What do I need to take a Microsoft Office Course on Officeskills.org?

• You will need Microsoft Office 2010. 30 Day Free Trials are available at the following link: Microsoft Office 2010 Free Trials. Please note: This may not be long enough to complete your course
• Adobe Flash Player so you can view the Video Lessons. You can download the latest version at the following link: Adobe Flash Player.
• Adobe Reader to view pdf presentation files is available at the following link: Adobe Reader Download

Recommended Text: Refer to the Syllabus for the recommended text.

How does an online class differ from the traditional classroom environment?

Taking an online course takes time, commitment and discipline to complete all the required work to pass the course. If a student is good at managing their time and enjoy a degree of flexibility, they will do very well in the online classroom environment..

Students in online classes work at their own speed and can review presentations and videos as often as needed and post discussions and questions in the class forums to interact with their instructor and other students..

What is your refund policy?

Should you decide after enrolling in the course that online learning is not for you, please note the following refund policy that Officeskills.org enforces for all our online courses:

• Within 7 Days of Class Enrollment: Class fees are only refundable or transferable during the first week of class. There is a processing fee of ten dollars ($10.00) for each refund request. You can also transfer to another course of equal or lesser value. Refunds or transfers are not granted automatically. You need to send your request to Dawn (dbieser@officeskills.org) with a satisfactory explanation about requesting a refund. If approved, the course fee may be refunded to the member via PayPal, provided that less than 20% of the course content has been accessed by the learner. You will then get a confirmation email from us.
• After 7 days from the initial enrollment, all course fees are non-refundable. 

Do you have an instructor available to answer questions?

Yes. All our courses are both self-paced (anytime, anywhere) and instructor-led. Our instructor-led courses follow a traditional classroom format.  With the exception of Keyboarding which is primarily self-paced and takes 8 weeks to complete, most of our current courses offerings have an open entry/open exit policy which means that a student may enter or leave the course at any time. Each course is designed to take 5 weeks although you have up to 6 months from the date of enrollment to complete the course. With our anytime, anywhere policy, you can complete the assignments at a time and place that is convenient for you.. Students complete the weekly assignments under the guidance of an instructor. The instructor will monitor all question and answer forums to answer questions as well as monitor your performance and participation in the course.

Is a textbook required?

Yes, most courses, with the exception of Keyboarding, require a Text Book for reading and practice exercises to expand your knowledge of the subject theory.  All textbooks recommended for our courses have been carefully selected for their affordability, in-depth coverage of the subject matter and step by step exercises for additional practice.  Some books can be used for multiple classes.  For example, our current book selection for Microsoft Office 2010 classes can be used for all Office 2010 courses offered on Officeskills.org.  Refer to the Course Syllabus for any required books for the course.

How long do I have to complete a course?

With the exception of Keyboarding which is primarily self-paced and takes 8 weeks to complete, most of our current courses offerings have an open entry/open exit policy which means that a student may enter or leave the course at any time. Each course is designed to take 5 weeks although you have up to 6 months from the date of enrollment to complete the course. With our anytime, anywhere policy, you can complete the assignments at a time and place that is convenient for you.. It is recommended that you set aside about 3 hours per lesson for reading the assigned chapter in the book, viewing the hands-on videos and presentations and completing the assignment. With our anytime, anywhere policy, you can complete the assignments at a time and place that is convenient for you.

How do I register for a course?

You will first need to Create a New Account on the Officeskills E-courses Collaborative Classroom.  You will receive an email asking you to verify your account.  Once your email has been verified, click on the Course Title of the course you wish to take.  You will be asked to pay for the course via PayPal.  Once you have paid for your course, you will receive an email from your instructor providing you with the URL AND “enrollment key” for the course. You should be able to sign on and get access to the course any time after you receive the email with the enrollment key. Course content and assignments will be posted the first day the class begins.

Once you get access to the course, spend some time familiarizing yourself with the layout of the Office Skills Online Collaborative Classroom (Lessons, Chat, Discussion Forums, etc). The instructor may ask you to introduce yourself in the Introductions Discussion forum and review the Syllabus and requirements to make sure you have all the necessary books and software to participate in the course.

Please Note:  The course content and assignments will not be posted until the first day of the course. Each lesson will consist of a discussion question, one or more step by step presentations and videos, a reading assignment from the book, practice exercises, a quiz,  and an assignment that allows you to connect what you have learned to your lives and work.

Most communication will be done through the discussion forums.  You can post questions about the lessons, practice exercises or the assignment to the forum.  The instructor regularly checks the forum through-out the day and other students may respond to your questions from their own experiences.

Do your courses qualify as Continuing Education Units (CEU's) or College Credit. 

No, not at this time.  All courses on Officskills.org are for professional development only and do not transfer as Continuing Education Units (CEU's) or College Credit.