ITQ Levels 1 and 2

This course explains the basics of how computers operate and store information, so you know exactly what's going on. Depending on your level, you'll learn how to:

• understand different kinds of icons, files and folders, and the desktop
• create and manage files and folders
• edit and print files
• change settings on your computer and personalise your desktop
• set up a printer and install applications
• protect your computer and files from viruses
• work safely at your computer and perform simple maintenance
• understand laws relating to computer use
• manage available space, information storage and retrieval
• plan and choose the best software for your task

Email and the internet give us access to a whole new world of online communication and entertainment. This course focuses on the basics of communicating by email and over the internet. Depending on your level, you'll learn to:

• send, receive and organise email
• use attachments
• manage an address book of contacts or distribution lists
• use instant messaging and internet conferencing
• plan your social life by using the internet and social media to find information, organise events and buy tickets
• use a search engine to find, bookmark, save and print information from websites
• buy and pay for goods safely on the web
• use calendars and task managers to manage your time, plan events, schedule appointments, and set reminders and alarms
• download useful software and use the internet to transfer files legally and safely
• publish information on your own website, webspace or blog

Threats to your security on the computer can be physical, like password theft - or electronic, like spyware. This course teaches you about using IT safely and securely. Depending on your level, you'll learn about:

• the main threats, assessing risk and your role in IT security
• how to log-in, set up a user account, choose a secure password, and lock your computer
• save options, enabling auto-save and backing up your work, storage devices and how to restore files
• how to control access to storage devices and dispose of IT safely
• password protecting files, setting files as read only
• using firewalls, avoiding viruses, spyware, hoaxes, scams, and spam
• how laws and guidelines affect your everyday use of IT

With word processing skills, you could create eye-catching business documents, write letters to friends and family, or design a CV. Depending on your level, this course can help you to:

• create, present, print and save documents
• improve your touch-typing skills
• create, manage and delete folders
• create, modify and format appropriate layouts, structures and styles
• edit, combine and manipulate text, images, tables, headers, footers, alignment and borders within a document
• structure information logically and check spelling
• share data with other applications and carry out a mail merge

Spreadsheets can help you to organise your work. Whether you'd like to be able to create charts and graphs to explain figures more clearly or retrieve and sort data from a list - this course will give you the skills you need to use spreadsheet software effectively. Depending on your level, you'll learn how to:

• create, layout, save and print new spreadsheets or edit, sort and move data in existing ones
• add formulae to your spreadsheet calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• improve your spreadsheets using formatting
• create and print different charts and graphs to summarise and display info
• create and modify shared workbooks and create links between them
• explore data analysis tools and advanced formulae

Taking this course will give you the skills you need to use presentation software either as part of your day-to-day life or at work. Depending on your level, it shows you how to:

• start, view and save a presentation and outline
• insert and duplicate slides, and change the slide order
• insert, edit, format and combine text, text styles, effects, objects and graphics
• check and print a professional looking presentation
• share and link data from other applications

Using database software can help you become more resourceful when storing data. Whether you'd like to be able to build and maintain a database, or find out how to sort out and filter records in your data, this course can help. Depending on your level, this course will give you the skills to:

• create new databases and edit existing ones using objects, fields, forms, tables, cells and records
• find, replace, sort and filter data
• use reporting tools to produce, format and edit queries and reports
• create and edit a simple relational database
• import and share data from other applications

This course will help you to create a wide range of eye-catching professional visual documents, like posters, brochures, wall charts, newsletters and leaflets. Depending on your level, the course shows you techniques to:

• use word processing, art and desktop publishing software to create, combine and edit text and pictures
• import, edit and format photographs in a document
• create a new publication using built-in or new templates
• add extra impact to your publications with graphics, special effects, font styles, colour, texture, columns, borders and backgrounds
• tailor your design to suit your audience and proofread a publication
• look at everything from copyright and data protection to cost-effective printing options

This course improves your ability to work more effectively with IT. It looks at using tools to help save time and effort when you're producing word-processed documents, presentations and spreadsheets. Depending on your level, you'll learn how to:

• plan and select appropriate IT tools for your task
• review and adapt IT decisions, by thinking about how you can improve your methods next time
• using IT to find ways to save time and money, and get more done
• evaluate successful use of IT by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of your final work

Computers and IT are so useful, but problems can still occur. This course helps you troubleshoot problems and carry out simple maintenance on your computer. Depending on your level, it shows you how to:

• understand, maintain, clean, fix and manage your computer equipment, discs, drives and printers
• organise, name, save, protect and delete files and folders
• understand how, why and when to update your software and hardware
• back up and restore files and systems
• understand some common hardware, software and compatibility problems
• get help from guides/manuals, web and IT support helpdesks
• use a task manager to recognise and close crashed programs
• understand reboots, safe mode and restarting peripheral devices
• perform a risk assessment and create a comfortable work environment