Office of Quality and Continuous Learning
: Professional Development Courses for UT Employees

OQCL Course Schedule for 2009-2010

A matrix of the OQCL 2009-2010 course schedule is linked above.  If you wish to register for any of the courses listed, please complete the registration form.  You can only register for courses by submitting the registration form, which must be completely filled out and approved by your supervisor.  Detailed course descriptions can be found below.  Please note:  Cancellation deadlines are one week prior to the start of each class.  If your schedule develops a conflict, please notify the OQCL office as soon as possible.  While all OQCL courses are free to current UT employees, the cost of a course will be charged back to the department of an employee who is a no-show in class.  Thank you.

Women's Leadership Forum to be held on September 22, 2009
Women Leaders and associates, save the date of September 22, 2009, for the Women's Leadership Forum luncheon.  This select event is designed specifically for an exchange of ideas for Women Leaders, with Key Note Speaker, Rebecca Shambaugh, President and CEO of Shambaugh Leadership.  Ms. Shambaugh is a leadership strategist and an author of "It's Not A Glass Ceiling, It's A Sticky Floor." 

This highly interactive and informative forum promises to deliver an exciting dialogue about a spectrum of leadership issues and business challenges affecting women in the global marketplace.  Please join us as Ms. Shambaugh and a panel of respected and successful women leaders from area organizations lead the participants in a spirited discussion on ways of avoiding or getting beyond the sticky floors.  The panel will include Dr. Christa Adams, President of Owens Community College, Ms. Marianne Ballas, Dealer Principal of Ballas Buick GMC, Ms. Carol F. Campbell, Vice President of Human Resources for First Solar, and Ms. Barbara Steele, Regional President of the ProMedica Health System. 

The name of the forum above is linked to a brochure, which will provide additional details about the forum, including the names of partnering UT Centers, area businesses and organizations who collaborated on this exciting event.  UT employees interested in attending this seminar need to complete the OQCL registration form.

Solving the Job Puzzle
Seminar Date:  September 23 and 29, 2009          Time: 8:30am-12:30pm       Instructor:  Dr. Sheri Caldwell
As a puzzle offers a mental challenge so does “finding the right job fit.”  A puzzle is designed to improve your skills and once solved it is a rewarding experience.

This workshop is designed around that same concept. Most job seekers or those looking to improve their career exploring skills, wish they could figure out the secret to solving the puzzle of what makes an employer get excited about hiring them.  Every employer is looking for a specific set of skills from job seekers.  Yet there are certain skills which are universally sought by employers and most job seekers overlook the fact that they possess these skills to some extent. The best news is that once you understand the skills and characteristics that most employers seek, you can tailor your job-search from your resume, cover letter, and interview language to showcase how well your background aligns with an employer’s requirements.

This session offers experience from an employer’s perspective and their knowledge of the current trends in job hunting.  Learn how to assemble all the pieces of the puzzle together and use this workshop to help you solve your career search skills.

First Time Manager
Seminar Date:  September 25, 2009                    Time: 8:30am-12pm                 Instructor:  Mike McCartney
The first year as a manager is a pivotal one for personal and leadership development. Getting grounded in some basic “do’s” and “don’ts” for the first-time manager is a positive factor for achieving some early and long-term wins as a leader. This seminar is intended for first time managers who would like to make a smooth transition into a management role. Participants attending this seminar will already have demonstrated leadership skills but through this seminar they will acquire practical knowledge in how to manage successfully and effectively from the beginning in their new role. This program will help participants:

• Identify the difference in roles from doing to managing and leading
• Assess their own leadership style – strengths and development areas    
• Get to know their people without compromising their own legitimate authority
• Ask tough questions to keep people on their toes and to keep themselves informed
• Provide clear work directions 
• Give positive and corrective feedback 
• Keep the ball in the employees’ court for solving their own problems 
• Delegate for results 
• Earn credibility and trust 
• Partner with employees for their success

Managing Conflict Constructively 
Seminar Date:  September 29, 2009          Time: 8:30am-12:00pm            Instructor:  Debra A. Smith
This program will offer a step-by-step proven strategy for achieving mutually acceptable agreement in any sort of conflict. Attending this seminar will help participants learn how to anticipate and prevent destructive conflict, deal with a disagreement before it erupts out of control, use differences as a springboard to creative problem solving, and manage disagreement with more skill and confidence. Attendees will receive tools that will help them break out of conflict and move toward solutions where both sides can win.  The end result will be less stress, improved teamwork and cooperation, and greater productivity.

