Where is this class going?

Ok, I need to take a step back for a second and figure where I many the students to be when they leave the class, and how they're supposed to get there.

I've been running my students through the Tutorials For OpenOffice in addition to my own writings, but this just seems like busywork without a goal.


What are the goals of the class?

For the student to be prepared to use a computer in whatever work they happen to find.

To achieve this goal they must have a working understanding of Word Processing software and Spreadsheet software.

At what point does a person have a working understanding?

Well, they must be able to both create, and edit any type of document they are required to produce. Examples include but are not limited to: Letters, Resumes, Timesheets, Invoices, Reports with pictures and data, and Fliers/promotional items.

Well limited is the problem word, isn't it? We must decide what this limit is, set it firmly, and work to that end.

Umm... that's not really a question. But I agree.

Then how do we find the limit?

We research what skills are needed for each of the above documents and find the most common elements. And focusing on the common elements, we teach the course stretching to include the lesser used skills for each task.