All posts by lablearning

How to Create an Effective Powerpoint Presentation

August 8, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & StrategiesPowerPoint learning, PowerPoint Software, PowerPoint textbooks, teaching PowerPointlablearning

microsoft-powerpoint-2013 — Source: via pcmag.com

PowerPoint is the go-to program for presentations both in academia and in the professional arena. Creating an effective PowerPoint presentation is key when it comes to making an impression on student peers and colleagues. Don’t forget to teach your computer students these useful tips when learning to use PowerPoint. They will create a more effective presentation, which can help them boost their grade or make that next big sale.

One slide per point. Most audience members read the slides quicker than you can speak about the points. Therefore, a slide with multiple points means the audience is waiting for you to catch up. By presenting one thing at a time, the audience and presenter remain on the same page, or slide, which makes for a more engaging presentation.

Keep it short. Each slide is there to highlight key points, statistics, and/or a graphic. If you write paragraphs, it defeats the point. Think of it like a book; your voice is the narration and the slides are the illustrations.

Attractive Formatting. Don’t get too carried away with PowerPoint bells and whistles, it can make your presentation difficult to follow. Keep things spaced nicely, use easy-to-read fonts, and try to use light backgrounds with dark text. Centered text is hard to read so only center titles. Avoid cluttered slides. It’s a sign you are over-formatting or including too much information on one slide.

Labyrinth Learning has PowerPoint textbooks and software that make learning to use PowerPoint easy for students or corporate trainees. Contact us today to find out more!

Often Overlooked Features of Quickbooks

August 5, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & StrategiesQuickbooks Pro, Quickbooks textbookslablearning

Computer tablet with business documents — Source: shutterstock.com

We admit, it’s almost impossible for any software user to learn every single feature, or trick, at first! That’s why it’s so important for students and professionals to continue their learning process by taking higher level computer classes and refreshers. Longtime QuickBook users can be as delighted as a child opening a present when they’re reminded or exposed to often overlooked features that make their job a little easier.

Here are some overlooked features that will help your students learn QuickBooks Pro a little better.

Custom customer editing. Sometimes, we need to insert information about a customer that’s not already preset in the QuickBooks Customer Field. You can click “Additional Information,” and then “Define Fields,” to add the information quickly.

Multiple customer invoicing. There are times when you just need to move the invoicing process along at a quicker pace. One way to accomplish this is by clicking “Create Batch Invoices” within the “Customers” menu. This function lets you set up invoices for multiple clients at a time.

Import credit card activity. Tired of manually inputting all of the credit card activity? Even the most accurate of accountants is bound to make a mistake once in a while. Click, “Enter Credit Card Changes” in the Banking menu, and then select “Download Credit Card Charges.”

Labyrinth Learning has designed our textbooks and software in a way that ensures students and employees learn QuickBooks Pro effectively.

The Hidden Benefits of LMS

August 1, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiescourse management software, e-learning resources, Labyrinth Learning, learning management systems, teaching tips for computer instructors, teaching tips for online course instructors, tips for teaching computer skillslablearning

Learning management systems (LMS) are becoming increasingly popular. From community college courses to corporate training programs, there are multiple benefits to using an LMS, including these 6 highlighted by the Training Zone:

Comprehensive management. From email text reminders to full course management, a good learning management system takes a holistic approach, including sign-in sheets and certification.
Simple reports. Your reporting shouldn’t have to be complex. Whether it’s remembering upcoming certificate expiration dates or handling compliance issues, an LMS should be set up so simple, easy-to-access reports are delivered right to a manager’s inbox.
Department training expenses. At a single glance, managers should be able to see which funds are being allocated to each department to better facilitate the training budget.
Meet your regulatory requirements. Regulations and compliance continue to become ever more complicated. An LMS can help to eliminate human error. Even complex healthcare and financial industry regulations and compliance can be managed using a good LMS.
Empower Employees. No need to schedule mass training sessions or a month of Saturdays to keep certifications, training, and compliance up-to-date. Your employees can navigate the LMS on their own clock in order to meet deadlines and keep their education and training current.
Say goodbye to IT nightmares. A good LMS will be web-based or hosted by the LMS provider, meaning you can allocate costly IT management costs elsewhere.