Stress Reduction in the Work Environment
Seminar Date:  September 29, 2009          Time: 1:00pm-4:30pm              Instructor:  Debra A. Smith
This program will provide an opportunity for employees to learn some ready-to-use techniques for managing stress that can be applied in their lives immediately. During this retreat from a stressful world, participants will learn how to: 

• Identify the characteristics and effects of stress 
• Recognize their personal stress signals and spot symptoms in others 
• Increase their awareness of the mind’s role in the stress cycle 
• Reprogram themselves to avoid automatic or defensive responses to stress 
• Get rid of their worries and break the anger habit 
• Manage physical stress through nutrition, exercise, and relaxation 
• Use a six-step problem-solving model to take control of their stressful situations

How to Give Exceptional Customer Service
Seminar Date: September 30, 2009          Times: 8:30am-12pm or 1:00pm-4:30pm      Instructor: Debra A. Smith
This course is designed to provide customer-focused strategies to deliver the exceptional customer service expected by today’s customers. The specifics of customer commitment and retention as well as a service excellence attitude that permeates UT's organization is explored, as well as the importance of delighting both internal and external customers in order to create positive “Moments of Truth.”

Speaking Effectively to Groups
Seminar Date: October 7, 2009       Time: 8:30am-12:00pm             Instructor: Mike McCartney
This course would be beneficial for all professionals who would like to brush up their public speaking skills, improve their image while presenting and increase their public speaking confidence for a more persuasive and effective delivery, while retaining their “control” of an audience.  Whether you make formal or informal presentations in front of internal or external groups, you will acquire some valuable techniques that will help you inspire and influence others through your verbal and nonverbal communication.  A few ideas covered during this program will include:

• Four important parts of “idea transfer”
• Techniques for capturing and keeping attention
• Punctuating key points through evidence
• An effective model for impromptu talks
• Using correct body language and tone to reinforce your message
• Instilling a bias for action and accountability in the audience

Writing Accurate, Effective Email
Seminar Date: October 13, 2009               Time: 8:30am-12:00pm             Instructor: Debra A. Smith
Location:  please check the registration form for location change
This half-day program focuses on correcting problems commonly found in e-mail communication. Participants will discover simple techniques for quickly and easily planning and organizing their ideas. They will find out how to connect with their reader and receive a review of good sentence structure and punctuation principles. They will also learn the art of netiquette, what is appropriate and inappropriate in an email, who should be copied on messages, the importance of an organization’s email policy, and the legal rights of the employer in accessing employee communication. Some of the key skills the participants will acquire include ways to:

• Create clear, concise e-mail messages that get action
• Format their documents to increase readability
• Polish their cyber-grammar skills
• Manage and organize their e-mail
• Save time and convey ideas in the right tone

Professional Telephone Techniques
Seminar Date: October 13, 2009               Time: 1:00pm-4:30pm              Instructor: Debra A. Smith
Location:  please check the registration form for location change
In this information-packed and interactive seminar, participants will learn how to:

• Connect quickly and establish rapport with their callers
• Avoid the voice “turnoffs” and project an upbeat, clear, and natural voice
• Screen with style and stop the transferring merry-go-round
• Put people on hold without irritating them
• Encourage people to “come to the point” and manage multiple calls
• Defuse rather than detonate the telephone time bombs
• Use positive wording rather than emotional trigger words
• Disarm angry callers and control complaining callers
• Deal with challenging callers—abusive, nonstop, indecisive, and hard-to-understand
• Record and leave winning voice mail messages

Managing Multiple Priorities
Seminar Date: October 14, 2009               Time: 8:30am-4:30pm               Instructor: Debra A. Smith
Location:  please check the registration form for room change
Attendees of Managing Multiple Priorities will acquire proven techniques, guidelines, and strategies for staying on top of competing priorities and conflicting projects.  Participants will learn how to plan with a mission, how to separate important activities from the merely urgent, complete the tasks that must get done, and become organized faster.  Attendees will discover how to protect their priorities from unnecessary interruptions, manage meetings better, tame the “paper tiger,” and learn how to overcome procrastination.  They will gain confidence in decision making, set limits by delegating and saying no, and commit to bringing more balance into their lives. The end result will be accomplishing more—with better results and less stress.  Five key areas discussed will include:

• Understanding the relationship between self-management and priority management
• Planning—the key to managing priorities
• Protecting your priorities from others
• Enhancing your productivity
• Balancing your priorities

Coaching for Results
Seminar Date: October 28, 2009                 Time: 8:30am-12:00pm             Instructor: Mike McCartney
This seminar is appropriate for a leader who understands the importance of working effectively with his team to achieve goals, but who needs guidance in establishing the proper rapport with his/her employees.  The attendees will engage in lively discussions with their peers, exchanging ideas, and learning from the instructor and each other on how best to apply the tips and techniques offered for becoming a great Coach.  This program will help participants:

• Describe the traits, skills and knowledge of a good coach
• Assess their own coaching capabilities
• Facilitate accountability on the part of the individual or the team
• Identify obstacles to performance and ways to overcome them
• Provide constructive feedback and corrective direction for performance improvement
• Use a variety of questions and listening techniques to communicate effectively
• Develop concrete actions for their own improvement as coaches

Improved Productivity Through Teambuilding
Seminar Date:  November 4, 2009                     Time: 8:30am-12:00pm           Instructor:  Mike McCartney
This seminar is appropriate for team members who would like to improve the performance and cohesiveness of their team. It will provide the tools to not only improve their team chemistry for better results, but to also discover their own unique strengths in order to be more fully engaged as team members, be it in the shifting roles of a leader or a follower. This program will help participants: 

• Identify the characteristics of high performing teams
• Assess how well their team is functioning 
• Develop concrete, specific actions that they and their team can do to improve performance
• Know when to lead, follow or get out of the way 
• Make interdependence work for the team, not against it 
• Build trust, rapport and accountability among members  
• Facilitate communication between members

Accounting and Finance for the Non-Financial Professional
Seminar Date: November 20, 2009             Time: 8:30am-12:00pm                     Instructor: Dr. Phil Fink
This course is intended for those non-financial managers who have little or no background in finance and accounting.  Dr. Philip Fink will explain how various types of transactions impact financial statements.  Participants will learn how to use financial terminology so that they can effectively communicate with their accountants and financial managers. Attendees will also learn how to: interpret and understand financial reports in order to increase a firm’s profitability; understand how depreciation affects financial reports and cash flow; and recognize the difference between the accrual and cash basis accounting.

Six Sigma Principles for Higher Education 
Seminar Date:  December 9, 2009               Time: 8:30am-4:30pm                      Instructor:  Dr. Don Levitt
Your department can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer service in every interaction by following a disciplined approach to process improvement.  In this workshop participants will learn how to apply the tools of Six Sigma and Quality to their own departmental processes.  Worksheets and guidelines will also be provided to support the participant in creating a culture of continuous improvement, and making the culture permanent.  Successful process improvement initiatives at The University of Toledo will be used to illustrate key points.  By sending at least two participants to this workshop, departments will be best able to practice applying the tools to their actual workplace challenges.

Solving the Job Puzzle
Seminar Date:  December 2 and 9, 2009          Time: 8:30am-12:30pm       Instructor:  Dr. Sheri Caldwell
As a puzzle offers a mental challenge so does “finding the right job fit.”  A puzzle is designed to improve your skills and once solved it is a rewarding experience.

This workshop is designed around that same concept.  Most job seekers or those looking to improve their career exploring skills, wish they could figure out the secret to solving the puzzle of what makes an employer get excited about hiring them.  Every employer is looking for a specific set of skills from job seekers.  Yet there are certain skills which are universally sought by employers and most job seekers overlook the fact that they possess these skills to some extent. The best news is that once you understand the skills and characteristics that most employers seek, you can tailor your job-search from your resume, cover letter, and interview language to showcase how well your background aligns with an employer’s requirements.

This session offers experience from an employer’s perspective and their knowledge of the current trends in job hunting.  Learn how to assemble all the pieces of the puzzle together and use this workshop to help you solve your career search skills.

Change Management (based on the book, Who Moved My Cheese?)
Seminar Date:  January 14, 2010                     Time:  8:30am-12:00pm            Instructor:  Mike McCartney
Recommended Attendees:

• Senior Executives trying to reinvent their organizations
• Key Stakeholders & Functional Department Heads:
  • Who control critical resources
  • Who must approve key aspects of any strategy implementation
  • Who shape the thinking of other critical constituents, or
  • Who own a key work process impacted by the change initiative
• Project Managers/ Change Agents who are leading your implementation teams.
• Managers of Organizational Development who are responsible for designing the training that is meant to create an organizational culture that is adaptive to change and continuous improvement.

