As a student you should try to use computers as much as possible. They will make it easier for you to write and complete your assignments; they enable you to carry out in–depth research without leaving your seat; they can perform complex data analysis; they can help you to draw professional–looking graphs and charts.

If you are a beginner try not to be afraid of computers. The technology may seem advanced – you may think it is too complex and beyond your comprehension. But computers are like any new technology – a little practice, patience and perseverance and you will wonder how you ever lived without them.

This chapter provides advice and guidance on making the most of information and communication technology. Please note that, as the majority of students use Microsoft products, the advice provided in this chapter is related to these products. If your college or university uses other products, seek advice from your Computer Services help desk.

GETTING STARTED

If you have never used a computer before, visit the Computer Services department at your college or university. Most of these departments will provide information packs for people who are new to computers, or unconfident about their use. Find out whether the department runs training courses for beginners and enrol on a course. You will find it useful to meet with other students who are in your position, and it is reassuring to know that you are not alone. The tutors will help you to get started and enable you to practice on a computer with all the help and support you need.

If your college does not provide this facility ask a friend, another student or even your children to help you get started. Once you have been shown the basics you will find that practice and experimentation is the best way to learn, and you might be surprised at how quickly you pick up the information.

WRITING ON A COMPUTER

In most colleges and universities students are expected to word process their assignments, projects and dissertations. If you are new to computers you may find it hard to believe that writing on a computer can be more effective and much easier than writing long–hand. This is for the following reasons:

• You can lay out your work in a professional manner (although content and structure is important, a professionally–laid out piece of work will attract more marks).
• Your tutor will be able to read your work easily and not struggle with your handwriting.
• There are many features available to personalise your work, e.g. different typefaces and sizes, borders and shading, indentation, different types of headings, subheadings and footers, different margins and so on.
• A good word processing package will help you with your grammar and your spelling, although you must never rely completely on this facility.
• You can cut and paste which means that you can change the order of your paragraphs, sentences or words at the touch of a button.
• You can add graphs, charts and tables to your work.
• If you learn to type you can produce your assignments more quickly.

PRODUCING A DOCUMENT

Students produce their work in different ways. Someone who is unfamiliar with computers may decide to write their work in long–hand first and then type–up the finished version using the computer. This is a method which may suit someone who has not used computers before, but it can be a time–consuming and lengthy process. Most students find that they are much better composing their assignments on the computer.

There are two main ways that students do this:

• All the ideas are typed in as quickly as possible. A large amount of editing, layout, style and presentation is needed at the end, using cut and paste and text–changing functions.
• Careful and lengthy preparation at the beginning means that the text is carefully entered in a logical, systematic way, with layout, style and presentation carried out simultaneously. Only a small amount of editing is needed at the end.

The method you choose will depend upon your learning style, or you may find that you alternate between the two depending upon the subject of the assignment and as you become more familiar with the computer.

Some students who have real trouble typing may prefer to use voice dictation software. This can be particularly useful for students with dyslexia. If you think that this might help you, speak to staff at your Computer Services Helpdesk who will be able to offer advice.

Below are some tips to help you when producing documents on a computer.

PRINTING YOUR WORK

Once you have completed a draft of your work, use the print preview button to check that you are happy with the layout of the document. This can be found near the print command on the file menu.

Once you are happy with your layout, you should always print a draft copy of your work before you print a final copy. This is for the following reasons:

• It is often easier to spot spelling, typing and grammatical mistakes when you have a hard copy of the document. You may find it easier to proofread a hard copy of your work.
• Certain aspects of your layout and page design may not print properly. Some printers may change the position of the text and some fonts may not be available on the printer you use. You will need to check that your document prints in the manner you intend.
• Most colleges and universities will allow you to print draft copies of your work free of charge. If you spot something you wish to change you will not have wasted any money.

When you are happy with your work and feel there is nothing left to alter, print your final copy on a good quality printer.

FILE MANAGEMENT

When you have written a document on the computer you need to save your work so that you can retrieve the document another time. You will notice an icon at the top of your screen that looks like a floppy disk (hold your curser over each icon if you are not sure which to choose). Using the left button on your mouse, click once on this icon – you will be asked where you want to save your document. You will need to think of an appropriate name for your document. When you are organising your documents on the computer, keep it simple. That way you will be able to locate your work more easily.

When you save a document that you have written it is called a file. Each assignment will be saved as a file and will need a file name. Gradually, as you complete more work, you will create more and more files. Rather than have a long list of files it is easier to organise your files into specific groups. These are called folders and you will need to name each folder.

The way that you organise your documents is an individual process and with practice you will find a method that best suits you. However, from research with new students, the following method was found to be the most popular and effective.

• Step 1 – Use Windows Explorer to organise your files and folders. To access this software click on Start → Programs → Accessories → Windows Explorer.