Is your institution using a Learning Management System? Browse Labyrinth Learning’s selection of learning solutions that easily integrate with your LMS.

Become a Microsoft Word Power User

July 29, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & StrategiesMicrosoft Office 2013, MS Word, teaching Microsoft Wordlablearning

It may seem logical to equate long-time Microsoft Word use with expertise. But in fact, quite the opposite can happen. Long-time Word users might miss out on learning new shortcuts and features, which can make them less efficient user than those who have recently completed a Microsoft Office 2013 training program.

If you want to help your employees be the best they can be, consider hosting a company-wide training session, using a MS Word FastCourse to bring them up to speed – literally! In the meantime, here are some tricks to help them become Microsoft Words Power Users.

Simplify formatting. Much of the work professionals do using Word ends up in web copy or printed using a publisher. Each of these formats has their own formatting preferences, which means you can spend a good deal of time trying to figure out why your text isn’t formatting properly. To prevent any formatting “fluff”, click on the Options dialogue, select the Proofing tab in the left column, select Auto Correct, and then un-click all of the selections. This will keep your formatting pared down to the basics.

Continue Working. When you open a document to continue working, hit Shift+F5 and it will take you to where you left off.

Change Case. Irritated by having to manually change letter cases, like when your headings are inconsistent? Shift+F3 allows you to toggle through case options efficiently.

We can’t give all of our secrets away now, can we? Invest in Labyrinth Learning’s Microsoft Office 2013 software to learn more!

Tips to Make Your Excel Charts and Graphs Pop

July 26, 2013Featured, Teaching Tips & Strategiescomputer accounting methods, computer software, Microsoft Excel 2013, Microsoft Excel 2013 Textbookslablearning

Excel 2013 legend-placement-comparison — Source: searchengineland.com

Who says looks don’t matter? The human eye has a natural inclination for proportion, color, and balance. If you go crazy using bells and whistles when creating your Excel charts and graphs, they can end up being difficult to read or decipher. Here are tips to make your Microsoft Excel 2013 charts and graphs pop.

Get rid of the gridlines. In theory, gridlines are there to help your eye track specific data. In reality, they create the equivalent of visual “background noise,” which mucks up the total effect and is more of a distraction than a help. Your charts will have more impact without them. Simply click on any gridline other than the top one (that will select the entire plot area). Then hit Ctrl-1 to access the formatting box. Select line color > no line, and – viola! It’s easier on the eyes.

Legend relocation. Tired of your chart legends on the right? They always make things appear off center. You can easily relocate the legend to the top or bottom of the page. Click Ctrl-1, then find the Legends category and choose Positions (called Placement on Macs). It’s much cleaner.

Sort your data. Keep the chart looking orderly and streamlined by sorting data in descending order beforehand. Once your data is sorted according to how you want it to appear in the chart, a change in data will automatically be reflected in your chart.

Use Labyrinth Learning’s Microsoft Excel 2013 software and textbooks to help your students’ Excel charts and graphs pop.

Speed Up Your Work With These Simple Excel Tricks

June 28, 2013FeaturedExcel course materials, Excel keyboard shortcuts, Labyrinth Learning, Microsoft Excel 2013lablearning

If it has been a while since you attended a brush-up course on Microsoft Excel, you’ll know this feeling; you leave the seminar inspired. You can’t wait to get to work and use the new tricks at work, but over the course of a few weeks, you’re lucky if three or four of the new shortcuts you learned make it into your daily rotation. Sound familiar?

Here are some simple Microsoft Excel 2013 tricks you can share at your weekly meeting to keep coworkers up to speed.

Select All. Quick keyboard commands can shave seconds, which quickly add up to minutes and hours, off of your everyday computer tasks. [Ctrl]+A can be used to select all of the data in your Excel spreadsheet at one time. It also works in Word and other Windows applications.

Copy/Transfer Formatting. Here’s a trick you’ll really thank us for. The Excel Format Painter Tool is often neglected, but not for long. When you want to transfer the cell formatting (not formula), simply select the cell and right click. See the paint brush in the bottom-right corner? Select it. Then click on any other cell(s) and the identical formatting will be copied.

Display formulas. When you hit [Ctrl] + ~, all of the formulas in a spreadsheet will be visible, allowing you to edit/tweak them as needed.