Course Objectives:  Give employees a way of looking at change that helps them adjust more quickly by

• Building organizational flexibility and open-mindedness
• Creating an adaptive organization that yields a strategic competitive advantage
• Learning how managers should help employees anticipate and cope with constant, unrelenting change

Agenda:

• The ‘Realities & Trauma of Change’ Management’s Responsibilities
• Employees’ Reaction: Why do we need to make this change anyway? (The Situation Analysis)
• Seven Things We Know about the Nature of Change
• The Process of Change: Where are we going? (The Future State)
• Management’s Responsibilities & the Roles of the Participants
• Coaching Employees to Take Control and Commit to the Change

Emotional Intelligence
Seminar Date:  January 26, 2010                Time: 8:30am-12pm                Instructor: Dr. Margaret Hopkins
Great leaders move us through basic human process – our emotions. Exceptional leaders are not just smart or lucky, but more frequently rely on their emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage oneself and to understand and work with others. As a result of this course, participants will:

• Learn how outstanding leaders harness the power of positive emotions
• Apply EI to themselves and their workplaces
• Identify strategies for enhancing their leadership and emotional intelligence
• Learn how to lead others more positively toward outstanding performance

Fundamentals of Project Management  (2 days)
Seminar Date:  Feb. 8 and 9, 2010               Time: 9am-5pm                       Instructor:  Doug Boebinger
The course familiarizes professionals with the fundamentals of project management and provides the essential skills that can be utilized immediately to ensure long-term success. This first level of PPMB will address the following knowledge areas described in the Project Management Institute’s PMBOK Guide:  Project Scope Management, Project Time Management, Project Cost Management, Project Risk Management, and Project Human Resource Management.  Upon completion, students will understand the basic concepts of project management and acquire:

• The skill and confidence to successfully plan and contract projects
• The ability to deliver a desired product on time and within budget
• The know-how to identify what a project actually requires in time and resources
• The confidence to clearly communicate project requirements and set attainable goals with customers, managers and team members
• An understanding of what it takes to succeed as a project manager
• The basics of planning so you can use project management software effectively

Rapid Strategic Planning
Seminar Date:  February 17, 2010               Time: 8:30am-4:30pm                Instructor: Dr. Don Levitt
This seminar is designed for leaders – and their teams – who want to stop “fighting fires” and start focusing their resources on the most critical factors for success by improving key performance measures.  Rapid Strategic Planning is a streamlined and systematic approach to creating one’s own roadmap that is both practical and flexible and which will take the participants to the next level of performance.  This hands-on seminar provides the worksheets, guidelines, models and steps for developing, implementing and sustaining your plan for success.  Participants will apply the tools and complete an initial “roadmap” during the seminar.  Departments which send two or more participants to this seminar will be best able to immediately apply these tools to their “real world” issues.

Risk of Project Management (2 days) 
Seminar Date:  Feb. 22 and 23, 2010          Time: 9am-5pm                       Instructor:  Doug Boebinger
This second level of PPMB will address additional knowledge areas described in the Project Management Institute’s PMBOK Guide.  The class will cover:  Project Integration Management, Project Procurement Management, Project Quality Management, and Project Communication Management.  Contents of the course will include:

• The big picture: Aligning the project with strategy
• Structuring the project for success
• Flawless execution

Performance Appraisals: Planning, Implementing and Monitoring
Seminar Date:  March 17, 2010                 Time: 8:30am-12:00pm            Instructor:  Dr. Dale Dwyer
Most managers hate doing performance appraisals, often because they (1) aren’t sure how to do them effectively, (2) don’t like having difficult conversations with marginal performers, and (3) believe that the appraisal process takes a lot of time, keeping them from their “real” jobs. However, this course helps managers understand that their primary job is to help employees be successful at their jobs and demonstrates how to incorporate performance evaluation and development throughout the year.

Solving the Job Puzzle
Seminar Date:  March 17 and 31, 2010          Time: 8:30am-12:30pm       Instructor:  Dr. Sheri Caldwell
As a puzzle offers a mental challenge so does “finding the right job fit.”  A puzzle is designed to improve your skills and once solved it is a rewarding experience.

This workshop is designed around that same concept. Most job seekers or those looking to improve their career exploring skills, wish they could figure out the secret to solving the puzzle of what makes an employer get excited about hiring them.  Every employer is looking for a specific set of skills from job seekers.  Yet there are certain skills which are universally sought by employers and most job seekers overlook the fact that they possess these skills to some extent. The best news is that once you understand the skills and characteristics that most employers seek, you can tailor your job-search from your resume, cover letter, and interview language to showcase how well your background aligns with an employer’s requirements.

