PROFESSOR TEACHES MICROSOFT XP PLUS

PROFESSOR TEACHES MICROSOFT XP PLUS 9 CD Tutorial Set Individual Software, 4255 Hopyard Road, Suite 2, Pleasanton, CA 94588-9900 http://www.individualsoftware.com, $24.99, ISBN 1-893988-70-8

System requirements: Pentium PC or higher, Windows 95 or later, double speed CD-ROM drive, 16 MB RAM, 50-95 MB hard disk space per CD, minimum of 16 bit color display, sound card, and mouse

Each of the nine main lessons in this package comes on a separate CD. The lessons are:

1) Word 2002

2) Excel 2002

3) Access 2002

4) PowerPoint 2002

5) Outlook 2002

6) Internet Explorer 5.5

7) Windows Me

8) Windows 98

9) Windows 2000

Each of the nine lesson groups is further subdivided into several sub-lessons, which require a substantial amount of time to complete. For example, the sub-lessons for Word and the estimated times required for completion are:

1) Introduction to Word, 90 minutes

2) Creating and editing text, 90 minutes

3) Formatting text, 90 minutes

4) Working with layout and design, 80 minutes

5) Enhancing documents, 80 minutes

6) Tables, printing, and web pages, 90 minutes

The estimated times for the other lessons are comparable.

I found the time estimates to be reasonably accurate. I generally completed the lessons in less than the given time. The lessons are composed of a series of screenshots that mimic the applications being taught. At times the next button is clicked to move on and at other times the appropriate section of the screenshot is double-clicked. Each lesson is narrated, the voice moving at a slow, steady pace, well within the bandwidth of any listener. There is a summary at the end of each lesson followed by a short, scored quiz.

Each lesson also contains a glossary that allows you to click on a term and see the definition in a text field. It is also possible to click on a letter and move to the segment of the glossary that begins with that letter. There is also a subject index where you can double click on an entry and the lesson segment covering that topic will run.

While at times the lessons may move more slowly than you'd like, they're an excellent way to learn the fundamentals of these applications. You can move at your own pace, skip what you find dull, and go back to what you didn't understand. Moving on by clicking or double-clicking the appropriate location in the image gives a realism that other CD-based tutorials lack. The lessons can be used for self-study, supplemental reinforcement, or as a primary learning tool in a formal classroom.

Review by Charles Ashbacher

http://www.ashbacher.com

Copyright Mathematics and Computer Education Fall 2004
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved