World Bright College

Course Title: Develop Keyboard Skills

Module Code: EIS HNS1 M03 03

Prepared by: Legesse.S

 UNIT-1
Use safe work practice
Adjusting workspace, furniture and equipment’s
Most organizations use computers to keep records, prepare documents and generally manage
their business. If you know how to use a keyboard efficiently and correctly you will be of greater
value to any organization for which you work.
It will also reduce your risk of injury by making you aware of the importance of good posture,
appropriate equipment and work environment and good work practices.
Topics in this section will help you fulfill this role as safely as possible, and they include how to
set up and use your workstation safely, how to manage your time and your tasks so that you
work safely, and how to exercise regularly so that you reduce the risk of injury.
Ergonomics requirements

WHAT IS ERGONOMICS?
It is the scientific study of human performance at work. It is the science of arranging or
adjusting the work environment to fit the employee’s body or making your equipment work for
you and not you working for it.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Application of ergonomics principles to work practices allows prevention and control
musculoskeletal injuries arising from repetitive or forceful movement or/and or constrained
postures.

Area OHS (Occupation Healthy Safety) Supervisor’s Responsibilities

 Implementing and maintaining ergonomic principles
 Ensuring that people in your area are properly trained in ergonomic principles
 Ensuring that people in your area follow safe ergonomic practices
 Actively practicing and developing positive attitudes towards ergonomic issues
 Ensuring that people in your area use the ergonomic equipment provided
 Considering workplace layout, ergonomics and individual needs when allocating
tasks to people in your area
 Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the
understanding of the interactions among humans and other elements of a system,

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 and the profession that applies theoretical principles, data and methods to design
in order to optimize human wellbeing and overall system performance.
 Practitioners of ergonomics, ergonomists, contribute to the planning, design and
evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, organizations, environments and systems in
order to make them compatible with the needs, abilities and limitations of people.

Some ergonomic requirements are:

 Workstation height and layout
 Chair height, seat and back adjustment
 Footrest
 Screen position
 Keyboard and mouse position
 Document holder
 Posture
 Anti-glare screen
 Lighting
 Noise minimization

Workstation height and layout

The area where you work is called a workstation. It includes your computer, keyboard, desk and
chair. You need to know how to set up and maintain a safe workstation. It is very important that
when you use a computer you are able to work in a posture which is comfortable and which does
not place your long-term health at risk.

Chair height, seat and back adjustment

A chair is the workstation item that contributes most to your comfort and health. A well-designed
office chair can be adjusted to suit you and the height so that your upper and lower legs form a
90-degree angle and your lower back is supported by the back of the chair.

In addition, the following things should be considered on chair adjustment:

Adjustable height range suited to the desk

A stable, independently adjustable backrest
Freely moveable
If the chair height is correctly set but the desk is too high, raise the height of the
chair and use a footrest to compensate.
Armrests are not recommended as they are likely to interfere with the ability to
move the chair close enough to the des

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 See the photograph below

Position when you are working with computer

Correct position at the keyboarding enables you to type with greater speed and accuracy and
with less fatigue. When typing for a long period, rest your eyes occasionally by looking away
from the screen. Change position, walk around, or stretch when your muscles feel tired.

Screen position

The other critical factor is the height and angle of the computer screen. If the screen is in the
correct position, there is less strain on your neck muscles directly in front of the user.

 The top of the screen should be below eye level and approximately an arm's length
distance when you are typing.
 You can use a stand to raise your screen to the correct height.
 You can adjust the angle of most screens. Check with your supervisor if you are not sure
how to do this.
 It’s also important that there is no light reflecting onto the screen.
 Keyboard and mouse position
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 Keyboard and mouse position

 Keyboarding should be centered to your body opposite the J key and lean forward
slightly. Keep your forearms horizontal to the keyboard. You don’t need to twist to use it.
 At the front edge of the desk so that you can reach the keys easily
 To minimize fatigue place the mouse on the mouse pad to restrict the area of movement
for the hand and arm. Check that the mouse is comfortable in size and shape and suits
your hand.
 The mouse pad should be placed as close as possible to the keyboard to avoid over-
reaching with impact on shoulder/neck muscles.