This session offers experience from an employer’s perspective and their knowledge of the current trends in job hunting.  Learn how to assemble all the pieces of the puzzle together and use this workshop to help you solve your career search skills.

Effective Business Writing
Seminar Date: March 23, 2010                       Time: 8:30am-4:30pm               Instructor: Debra A. Smith
Debra Smith will share many techniques to help you write with more speed, clarity, and impact than ever before. In this information-packed program, participants will learn how to:

• Organize their thoughts before writing
• Break through the “blank page panic”
• Hook their reader with the opening
• Let their personality shine through
• Make their documents more appealing and “reader friendly”
• Convey credibility and professionalism
• Purge wordiness, jargon, and clichés
• Eliminate irritating redundancies
• Build goodwill and cooperation
• Write effective e-mail messages
• Deliver bad news inoffensively
• Produce mistake-free documents

This seminar is appropriate for anyone who writes letters, memos, reports, proposals, or other business related documents.  It is especially helpful for managers and supervisors who need to add more impact to their writing, administrative assistants who write for their managers, employees who need to make proposals more persuasive, and technical professionals who need to make complex material clearer and easier to understand.

Assertive Communication Skills
Seminar Date: March 24, 2010                       Time: 8:30am-4:30pm            Instructor: Debra A. Smith
During this program, participants will develop assertive skills that will enhance their ability to communicate more clearly and confidently, set limits more effectively, deal with difficult people more easily, and project more personal power.  Specifically, participants will learn how to:

• Evaluate their current level of assertiveness
• Change their attitudes, expectations, beliefs, and perceptions to think assertively
• Identify the three communication styles—nonassertive, aggressive, and assertive behavior
• Choose assertive words and body language signals
• Accept responsibility for their feelings and respect the feelings of others
• Develop appropriate responses without becoming combative
• Expand their assertiveness by mastering an approach for dealing with conflicts
• Assert themselves in special situations—saying no, coping with criticism, and listening

How to Give Exceptional Customer Service
Seminar Date: March 25, 2010          Times: 8:30am-12pm or 1:00pm-4:30pm      Instructor: Debra A. Smith
This course is designed to provide customer-focused strategies to deliver the exceptional customer service expected by today’s customers. The specifics of customer commitment and retention as well as a service excellence attitude that permeates UT's organization is explored, as well as the importance of delighting both internal and external customers in order to create positive “Moments of Truth.”

Getting Results
Seminar Date:  March 31, 2010         Time: 9:00am-4:00pm  Instructors:  Drs. Clint Longenecker /Jack Simonetti
This seminar is designed for supervisors and management personnel who wish to improve their performance and/or the performance of their teams, as well as anyone interested in improving his/her ability to get results.  Participants with acquire a step-by-step guide for action to help them “get results” in a very effective fashion with and through people and processes.  The instructors will draw upon a large database of organizations and managers from extensive, applied research that will be the heart and soul of this workshop.

Negotiation Skills
Seminar Date: April 7, 2010              Time: 8:30am-12pm                Instructor: Dr. Bob Yonker
Contrary to popular belief, successful negotiators are not born, rather they are made.  That is, you can actually teach people how to become proficient negotiators.  This hands-on training module presents relevant information that will help you hone your negotiation skills.  Topics to be covered include:

• Self-assessing negotiation style
• Identifying different types of negotiation situations
• Planning and preparing for negotiations
• Creating leverage/power in negotiations
• Claiming value in negotiations
• Discovering joint gains in negotiations (win/win solutions)
• Building relationships in negotiations
• Common errors (biases) that hinder optimal negotiation outcomes

Mentoring and Coaching Skills
Seminar Date: April 13, 2010               Time: 8:30am-11:00am             Instructor: Dr. Margaret Hopkins
Effective leaders rely on the power of mentoring and coaching to bring out the best in themselves and others.  Coaching and mentoring skills provide a culture of support, feedback and continuous learning.  People who have experienced mentoring or coaching report greater satisfaction and career success.  This course will explore the specific roles and critical characteristics of a mentoring relationship as well as keys to constructive coaching.  As a result of this course, participants will:

• Learn about the roles of a mentor and a coach
• Identify the skills of effective mentors and coaches
• Discover the benefits of mentoring and coaching relationships for career development

