Course Objective
The main objective of this course is to provide the participants with some of the basic skills that are necessary to operate a computer in the home, office, or the classroom. We will cover everything from the basic components of a computer to some of the more popular software applications to doing your own maintenance and upgrading where practical.

This course is available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. The course materials are divided up into the following catagories:

Reading assignments are designed to give you some broad background information about a specific topic. These assignments should be completed before moving on to the Hands-on tasks. Each reading assignment begins with a general objective, individual learning objectives, and a vocabulary list of keywords that will be discussed in the lesson.

Quizzes are designed to allow the student to take a brief test over the material presented in a reading assignments and in the Hands-on tasks. The quiz questions are automatically graded and returned to give you instant feedback on how well you comprehend the material. If you select the wrong answer for a quiz question, the correct answer will be displayed along with a brief explanation. You may take the same quiz as many times as you wish, only your highest score is recorded.

Hands-on tasks are to be completed at your own computer. There are over 150 tasks that you can complete on your own computer in this course. The tasks allow you to try out some of the commands and software applications discussed in the reading assignments on your own. These tasks are the very same ones that are used on-campus with our credit students and are updated each semester.

Resource materials have been added in some lessons to aid you in completing the Hands-on tasks. Reference materials may include links to other web sites, multimedia examples of specific topics, or more detailed information about a particular subject that goes beyond the introductory material that we cover.

Course Outline
The course contains hands-on tasks and assignments covering the following topics:

Fundamental Skills	Keyboard Shortcuts Drives and Folders Opening Files Copy & Paste Selective Printing	Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox Netscape Navigator Web Search
E-Mail and the Internet	Sending an Email Replying to an Email Tone of Voice Subject Lines Multiple Recipients	Cut & Paste Mozila Attachments Eudora Attachments Outlook Attachments
Computer Systems	External Components System Properties Restore Point Backup Wizard Windows Help	Event Viewer Task Manager Configuration Utility Device Manager
Computer Security	Norton AntiVirus ZoneAlarm	XP Network Firewall XP Modem Firewall
Word Processing	Word Processing Basics Text Appearance Document Format Spell Check Thesaurus Creating a Table Creating a Calendar Columns	Newspaper Article Inserting Clipart Inserting a Picture Inserting WordArt Inserting a Chart Inserting a Symbol Footnotes/Endnotes Linking/Embedding
Spreadsheets	Creating a Spreadsheet Printing a Spreadsheet Text Appearance Simple Formulas Spreadsheet Calculator Multiple Worksheets Creating a Chart Sorting Data	Random Numbers Formulas Embedding a Spreadsheet Linking a Spreadsheet Drag & Drop Importing Data Exporting Data
Database Management	Creating a Table Designing a Form Simple Query Simple Report	Relational Databases Importing Data Exporting Data
Presentations	AutoContent Wizard Presentation Design Presentation Objects Edit a Presentation Text Over Picture Arranging Slides Custom Shows	Slide Finder Linking to Data Hyperlinks Slide Orientation Pack and Go Wizard Package for CD
Multimedia	Microsoft Paint Bitmap Images Converting Images Transparent Images	Sound Recorder Sound Puzzle Downsampling Macromedia Flash
Web Publishing	Creating a Home Page Formatting Text Address Links Colors and Images Font Styles and Colors Web Images	Table Basics Using a Table for Data Sound CSS and XML JavaScripts Amp Codes
Trouble Shooting	Contact List Windows Help Event Viewer	Task Manager System Utility Device Manager

Getting Help
There are several ways to get assistance in this class if you are having problems. The following methods apply to both credit and non-credit students:

	E-mail: You can always contact me or any of the teaching assistants via E-mail if you have a question.
	One-on-One: Both credit and non-credit students that are located close to the Michigan State University campus are always welcomed to stop by my office during the day for help (no appointment is necessary).
	Telephone: I can be reached via telephone during the day (08:00 - 17:00 EST) at 517-355-0271 Ext. 110. If I don't happen to be in the office, leave a message with your number and I will call you back.

Registration
Introduction to Home Computing is offered throughout the year (Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters) at Michigan State University. The current starting, ending, and registration deadline dates are as follows:

To participate in the non-credit version of the course, you should meet the following requirements:

• Internet Access
• Web Browser
• E-Mail Address
• Microsoft Windows

Registration
If you are plan on registering in the Home Computing course, please send an E-mail message to krauss@msu.edu so that I have your correct E-mail address on file. Please include HOMECMP or Home Computing Course in the subject line of your E-mail.

You can register for the course on-line with a credit card by using the MSU Non-Credit Registration Form. Select Introduction to Home Computing without ISP ($50.00).

You can also register by sending a personal check, bank draft, or money order payable to MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY in United States currency for $50 to:

Introduction to Home Computing
c/o Dave Krauss
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824
USA

Once your registration fee has been received at MSU, we will setup an account for you in the course and send you your username and password via E-mail. If you did not include an E-mail address or your address doesn't work, you will be notified via regular mail. Using regular mail will delay your access to the course by 10-14 days, so please be sure your E-mail address is correct.