the place.

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Before starting a new sentence, place your finger back onto the home keys. This will allow yourself to know where you are on the board and make it much easier to navigate around the keys. It may seem a little unnatural at first, but it will become your second nature after practicing.

How do you know which finger to use when you press each key? The answer is, simple! Look back at your fingers again and place them on their home keys. Each of the home keys has both a key above them and a key underneath them.

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For example the home key 'A' has the key 'Q' on top of it, and the key 'Z' underneath it. So, if you need to type 'quickly', you would use your left pinky to type 'Q', your right pointer to type 'U', your right middle to type "I", your left middle to type "C", your middle finger to type "K" (it's already a home key so no moving needs to be done), your right ring finger to type 'L' (again, already a home key so you don't have to move any fingers to get to this key) and finally , you use your right pointer for the 'Y' key.

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So what fingers do you use for the spare keys that aren't on top or underneath any home keys? These keys are the 'Y', 'H', 'G', 'T' and 'B' keys. You simply use the pointer finger that is closest to that key! So you would use the right pointer to press the 'Y' key and the left pointer to press 'T'.

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Your pointer fingers will be used quite a bit, but not for everything! All fingers will be used, and again it may seem unnatural, but all it takes is a bit of getting used to.

Practice makes perfect! Try closing your eyes, putting your fingers on the home keys (remember to find the bumps where your pointer fingers sit on at 'F' and 'J'!) and typing your first and last name onto a blank Word document. Open your eyes, have a look, and see how close you got... or how far away you were! Keep doing this until you get the hang of it. Then, start to type simple sentences, like "The boy ate the apple".

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If you need to look at the screen, cover your hands with a cloth so you are not tempted to look. Once you lose that temptation, try touch typing on your own! Source adapted from: http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Yourself-to-Touch-Type 1.3 Health and Safety measures during Touch Typing Sitting at a computer for long periods of time can take a toll on your body. By not sitting with the correct posture, it is easy to end up with back pain, neck pain, knee pains, and a tingling of the hands and fingers. Here are some tips on maintaining good ergonomics and staying comfortable at your desk during the day. Note: A 2006 study indicated that rather than an upright position a more relaxed one at 135 degrees is suggested to relieve lower back pain. Steps 1. Sit up tall. Push your hips as far back as they can go in the chair. Adjust the seat height so that your feet are flat on the floor and your knees equal to or slightly lower than, your hips. Adjust the back of the chair to a 100°-110° reclined angle. Make sure that your upper and lower back is supported.

2. Sit close to your keyboard. Position it so that it is directly in front of your body. Make sure that the keys are centered with your body.

3. Adjust the keyboard height. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed, your elbows are in a slightly open position, and your wrists and hands are straight.

4. Adjust the angle of your keyboard based on your sitting position. Use the keyboard tray mechanism or keyboard feet, to adjust the tilt. If you sit in a forward or upright position, try tilting your keyboard away from you, but if you are slightly reclined, then a slight forward tilt will help to maintain a straight wrist position.

5. Use wrist rests. They will help maintain neutral postures and pad hard surfaces. The wrist rest should only be used to rest the palms of the hands between keystrokes and not while typing. Place the mouse as close as possible to the keyboard.

6. Position your monitor properly. Adjust the monitor and any source or reference documents so that your neck is in a neutral, relaxed position. Center the monitor directly in front of you, above your keyboard. 7. Sit at least an arm's length away from the screen and adjust the distance for your vision. Reduce any glare by carefully positioning the screen, which you should be looking almost straight at, but partially looking down. Adjust any curtains or blinds as needed. 8. Position the source documents directly in front of you, and use an in-line copy stand. If there is insufficient space for that, place the documents on a document holder positioned adjacent to the monitor. Place your telephone within easy reach. Use headsets or a speaker phone to eliminate cradling the handset.

You should now be able to apply the touch typing techniques effectively. If you still have problems, practice until you get it right. The next competency will look at the procedures for producing a basic word processing document

2.

Produce a basic word processing document

Purpose Demonstrate basic word processing skills to perform administrative duties in an office environment This learning outcome is achieved when you can: 

Open MS Word and create, save and close a basic word document on MS Word.