Managing in Today's Changing Environment
Seminar Date: May 18, 2010                Time: 9:00am-4:00pm           Instructor: Dr. Jack Simonetti
The best leaders know that it is essential to keep learning about management, human behavior and organizational development, and to continue refining the art of their leadership style. This program is designed to help managers assimilate a variety of managerial skills quickly, so that they can meet the challenges of a changing workplace with confidence.  Some of the topics covered during the seminar will include:

• The role and functions of a manager
• Creative decision making and problem solving
• Effective communications
• Leadership and motivation
• Performance appraisal
• Career survival and success
• Development of interpersonal relations

PLEASE NOTE:  For questions relating to Professional Development Courses – classroom format (listed above), please call Eva Curtis at (419) 724-2592 or contact her via email at eva.curtis@utoledo.edu. 

Classroom Format Computer Courses - Descriptions
All classroom format computer courses will be held on the Scott Park Campus, room LRC 4330.  Departments of registrants who do not cancel at least one week prior to the start of a class or are no-shows will be charged back for the cost of the registrations. Please refer to the course schedule matrix for dates, times and locations.

Introduction to Excel - Learn the basics of Excel by creating and modifying a worksheet, enhancing the worksheet’s appearance, controlling printed output, and creating formulas.

Intermediate Excel - Further your knowledge of Excel by expanding you formula-writing abilities.  In this class you will learn financial functions, logical functions, date/time functions as well as how to build charts and control the worksheet display.

Social Networking Basics - LinkedIn, Twitter, Social Media.  These terms are in the news and on people’s minds.  What are they and what can they do for you?  In this class you will learn about social media to create and use profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

SmartBoard Basics - The use of the SmartBoard technology allows interactive presentations to audiences either in person or via the Internet. By "digitizing" graphic content presenters use computers to convey information using PowerPoint software, computer utility software such as Word and Excel or the SmartBoard as a "chalkboard." This course will provide the basic introduction on how the SmartBoard works as well as common functions a presenter could use in presentations.

Advanced Excel - Are you ready to take your Excel skills even further?  This level covers naming ranges, lookup functions, templates, auditing, pivot tables, databases, analyzing data, importing, exporting, and using workgroup features.

Introduction to Word - Learn how to make professional-looking documents with Word.  This course introduces the beginner to creating, modifying, and formatting a document in addition to using Word’s writing and drawing tools.

Introduction to Crystal Reports - Crystal reports is a database reporting tool that can help you analyze and present data from a variety of sources.  In this seminar you will learn about creating simple reports, working with the report design environment, organizing and analyzing report data, using parameter fields, formulas and functions, record selections, sub reports, cross-tab analysis, charting and graphing.

Intermediate Word - Take your knowledge of Word to the next level!  This seminar covers intermediate editing and formatting techniques, tables, columns, styles, templates, setting up outline documents, and producing a report.

Excel Macros - This course covers the basics of writing macros in Excel.  From using the macro recorder to working in the Visual Basic Editor, we will learn the steps to recording macros, storage locations and methods of activating the macros.

Intermediate Crystal Reports - Further your data analysis capabilities by taking this course.  You will be creating complex reports using parameter fields, sub-reports, and the section expert.  You will work with advanced formulas, functions, data access techniques, charts, and maps.

Advanced Word - Learn to save even more time with Word.  This seminar covers advanced editing and formatting, tables, report techniques, charts, pictures, performing a mail merge, and creating a Word form.  It also introduces macros.

Introduction to Access - This course is designed for those who are new to the world of databases.  The seminar covers setting up a new database by creating a table and form, displaying selected records by applying filters, creating queries, creating and modifying a report, and importing spreadsheet data.

Intermediate Access - In this seminar you will further your knowledge of databases and of Access.  We will cover working with relating tables, creating custom forms, queries, reports, Access Internet features, and compacting and repairing a database.

Advanced Access - This level covers transferring data between Access and other applications, creating a many-to-many relationship and a one-to-one relationship between tables, and creating a switchboard.

Introduction to Project - Learn to identify the steps in project planning by building a project, developing a project plan, defining goals, requirements, tracking the progress of a project, resolving resource over-allocation problems, reporting the progress of a project, and evaluating a completed project.

Introduction to PowerPoint - Learn the easy way to make professional-looking presentations.  This seminar covers creating text slides, tables, clip art, design templates, speaker notes, and producing a slide show.