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 Document holder
If you regularly need to enter data from another document, think about using a document
holder. Long reading from a document that is resting on the surface of the desk can cause
neck and shoulder strains. Document holders hold papers so that this risk is reduced. As
illustrated, there are several different designs.

Posture
 No pressure caused by the front edge of the chair
 The upper body is upright with the lower back firmly supported by the backrest
 The shoulders are relaxed and not hunched/bent
 The elbows and upper arm are close to the body
 The head is upright or slightly inclined forward with minimum of strain/damage on the
neck
 Forearms are horizontal and the wrists are straight when the fingers are on the keyboard

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Desks
Height adjustable desks are the preferred option.
Not use sharp edges
Keyboard and mouse are on the same level

Lighting
 Overhead lighting should be fitted with brightness reducing diffusers.
 It is important that the area you work in has good lighting.
 You may need to reposition your desk, change the angle of your screen or block the
wrong light.

Occupational health and safety

Employers and employees are legally required to look after the health and safety of workers.
This applies to all organizations, including volunteer organizations. Employers must provide
a safe working environment.
Safe work organization
Learning basic typing skills is one of the best things that you can do for yourself. Not only
will you work more quickly, you will put less strain on your wrists, arms, neck and back. You
should also aim to vary the tasks you do and to take regular breaks.

Task Variety
You should vary your activities throughout the day. Try to mix typing and other computer work
with tasks such as collecting the documents at the printer, reviewing, photocopying and
distributing documents. Look for opportunities to stand or walk around as a break from sitting at
the computer. You should also try to include tasks with different mental, as well as physical,
demands.

Breaks
Make sure that you take regular breaks from your work. Frequent short pauses are preferable to
infrequent long pauses.
Exercises
Regular exercise can reduce the effect of repetitive work such as typing.

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 UNIT-2
Identify and develop keyboarding skills

What is keyboard?
A keyboard is a peripheral device that enables a user to input text into a computer or any other
electronic machinery. A keyboard is an input device and is the most basic way for the user to
communicate with a computer.

Keyboarding skills
Learning to type correctly is worth the time and effort involved. You will do your work more
quickly and easily and you will be less likely to damage your wrists, hands or neck.

Touch-typing is typing without looking at the keyboard. You can develop this skill quite quickly
with regular practice and a good typing.

Some basic keyboarding skills that you are expected to know are:
Word process, spreadsheets and or data entry
Speed and accuracy

Basic keyboarding functions

Some Keyboarding functions/features are listed as follows:

 Function keys (F1 to F12) are special keys that are programmed to do specific things.
For example, if you tap the F1 key, the Help menu will appear.
 Cursor control keys. Use the cursor control keys on the keyboard to move your cursor
(mouse pointer) around a document.
 Use the four arrow keys to move one space or one line.
 Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to move one screen (rather than a
page) up or down.
 CTRL and ALT keys. The Control and Alternate keys are always used in combination
with other keys. Holding down one or both of the keys, while tapping another key, can
provide keyboard shortcuts – quick ways of doing things using the keyboard.
For example: Ctrl+N brings up a new document.

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 Alphanumeric keypad. Use the alphabet keys to type words. Learn to use Numerical
key properly (touch-type) if you regularly enter numbers. It’s quicker, and easier on your
wrists, than using the numbers above the letter keys. Space bar. Tap this to put a space
between words.
 Shift Keys. To capitalize letters you can use shift keys (left or right) for a single letter.
For example to capitalize letter F you should press right shift key with your right small
finger and press F with your left index finger at the same time.
 Caps Lock key. To capitalize a word or phrases at a time you can use shift lock/cap
lock. To do this, depress the shift lock key or cap lock key and leave it down until you
have typed the combination to be capitalized.

Keyboard shortcuts
To do this Press
Cancel an action. ESC
Undo an action. CTRL+Z
Redo or repeat an action. CTRL+Y
Print CTRL+P
Copy CTRL+C
Cut CTRL+X
Paste CTRL+V
Open new document CTRL+N
Indentation CTRL+M
Close opened windows Alt+F4
Make the text bold style CTRL+B
Make the text italic style CTRL+I
Underline text CTRL+U

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 Basic touch typing techniques

Learn how to type accurately and increase your speed

Touch Typing Course or Mavis Beacon is a professional typing tutor that helps you "how to
type" in order to increase your typing speed and accuracy. It takes very little time to learn to
type, allowing you to develop a skill that will help you for a lifetime.