2.1 Steps in producing a basic word document 2.1.1 Opening MS Word 1. Start menu. The Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen gives you access to all programs on your PC—Word included. To start Word, choose Start → All Programs → Microsoft Office → Microsoft Office Word. 2. Quick Launch toolbar. The Quick Launch toolbar at the bottom of your screen (just to the right of the Start menu) is a great place to start programs you use frequently. Microsoft modestly assumes that you'll be using Word a lot, so it usually installs the Word icon in the Quick Launch toolbar. To start using Word, just click the W icon, and voilá! 2.1.2 Creating a new document When you start Word without opening an existing document, the program gives you an empty one to work in. If you're eager to put words to page, then type away.

Figure 1-1. When you start Word 2007 for the first time, it may look a little top-heavy. The ribbon takes up more real estate than the old menus and toolbars. This change may not matter if you have

a nice big monitor. But if you want to reclaim some of that space, you can hide the ribbon by double-clicking the active tab. Later, when you need to see the ribbon commands, just click a tab. 1.

Choose Office button → New.

The New Document dialog box appears. 2. In the upper-left corner of the large "Create a new Word document" panel, click "Blank document" (Figure 1-2). The New Document box presents a seemingly endless number of options, but don't panic. The "Blank document" option you want is on the left side of the first line. 3.

At the bottom of the New Document dialog box, click Create.

The dialog box disappears, and you're gazing at the blank page of a new Word document. Start typing your text.

Figure 1-2. Open the New Document box (Office button → New, or Alt+F, N), and Word gives you several ways to create a new document. Click "Blank document" to open an empty document, similar to the one Word shows when you first start the program. Or you can click "New from existing" to open a document that you previously created under a new name. Text is entered according to the specifications.

2.1.3 Saving and Closing Documents From the earliest days of personal computing, the watchword has been "save early, save often." Here are some tips to protect your work: • • •

Name and save your document shortly after you first create it. You'll see the steps to do so later in this section. Get in the habit of doing a quick save with Alt+F, S (think File Save) when you pause to think or get up to (Note for old-timers: Ctrl+S still works for a quick save too.) If you're leaving your computer for an extended period of time, save and close your document with Alt+F, C (think File Close) or by clicking the x icon in the very right hand corner of your desktop.

There are certain steps to follow when you save the document • • •

Left Click on the File Menu and click Save as A pop up menu will appear that will ask you how and where you want to save the document. Give a name to the document and save in My documents or on your desktop You can also use the save button on the Quick Access Toolbar. Click Save As.

Closing a document It is quite simple to close a document. Click on the x icon on the right hand side at the very top of your document. Office button → Close. When you close a document, Word checks to see if you've made any changes to the file. When you've made changes, Word always asks whether you'd like to save the document (Figure 1-3).

Figure 1-3 When you see this message box, you have three choices: Yes saves your document before closing it; No closes your document without saving it; Cancel leaves your document open without saving it.

Source adapted from https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/word2007the/059652739X/ch01.html You should now be able to produce a basic word document. If you still have problems, do as much exercises as you can so that you can achieve the learning outcomes as set. The next learning competency will look at the procedures for formatting and editing a word document. This will be dealt with separately in another training manual. Conclusion Well done, you have completed this section of producing a draft of a basic word processing document. Make sure that you have achieved all the learning outcomes in order to be able to perform administrative duties. By now, you should be able to demonstrate touch typing techniques and the procedures for opening, creating, saving and closing a basic word processing document. Do not forget to apply the health and safety measures.

References Du Preez, A.E. (2013) Study Guide, Training in VET (TVT510S). Namibia University of Sciences and Technology:Windhoek Du Preea, A.E. (2013) Study Guide, Assessment in VET A (ASS510S). Namibia University of Sciences and Technology:Windhoek http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Yourself-to-Touch-Type https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/word-2007-the/059652739X/ch01.html Namibia Training Authority, (2013) Office Administration National Curriculum, BS-OA-L1b-92. NTA:Windhoek Namibia Training Authority, (2013) Unit Id 93, Demonstrate Basic Word Processing Skills. NTA:Windhoek Namibia Training Authority. (2013) Delivery Guide, Office Administration Certificate 1. NTA:Windhoek...