• Step 2 – Create a folder for each of the subjects or modules on your course. To do this, when you are in Windows Explorer click on File → New → Folder.
• Step 3 – Name each of the folders. Keep it simple. Many students use the name of the course such as ‘Geography’, ‘Sociology’ and so on.
• Step 4 – Once you have written an assignment you need to save it to the right location. Click on the floppy disk icon on your menu bar. The first time you do this a box will pop-up on your screen. Choose the appropriate folder in the box at the top where it says save in. For example, if the assignment is the first piece of work for Geography, it would be saved in the Geography folder.
• Step 5 – Give the file an appropriate name, such as ‘assignmentl.doc’ (depending on what software you are using you may need to put ‘.doc’ after your file name). Enter this name in the box at the bottom of the screen where you are asked for file name. Then click on save.
• Step 6 – Once you have saved your work in this way, remember to regularly click on the save button as you add more text. Your work will be saved in the right location without you having to repeat the above process.

BACKING UP FILES

’Backing up’ your work means that you make copies of what you have done so that, should anything happen to your computer, you will not lose all of your valuable work. Backing up your work is an important habit that you should develop as soon as you start using a computer. Consider the following examples:

Jean (27)

I was just finishing my first assignment. It had caused me no end of trouble, mainly because I was unsure of how to structure it and didn’t quite know what should go into it, but also because I was unfamiliar with the computer. Then we had a power cut. I had been struggling on the assignment for four days and suddenly all my work was lost. I couldn’t believe it. I just burst into tears.

Robbie (24)

My computer decided to give up the ghost one day. I had three different pieces of work on the computer and I couldn’t get at anything. I lost all of them and there was nothing I could do. One of my mates had been telling me to back up everything I did but I just hadn’t listened to him. As you can imagine, I’ve learnt from my mistakes – I will never do that again.

These examples show how important it is to back up any work that you do on the computer. If you have a copy of your work stored at a different location, you will always have a copy should anything happen to the original copy.

When you are composing on screen save your work every five or ten minutes. That way you will not lose much information if you experience a power cut or other problems with your computer. At the end of the day, back up all the work you have done that day onto floppy disk, CD or the university network. It is better not to rely solely on floppy disks because they can be unreliable.

Start as you mean to go on – if saving and backing up your work becomes habit, you will never forget.

USING THE INTERNET

The internet is a vast array of information from all around the world on almost every subject imaginable. You can find information on virtually any topic without getting up from your seat. Anyone can post information on the internet about any subject that interests them. Some of the information will be useful, some will be misleading and some will be offensive. To take full advantage of the information on offer, you need to know how to surf the net efficiently and how to critique the information that you have found (see Chapter 12).

The Internet at College

All students can access the internet at their college or university, free of charge. However, some learning providers may limit the amount of time that you can spend on the internet and others will limit the amount of space you are given to store the information you have downloaded. All learning providers will have strict rules about obscene material, software theft and breach of copyright or plagiarism.

When you first start your course, visit the Computer Services department or their website and pick up a list of the rules and regulations for using the internet. Most Computer Services will provide you with information about how to use the internet.

The Intranet at College

Many colleges and universities have an ‘intranet’ – an internal computer network which contains information of use to students and staff at that institution. This may include course notes, student and staff notice boards, health and safety information, access to the library, examples of examination papers, local events and information for students with disabilities. Contact your Computer Services department for more information.

USING E-MAIL

If you are new to computers you should familiarise yourself with the electronic mail (e–mail) system as soon as possible, as increasingly tutors and students are using the system to exchange important information and messages. Tutors can send one message to all their students at the touch of a button, and they will expect all their students to read, respond or react to the message.

Before you can start to send and receive e–mail messages you will need your own e–mail address. When you enrol on your course contact staff at the Computer Services department who will issue you with an e–mail address for their system. You may also be given a login name and password –for identification and security purposes – which you will need to remember in addition to your e–mail address.

AVOIDING VIRUSES

Computer viruses are malicious programmes developed by people who tend to have too much time on their hands. They are designed to annoy their recipients and cause all sorts of problems to our computers.

Viruses are spread from infected files loaded onto our computers. This is done usually in three ways:

• when we load files from infected floppy disks
• when we download files from the internet
• when we open an infected e–mail

If you undertake any of the above activities your computer is at risk from infection. To reduce this risk you should make sure that you purchase anti–virus software and you should update this software on a regular basis so that it can detect and clear the newest viruses. Some anti–virus software will automatically remind you to update. When obtaining software, take advantage of educational discounts and free software offered to students (see Chapter 18).

You should try to get into the habit of regularly scanning your computer for viruses. Some viruses can lie dormant for a long time – you might think that your computer is working normally, but the virus could be causing trouble behind the scenes. Any files that you load onto your computer, whether this is from a floppy disk, the internet or e–mail attachments, should be scanned for viruses.

If you find that you have got a virus, don’t panic. Most will be detected and cleared by your anti–virus software, if it is regularly updated. If a virus is not cleared, you can find more information about it on the internet – some websites will enable you to download a programme that will clear your computer of the virus.

Make sure that you back up all your files at regular intervals. That way you will have copies of your work should you lose anything due to a virus.