Digital Photo Editing - Bring your digital pictures and explore the basics of editing your digital pictures using Photoshop Elements.  This application can help you edit your pictures, whether it is on a website, in a publication or for your own personal use.

Intermediate PowerPoint - Are you ready to take your presentations to the next level?  This seminar covers sharing data with Microsoft Excel and Word, using charts, adding special effects to text, adding sound and motion clip files, inserting action buttons, and working with AutoShapes.

Moving to Office 2007 - This course is designed for people who are comfortable with previous versions of Microsoft Office and are now upgrading to Office 2007.  Learn about new features such as the ribbon, live preview, mini toolbar, quick access toolbar, styles, SmartArt and more.

Introduction to Expression Web - This seminar is designed for people who would like build a basic website quickly.  The seminar will cover working with tables, pictures, and hyperlinks, using dynamic HTML effects, managing a web, and more.  

Outlook: Email Made Easy - Learn the basics of using Outlook as your email program.  In this course students will learn to send and receive emails, work with attachments and how to organize their emails with folders.

Outlook: Appointments and Meetings - Further your knowledge of Outlook by learning to use the Calendar area of the program.  In this course students will learn how to set appointments, create meeting requests and share calendars on a network. 

Outlook: Contact Management - Outlook can help businesses manage their contacts.  In this course students will create contacts, learn how to categorize them, create V-cards and distribution lists.  We will also work with the journal capabilities so that participants will learn how to track sales and other activities with their contacts. 

Online Format Professional Development and Computer Courses - Descriptions

Online Computer Courses – Self-Paced
The following online computer courses are self-paced and may be started as soon as the student’s registration is confirmed.  Students have up to 90 days to complete each course.  All online courses have limited enrollment.  Reservations are based on first come – first served basis.  

Access 2007 Level 1 – Students will learn what a database is and how an effective database should be designed and set up.  They will learn the importance of establishing relationships, as well as how to establish and edit relationships and enforce referential integrity.

Access 2007 Level 2 – This course strives to broaden and develop the basic database design skills that students already possess.  Students will gain a more complete understanding of how to create and use the primary database objects in MS Office Access 2007, including tables, queries, forms, and reports.

Excel 2007 Level 1 – This course covers basic spreadsheet features and acquaints students with Excel's tools.  Students will learn to manage workbooks, work with cells and cell data, format and print worksheets, create and revise formulas, work with basic functions, use fills to save data entry time, and create and modify charts from worksheet data.

Excel 2007 Level 2 – Students will learn how to convert older workbooks to the new default XML-based file format; customize the Quick Access toolbar; use logical and financial functions; format worksheets using themes, styles, and page breaks; use 3-D references; ready workbooks for the Web; use templates to create workbooks; and insert and manipulate objects such as shapes and SmartArt diagrams into a spreadsheet.

Outlook 2007 Level 1 – Students will learn how to create, send, preview, read, reply to, and forward e-mail messages.  They’ll also learn about recalling messages, attaching files to messages, resending messages, marking messages as unread, deleting messages, organizing messages into folders, and previewing and printing messages.

Outlook 2007 Level 2 – Students will learn how to customize messages by setting default message formats and fonts as well as by adding signatures, themes, and stationery.  They will also learn how to create, activate, and turn off Out of Office messages; set message importance and sensitivity; delay delivery of messages; request delivery receipts; and create e-mail polls.

PowerPoint 2007 Level 1 – Students will learn how to design PowerPoint presentations on their computers through examples and interactive exercises.  They will learn about the key interface changes of Microsoft Office 2007, namely the Ribbon, Quick Access toolbar, Mini toolbar, and galleries.

PowerPoint 2007 Level 2 – This course builds upon the basic MS Office PowerPoint skills taught in Level 1 course.  Students will learn how to modify the Quick Access toolbar.  They will also discover how to use existing information to create a presentation, including importing outlines from Word and inserting slides from other presentations.

Word 2007 Level 1 – This course is designed to familiarize students with key introductory features of MS Office Word 2007, as well as introduce them to some of its new interface features like the Ribbon, Mini toolbar, Quick Access toolbar, contextual tabs, and galleries.  Students will learn the tricks that will help them create, edit, and modify text-based documents.

Word 2007 Level 2 – This course builds upon skills covered in Level 1 course.  Students will learn how to further enhance documents by adding items such as symbols, AutoText, multilevel lists, hyperlinks, and information found using the Research task pane. Paragraph formatting will also be examined, covering skills such as setting indents; changing line spacing and page orientation; setting tab stops; applying paragraph styles; and using Quick Style sets.

