IDM 1020
Exercise 10
Word
Exercise Outline
This exercise is designed to be done during class time and used for practice outside of class time. It
contains the following sections:
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Section 1 – Introduction. This section contains links to documentation that describes how Excel
functions relevant to this exercise. Ideally, you should review this content before class.
However, it can also be used as a reference after class.
Section 2 – Video demonstration. This section contains links to videos that you can follow along
with to practice using Word functions. The data file for this section does not match the online
files. Use the data file to experiment rather than replicate what’s happening in the video.
Section 3 – Independent work. This section contains additional tasks that you might not have
time to complete during class time. These tasks have less structure, and you need to figure out
how to complete the required steps.
Topics include:
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General formatting guidance
Using lists
Using styles
Creating a table of contents
Adding page numbers
Automatic numbering of figures and tables
Collaborating on Word documents with track changes and comments
File required for section 2:
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IDM1020-Ex10-Data.docx
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Section 1 – Introduction
You probably think of Microsoft Word as a document editor, but it’s really a communication tool. The
documents that you create are to communicate information to peers, employers, instructors, and
customers. If you create documents that are well formatted and easy to read, they appear more
professional and by proxy make you appear more knowledgeable.
Most students in my classes have never had any formal training in how to use Word. The education
system throws you at it and you’ve learned a few basic skills such as how to change the font, change the
font size, and bold text. This exercise is about using some of the key functions in Word to make editing
easier for you and more professional looking documents.
A few thoughts on formatting before we get going:
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Double-spacing. Many instructors ask you create double-spaced documents (a blank line
between each line). In a professional environment, this is unusual. Note that this document has
a gap after each paragraph rather than between all lines. This formatting is typical and makes it
easy to differentiate between paragraphs.
Paragraph indents. If you have extra spacing between paragraphs, then you generally don’t
need to indent the first line of a paragraph. Again, note that this document does not indent
paragraphs. However, if a document is fully double-spaced, then you need to indent paragraphs
so that it’s possible to identify when a new paragraph starts.
Large paragraphs are hard to read. If your paragraph takes up half a page (or more), people lose
track of what you’re talking about. Most professional writing keeps paragraphs small to get
across a single simple point.
Text justification. In general, left aligned (all bullets except this one) is preferred for text. In most
cases this is easiest to read and looks normal. Justified text (this bullet only), works ok for multiple
columns like newspapers and magazines but not as well for full page width documents. Justified
text adjusts the spacing between words which can make it harder to read because it’s
inconsistent.
Serif and sans-serif fonts. Most business documentation uses sans-serif fonts such as Calibri or
Arial. These have a more modern look. Serif fonts such as Times New Roman look a little dated.
Use features to get the correct layout. Don’t try to layout text by using spacing and tabs. If you
manage to get the look you want, one extra word can mess it all up. Use tables and columns to
layout text so that it’s predictable.
Review documents for paging. After you complete a document review the layout to make sure
that appropriate content is on the same page. If only a few lines of a section are on page 5 and
the reset of the related content is on page 6, you might want to insert a page break before the
section to keep it all together. However, if you do this, you need to review the pagination after
every edit because the page breaks you add can generate some weird results when content is
added or removed.
Distribute PDFs. Word documents are easy to edit, and your audience might accidentally edit
the document while they read it. Word can save documents in PDF format which is less likely to
be modified accidentally.
Use bullet lists. If you have many things, putting them in a bullet list makes it easier to read. This
section could have been multiple unrelated paragraphs, but the bullet list with bolding makes it
easy for you to identify the individual concepts.
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Section 2 – Video demonstration
This section lists videos that demonstrate how to use features in Word. The data document does not
have the exact same content as the demonstrations, but you can experiment with the same features in
your data document. The point is not to replicate what’s in the video. Your goal is to understand the
functionality being demonstrated in the videos.
As you go through each video purposefully think about the task that is being performed. You are
encouraged to pause the videos and experiment within Word to learn more about the features being
demonstrated.
Topics
Headings
Video and instructions
How to Create and Customize Headings in Microsoft Word (6 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnmETSz7q9A
Numbered Headings and Subheadings | Microsoft Word Tutorial (1 minute)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbuICoJV9lQ
Lists
Word: Lists (5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyXahko-tX8
Tables
Word: Tables (5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNBrCEgzddw
Figure captions
How to Insert Figure Captions and Table Titles in Microsoft Word (5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpoE6CCadlw
Table of contents
How to add a table of contents in Microsoft Word (2 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avkTcQ4inMo
Breaks
Breaks in Microsoft Word: Page, Section, Column break with examples
(10 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytJtT6Trsuw
Page numbers
How to Add Page Numbers in Microsoft Word (7 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M87kQpf5wLQ
Track changes
How to Use Track Changes and Comments in Microsoft Word (2023 Update for
PC & Mac) (11 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-gby_qDsHo
Table 1 - YouTube videos
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Section 3 – Independent work
To make your life easier, you can create a Word document that you use as a template for all your
writing. If you do this, you don’t need to recreate formatting each time you write a paper:
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If you’re working alone, copy your template document and start writing inside the document. All
the formatting you need will be there.
If you’re working with a group, copy their content and paste it into your document. If they were
already using styles like Normal and Heading 1, the content with those styles will be updated to
match the style formatting in your document. If their formatting is inconsistent (likely), then
you’ll need to go through and apply styles to their content.
To complete this section, create a Word document that you can use as a template for all of your writing
in the future. This should include a cover/title page, table of contents, document content, and page
numbers. You should also define what you want the styles to look like. At minimum, you should include
Normal, Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3.
The following document structure is suggested:
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Section 1
o Title page
▪ No page numbers
o Table of contents
▪ No page numbers
Section 2
o Document content
▪ Page 1
▪ Include page numbering
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The headings for Section 1, 2, and 3 in this document are Heading 1 with formatting that includes a page
break before the header. Each time Heading 1 is used, starts a new page automatically.
Figure 1 - Heading 1 style
Tip: If you format some text the way you want for a style, you can select the text, right-click the style,
and click Update style to Match Selection.
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