Labyrinth Learning has a host of Microsoft Excel 2013 products that can teach your employees basic and advanced skills, or can be used for a FastCourse refresher at your next training seminar.

Discover Some of The Most Underused Features of Microsoft Office

June 26, 2013FeaturedLabyrinth Learning, Microsoft Office 2013, new features, teaching computer literacylablearning

While a single computer course can teach you the basics, seminars, additional training sessions, and advanced computer courses are the best way to break out of your routines and learn new tricks to enhance your performance.

To prove a point, we thought we’d share some of the most underused features of Microsoft Office 2013, compliments of TechRepublic.com.

Find a recent file. How many times have you saved a file one day, and then struggled to find it the next? The search feature can take forever, which contributes to the frustration. Instead, you can click on “File” and then select “Recent.” Voila! Your most recent saves will appear. This works in both Word and Excel.
Create your own templates. If you find you use the same format over and over again, it will save time if you simply create your own template. In older versions of Word, this was a bit complicated. The new Microsoft Office 2013 Suite has simplified the process. Click here to learn how to make easy templates of your own.
Quick Excel tables. If you use Microsoft Excel on a regular basis, you will save a good deal of time and energy by learning all you can about the table features. It is easy to transform a range of data into a table for easier data formulating and manipulation.

Maybe it’s time for you company to splurge on a Microsoft Office seminar for your trainers and employees. Contact Labyrinth Learning to discuss software options that will enhance employee performance.

MOOCs Role in Today’s Community Colleges

June 24, 2013Featuredassessing student performance, course management software, e-learning resources, Labyrinth Learning, teaching tips for online course instructorslablearning

Community college MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, are being scrutinized as more community colleges strive to meet the needs of their students while managing significant budget cuts. The online publication Community College Week recently published an article titled, “Survey: Community Colleges Remain Wary of MOOCs,” summarizing the results of a recent survey regarding MOOCs and their role in community colleges.

Here are two survey findings we feel are particularly interesting.

Completion rates of MOOCs are low. While completion of MOOCs may be low, students who participate in traditional distance learning methods seem to do just fine, “The gap between distance learning and face-to-face student completion rates has significantly narrowed.” This tells us that distance learning is doing something right, and MOOCs need to find the right combination of learning materials and method before their completion gaps will catch up.

Learning materials matter. The key to student success, whether it be face-to-face or online, is directly related to, “…course quality and design, faculty training and preparation, course assessment, and improvements in student readiness and retention.” The materials we create here at Labyrinth Learning are designed to do just that. Our textbook and eLearning tools incorporate self-paced, hands-on learning strategies, effective assessments, and ample resources for students and instructors.

Labyrinth Learning textbooks and online resources are designed for both face to face and MOOC environments. Contact Labyrinth Learning to learn more.

Photo Source: Shutterstock

Divide for Disadvantaged College Students Continues to Grow

June 20, 2013Featuredassessing student performance, e-learning resources, Labyrinth Learninglablearning

The divide for disadvantaged students at community colleges continues to widen. Reasons for this are complex. However, if one were pressed to define the problem it boils down to resources. “Government funding skews toward universities with more advantaged students, due in part to research support and tax breaks,” says Paul Fain in his article, Equity Gaps Widen, published on InsideHigherEd.com.

Students attending community colleges have far fewer resources than their four-year college counterparts. And, because community colleges are more affordable, a larger sector of their student populations are from underprivileged backgrounds. So, what are the resources that community college students lack?

Per student costs. When you eliminate the higher cost of on-campus housing and faculty research funding typically found at 4-year institutions, 2-year colleges are able to spend about $5,000 per student. That figure is doubled to $10,000 at public research colleges, and quadrupled to $20,000 at most private research colleges.

Access to learning resources. While a community college is able to supply a moderate amount of technology for students and their learning process, students often have to rely on their own technology to complete online courses, write papers, do research, etc. Most large universities provide a more ample supply of technology for students, even though the general student population comes from more affluent backgrounds, and already has access to technology at home.

As a company that prioritizes streamlining the learning process, Labyrinth Learning is hopeful that emerging reports on existing disparities will help to shift to create a more equitable funding solution.

Photo Source: Shutterstock