Objectives
This course will motivate you to develop your keyboard skills successfully and accurately. You will be
able to memorize the location of the letters and numbers on the keyboard. It will enable you to increase
your typing speed, resulting in increased productivity at work or at home, helping you to work effectively
and efficiently every day.

Touch typing technique/skill can be developed by memorizing the keyboarding functions and
the keys and their corresponding fingers.

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Home keys and their corresponding fingers
A left small/little finger
S left ring finger
D left middle finger
F left index/pointer or forefinger
J right index/pointer or forefinger
K right middle finger
L right ring finger
; right small/little finger

Groups or family letters of the home keys are the diagonal letters or letters nearer to the home
keys such as A families are Q, Z, 1

Hence, memorization of home keys and their corresponding fingers enables you develop high
speed and greater accuracy in your performance at work.

Hence, in order to develop keyboarding skills, application software is required to install in the
computer which is Mavis Beacon.

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What is Mavis?

Mavis is application software that enables you to develop keyboarding skills.

Mavis Beacon Teach Typing is a typing training program that offers great benefits for any user.

Steps to use Mavis Beacon

Point to start button
choose all programs
explore Mavis Beacon from the list of all programs
click Mavis Beacon or if the icon is on the desktop double click it
if you are a new user click on the new button
enter your name
select English, standard and then adjust your typing goals in words per minute
then click ok
then click ok again
click take a lesson
click first beginner lesson, if you are a beginner
click start
Then type the keys using the appropriate finger as you are instructed by the program.

Tips for improving speed and accuracy

 Use your developing touch-typing skills whenever you use the keyboard.
 Record your progress.
 When you finish the course, consider redoing it at a higher level. Set higher speed and
accuracy goals first.
 If you have been touch-typing regularly your speed and accuracy will have improved
significantly.

Typing positions
Know how about the typing position is important and typical typing positions are hereunder:

 Eyes on copy
 Fingers curved and upright
 Sit back in chair, body straight
 Text book or material you copied from which should be at the right side of a
machine and raised up for easy reading
 Table free of unneeded books or materials

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Typical finger positions
 Your fingers will relax in curved position.
 With fingers curved in this relaxed position, lightly place fingertips of your hands on
home keys ( left home keys are A,S,D and F and right home keys are J, K, L and ;).
 You can reach other keys by moving up and down with your corresponding fingers.

UNIT- 3
Check Accuracy/ Your Work
When you have completed typing a document, you need to check to make sure that it is free from
errors. Most organizations have a policy that says all documents should be free from spelling and
punctuation errors.

Checking the content

If you are the writer, it is essential that you check the content. Think about the purpose of the
document and consider whether what you have written will achieve this.
Ask yourself:
 Have all the relevant points been covered?
 Who will be reading the document?
 Are the style and ‘feel’ appropriate?
 How will the reader feel when he or she reads it? (Imagine that you are the reader). This
is particularly important when writing a letter or a document that you want someone to
respond to.

Checking the spelling

You can use the computer’s Spelling and Grammar check to help you identify spelling errors.

Proof reading
Checking your work is called proofreading. You should check it on the computer screen first.
This saves time and paper. Then print the document and check the printed (hard) copy. To
proofread your work you should check the:

 Spell check
 Checking for grammatical errors
 Checking for punctuation errors
 Checking documents for general accuracy

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Conscientious typists always checks carefully what they have typed.

Follow these steps.

1. Look at your printed document to make sure that it is set out correctly.
2. Read it through quickly to check for any obvious errors. Circle any errors in red pen.
3. Place the original document and the printed document beside each other on the desk.
4. Place the original on your left and the printed document on your right. Reverse this if you are
left-handed.
5. Use a ruler to move down, line by line, on the original.
6. Keep your place on the printed document with the point of your biro.
7. Pay particular attention to names and addresses, checking them carefully against the original.
8. Mark any corrections on the printed document as you go.
9. As a final check, read the document aloud.
10. Make the corrections on the computer copy and print out a final copy.

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