Online Professional Development Courses
New sessions of the following online courses begin monthly.  Two lessons are released each week over a 6 week period.  Students are given a 2 week grace period after the last lesson to complete the program.  All online courses have limited enrollment.  Reservations are based on first come – first served basis.

A to Z Grant Writing - Learn how to research and develop relationships with potential funding sources, organize grant writing campaigns, and prepare proposals.

Advanced Grant Proposal Writing - Gain a full understanding of the criteria funders use to determine whether your grant proposal gets funded or rejected.

Effective Business Writing - Improve your career prospects by learning how to develop powerful written documents that draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue to the end.

Introduction to MS Office Accounting Professional 2008 - Learn how to use MS Office Accounting Professional 2008 from a Certified Public Accountant who specializes in small-business accounting.

Introduction to Peachtree Accounting 2009 - Get the training you need to perform everyday accounting tasks using Peachtree Accounting software.

Introduction to QuickBooks 2008 - Learn how QuickBooks makes it easy to set up a chart of accounts, reconcile your checking account, create and print invoices, receipts, and statements, track your payables, inventory, and receivables, create estimates and generate reports.

Performing Payroll in QuickBooks 2009 - Learn to use QuickBooks 2009 to create paychecks, pay tax liabilities, and produce dazzling payroll reports.

Speed Spanish - Learn six easy recipes to glue Spanish words together into sentences, and you'll be engaging in conversational Spanish in no time.

Speed Spanish II - Clever follow-up to our popular Speed Spanish course.  Several new recipes help you quickly build fluency.

Start Your Own Small Business - Stop dreaming and learn how to start your own successful small business.  In this class, you'll learn everything you need to know about starting a business, including start-up options, proven marketing techniques, unique financing options, and easy employee-management tips.

Online Computer Courses
New sessions of the following online courses begin monthly.  Two lessons are released each week over a 6 week period.  Students are given a 2 week grace period after the last lesson to complete the program.  All online courses have limited enrollment.  Reservations are based on first come – first served basis.

What's New in Microsoft Office 2007 - Learn the most important new features of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access 2007, including the totally new Ribbon and tab user interface that replaces menus and toolbars from earlier versions.

Introduction to Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Become a productive and confident Microsoft Outlook 2007 user.

Introduction to Microsoft Word 2007 - Learn how to create and modify documents with the world's most popular word processor.

Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2007 – Do you work with numbers?  Then you need to know Excel.  Learn the secrets of this powerful application.

Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 - Learn how to use Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 to create impressive, professional-looking slide presentations.

Introduction to Microsoft Access 2007 - Learn how Microsoft's powerful database can help you store and manage the information you've collected about your business, home, or community.

Introduction to Microsoft Publisher 2007 - In this hands-on, project-oriented class for beginners, you'll learn how to design, create, and publish a wide variety of stunning documents using Microsoft Publisher 2007.

Introduction to Microsoft Project 2007 - Learn how to effectively plan, implement, and control projects using Microsoft Project 2007.

Introduction to Microsoft Visio 2007 - Get the training you need to create professional-looking flowcharts and diagrams using one of the most popular flowcharting programs on the market, Microsoft Visio 2007.

Introduction to Crystal Reports 10 - Make the points you want to make by converting raw database or accounting information into impressive and meaningful reports.

Introduction to Visual Basic 2008 - Learn to create Windows applications using the popular and easy-to-master Visual Basic 2008.

Introduction to Windows Vista - Learn the important basic skills and concepts you need to take control of your Windows Vista PC.

Introduction to Windows XP - Learn how Windows XP makes it easy to work with text, pictures, audio, video, and more.

Intermediate Microsoft Word 2007 - Learn more advanced features of Microsoft Word 2007, which enable you to create an index, a list of figures, and a table of contents, do desktop publishing, perform a mail merge, and use timesaving macros.

Intermediate Microsoft Excel 2007 - Master advanced features of Microsoft Excel 2007, including charting and PivotTables, and discover how this powerful MS Office program can boost your productivity.

Intermediate Microsoft Access 2007 - Expand your Microsoft Access 2007 skills to build better, more user-friendly Access databases.

PLEASE NOTE:  For questions relating to computer or online courses, please call Tami Norris at (419) 530-3321 or contact her via email at tami.norris@utoledo.edu