Technology Training Course Offerings

Technology Training Course Offerings

The Technology Training and Education Team offers training courses that are available to students, staff, and faculty.  Training course can be taken in a classroom setting or are available through online documents. 

The dates and times available for the classroom courses can be found on the MSU Denver Events Calendar.

Product Surveys 

In order to assist the Technology Training and Education Team in determining what your level of proficiency is with Microsoft Office products or Google Docs, please complete the appropriate survey listed below according to the desired course to be taken.

Once the survey for the Microsoft Office products, Google Docs, or Windows 7 is complete, please go to the following link as it will take you to the Events Calendar Home Page to register for a course.  You will locate the dates and times by selecting the Technology Training option under Training Events in the Category section located on the lower left hand side of the home page.  

MSU Denver Events Calendar 

Training Courses

The following are brief summaries of the training courses available followed by links to where the online documentation can be located.

Microsoft Excel Essential Training

This training will include primarily basic functions of the program and some intermediated functions as well.  The topics to be covered will be the three common uses for Excel which includes calculation, charts, and database.  The training will include a review of the Excel interface including toolbar, ribbon, command tabs and groups.  It will also cover understanding cell references and working with data including entering and editing data, AutoFill and targeting a data group.  From there it moves into the worksheet and workbook structure and managing both.  Formatting is also reviewed and will cover formats for numbers and dates, fonts, backgrounds and borders, merge/split cells and conditional formatting.  Illustration help is also covered and will include inserting and formatting pictures, ClipArt, Shapes, SmartArt and screenshots.  Themes, cell styles, and templates will also be reviewed.  After that we move into working with charts and formulas.  Database features including sorting, filtering, and using tables is next.  Printing preparation and working with large Excel projects are the final topics covered.

Microsoft Word Essential Training

This training will include primarily basic functions of the program and some intermediated functions as well.  The training will cover the Word interface including the ribbon, tabs, groups, additional tool bars, navigation tools, view tools, and other tools available.  It will also review the enhanced Word backstage or the File tab and its capabilities.  Editing, undo and repeat actions, formatting text, formatting paragraphs and using styles are reviewed as well.  Tables will be covered and will include how they are created and formatted, converting text to table and table to text, and sorting the data in the table.  Illustrations are another topic to be reviewed and will cover inserting and modifying graphics such as pictures, ClipArt, screenshots, WordArt and shapes.  Designing document building blocks such as numbering pages, applying headers and footers, cover pages, text boxes, and Quick Parts is reviewed along with modifying the page layout, revising and reviewing documents, and sharing and securing documents.

Microsoft PowerPoint Training

This training will include primarily basic functions of the program and some intermediated functions as well.  The initial topic covered is the PowerPoint interface including the ribbon, tabs, and groups.  From there it moves into getting started using PowerPoint including starting from scratch, adding and deleting slides and content, rearranging slide order, utilizing the Outline mode, adding photos and ClipArt, saving a presentation, applying a theme, and running the slide show.  Formatting your presentation is the next topic and includes using fonts and colors, adding bulleted and list numbering, using picture effects, slide masters, and applying transitions.  The next topic is tables and charts.  Here it discusses creating and formatting tables and charts in PowerPoint, and pasting tables and charts from Excel to your presentation.  Working with Shapes is next and will include adding, moving, resizing, formatting and rotating shapes.  Adding text or a text box to shapes, working with layers, and animating your text shapes and other objects will also be reviewed.  Adding multimedia to your presentation such as an audio or video clip is next followed by adding SmartArt and diagrams to your presentation.  The final topic covered will be sharing your presentation with others.

Microsoft Outlook Essentials

This training will include primarily basic functions of the program and some intermediated functions as well.  Initially the training will cover the types of email accounts.  From there it moves into starting Outlook and configuring IMAP/Exchange Server accounts.  The Outlook interface is reviewed and will cover the ribbon, command tabs, and command groups.  Handling contacts is an additional topic and will include accessing and understanding contacts, as well as how to create a contact folder, changing contact view, adding and editing contacts, creating distribution lists, and sorting and searching for contacts.  The email feature will be reviewed and will cover signatures, composing an email, Quick Parts, sending an email with an attachment, reading, organizing and responding to emails, templates, and managing spam.  The calendar feature will review the layout and view options, working with the calendar by creating and working with multiple calendars, creating and changing/canceling appointments and meetings, responding to an invitation, and sharing a calendar.  Lastly, organizational features such as utilizing Outlook options, setting rules, and creating tasks and notes will be reviewed.

Windows 7

This training includes topic on navigation, files and folders, searching and programs, Windows accessories, and system settings.  Initially the training will review topics on navigation such as the desktop, Start menu, Taskbar, Gadgets, Jump Lists, Aero Theme, and the Action center.  From there the training will transition to files and folders and will cover Windows Explorer, creating, renaming, deleting or hiding a file or folder, changing the folder view, using the preview pane, creating shortcuts for files or folders and libraries.  Searching and programs will be the next topics reviewed and will cover searching for items on your computer or in a folder and saving search results.  It will also review creating shortcuts, pinning programs to the Start menu, setting a program to run at start and using the task manager.  A brief overview of Windows accessories will follow including information on Windows Media Player, Snipping Tool, Sticky Notes, Notepad, WordPad, and calculator.  Lastly the training will review the options available with system setting and the Control Panel.

Banner Basics

Banner basic training covers a basic understanding of the Banner system.  The initial topic covered is the FERPA agreement and how and why it is a requirement for Banner access.  From there it moves into an overview of the Banner system and its overall capabilities.  The next topic to be reviewed is the initial access of Banner including how to access, logging in for the first time and changing your Banner password.  The main menu window and using the auto hint/status line are the next topics covered.  The Banner interface is the next topic and includes the menu bar, tool bar, title bar, go to field, hierarchical menu, and show keys.  From there it reviews the various types of Banner forms and how they are broken down into blocks along with how to access forms and the form naming convention.  Next it moves into querying in Banner and viewing records.  The last topic discussed is My Banner and how to create and edit this feature.

Adobe Acrobat X Pro

This training will include the basic functions of Adobe Acrobat X, including how to open, read, and navigate within PDFs. It will also cover how to create PDFs from multiple sources such as Microsoft Word documents, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Outlook emails, web pages, and scanned documents.  The class will also go over basic editing of PDFs including reducing the file size, adding bookmarks, and creating page transitions. The training will next go over how to work with and create portfolios, or groups of PDFs, and  how to create interactive forms within Adobe. The training will also discuss how to export PDFs to Microsoft Word and Excel, and how to review a PDF with multiple users. Finally, the class will go over security within Adobe, such as creating and using digital ID signatures, password protection, and certificate protection.