User Training

Hmm. I hope people actually read this section! I know I dont! :p

I was "asked" to teach a basic-level class on Word and Excel. The problem is, I use Word and Excel less now than I did in college. Most of these secreta...erm, assitants know more about it than I do. Anyone out there have some suggestions on what to cover or any resources I can use, books, sites, or otherwise?

Thank ya.

do you get a budget for training materials?

If so perhaps purchase an Office XP introduction book, like the Dummies series or complete idiots series and just use the lessons and exercises from the book. I find that most of the time, these books are laid out and outlined well for the regular user so it would save you the time of designing a course outline by scratch

Having been there, done that & bought the t-shirt .... here's my course outlines, I did exactly as Kato already suggested & bought a couple of 'dummies' books ....

Word Basics
Screen Layout, Menus and Toolbars
Using Help and the Office Assistant
Document Navigation and Selection
Insert,Modify, Move and Edit Text and Symbols
Work with Document Views
Enter and Format Date and Time In Documents
Using Smart Tags and Task Panes

Managing Documents
Open, Close and Save Documents
Save Documents Using Different Names and File Formats
Manage Files and Folders
Using Find File
Document Properties and Multiple Document Windows

Character Formatting
Apply Font and Text Effects
Apply and Modify Text Formats
Use the Format Painter
Apply Character Styles

Paragraph Formatting
Modify Paragraph Formatting - Alignment, Spacing and Justification
Set and Modify Tabs
Apply Bullets, Numbering and Outline Number Formats
Apply Paragraph Styles

Editing Tools
Spell and Grammar Checking, Thesaurus
Undo, Redo and Repeat
Find and Replace
Using AutoCorrect
Create, Edit and Use AutoText Entries

Formatting Documents
Create and Modify Headers and Footers
Modify Document Layout and Page Setup Options
Print and Preview Documents
Envelopes and Labels
Create and Modify Tables

& for Excel ... very similar !

Excel Basics
Screen Layout, Menus and Toolbars
Cell Navigation and Selection
Undo Operations and the Office Assistant
Entering, Deleting and Editing Data - Text and Numbers
Spell Checking, Find and Replace
The Office Clipboard - Cut/Copy and Paste
Using AutoFill To Copy or Increment Values

Managing Workbooks
Creating, Saving, Closing and Opening Files
Creating and Working with Folders
Create Workbooks Using Templates
Save Workbooks Using Different Names and Formats

Formatting Data
Applying and Clearing Cell Formats
Inserting and Deleting Cells, Rows and Columns
Formatting Row Height and Column Widths
Text Formatting - Rotating, Alignment, Indenting
Applying Number and Currency Formatting
Applying Borders and Shading
Applying Styles, Using Automated Tools to Format Worksheets

Formulas and Functions
Entering and Editing Formulas
Absolute and Relative References
Overview of Functions
SUM, IF, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN and COUNT Functions
Using Paste Function to Insert a Function

Printing and Page Setup
Entering and Editing Formulas
Absolute and Relative References
Overview of Functions
SUM, IF, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN and COUNT Functions
Using Paste Function to Insert a Function

Basic List Management
Freeze Window Panes and Split Screens
Sorting Lists
Filtering Lists using Auto Filter

Working with Charts
Creating and Modifying Simple Charts
Working with Chart Elements
Changing the Chart Type
Formatting and Printing Charts

Document Recovery
Recovering Workbooks

& if you have people that know most of this stuff, they help with the tricky bits!

he-he that must be the 'longest' post that I ever wrote, I finally have a use for cut & paste!! :D

Thanks guys, I will definitely use your advice. Thank you for the list especially, Ed.