School of Women and

Gender Studies
Makerere
CertificateUniversity
in Computer
Application
Course Modules

 Introduction to Computers
 Ms Word
 Ms Excel
 Ms PowerPoint
 Ms Access
Introduction to Computers
 It shall focus on the following;
 Introduction to the Pc
 Windows
 Internet
 Email
 Maintenance

 Duration : 7 days
What is a Computer?
A computer is a collection of several parts,
which work in close co-operation with one
another to give a quick and precise output
from a given instruction.

In brief it’s a machine that accepts input and

gives out output
A computer is not human, so a set of
instructions that it understands must be input
in order to process data and give out
information .
The two principal characteristics of a
computer are:

1. It responds to a specific set of instructions

in a well-defined manner.
2. It can execute a prerecorded list of
instructions programs).
Components of a Computer
All computer systems need two types of parts that work

together to make them run. These parts are:

1. Hardware
2. Software
Hardware
)
 The hardware is the part of the computer you can touch and see. (Ex.
keyboard, mouse, monitor
Software

The software is a part of the computer

you cannot touch but is very important.
The software is all the programming that
makes the computer run; controlling
everything that the computer does.
Common computer hardware

 The Monitor is the

display screen, similar
to a television screen
Keyboard
 The Keyboard is what
you type on, similar to a
typewriter
Mouse
 The Mouse is the small
hand held device that
attaches to the System unit.
It may have two or three
buttons. The mouse is
used to move the cursor
(pointer) on the computer
screen.
Computer system Unit

 The Computer system

Unit, tower, or case, and is
the heart of the system. This
is a box that contains all the
parts that make the
computer work. It also has
slots to insert computer
disks
Peripheral Devices
 The Printer is a device
that puts what you have
created on to paper
Scanner
 The Scanner is a
device that captures
pictures so that they
can be seen and used
on the computer,
similar to a color
photocopier
 Software
 Software is a part of the computer you cannot touch but is very important. The
software is all the programming or
 instructions that make the computer run; controlling everything that the computer
does.
Types of Software

There are two kinds of software that help the

computer run:

1. Operating Systems/System software

2. Application software
Operating System
 An Operating System is the base program on a
computer. It tells the computer how to work or
operate. It also allows you to install other
programs that do specialized tasks on to your
computer
Example.
 Microsoft Windows –95,98,ME,2000,XP, NT

 Apple’s Mac OS

 Linux, Unix, Novell,

Application software

 Application software is a program put

onto the computer to do specialized tasks.
Types of Application
Software
 Word Processors E.g. Word and WordPerfect
(used to type letters and more complicated documents)
 Internet Browser E.g. Internet Explorer and Netscape (used to
explore the Internet
 Spreadsheets E.g. Ms Excel
 Database Software E.g. Ms Access
 Presentation Software E.g. Ms PowerPoint
 Etc
TYPES / CATEGORIES OF COMPUTERS.

Computers can be generally classified by size and

power as follows, though there is considerable
overlap:
Personal computer: A small, single-user computer based on a
microprocessor. In addition to the microprocessor, a personal
computer has a keyboard for entering data, a monitor for
displaying information, and a storage device for saving data.
E.g. Desktop Computer, Laptops

Sometimes, depending where you are reading, you may find PDA
‘s (Personal Diary / Desktop Assistants ) included here.

Minicomputer : A multi-user computer capable of supporting

from 10 to hundreds of users simultaneously. Dumb terminals

Mainframe : A powerful multi-user computer capable of

supporting many hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously.

Supercomputer: An extremely fast computer that can perform

hundreds of millions of instructions per second
 Functions / Uses of a computer

•Use as a teaching aid

•Entertainment – play music, games, videos
•Communication- sends and receives mails across the internet
•Share data or resources especially when connected on a
network
•Research especially when connected to the Internet. To make
online resources for students
•Simplify work or tasks e.g. calculations, editing documents,
copying and reproducing documents.
•For E-commerce
•For Advertising
 How to Use a computer

 A) How to switch on a computer

 Establish whether the computer is connected to a power source
 Establish whether all the computer components are all connected
 Then press the power button on the monitor first
 Next switch on the power button on the system unit
 Relax and wait for your computer to boot (or to come on)
 Provide a username and password if asked to.
 How to switch off a computer

 On the Desktop Click START button

 Select shutdown / Click
 Confirm that you want to shutdown
 Then click OK
 Lastly turn off the Monitor
Finally, switch off the power source
 Storage Methods of a computer:

On a computer storage of information is achieved using

the following methods;
1. Primary storage
2. Secondary storage
 Primary Storage

This’ memory found on the computer and it

stores data as long as power is on (computer
is switched on). It is therefore temporary
memory storage device on a computer. It is
commonly called Random Access Memory
(RAM)
 Secondary Memory
This is permanent Memory, i.e. it stores data permanently and
it is not dependent on power. Thus examples are:

1. Hard disk found in the system unit and which we call the C:
drive
2. Floppy disks, that we can use to transfer data from one
computer to another
3. CDROMs, we can now store data onto cd’s permanently cd-
r,CD-RW
4. Zip disks
5. Tapes – Magnetic tapes

6. DVD ROMs
WINDOWS
 INTRODUCTION TO WINDOWS

Microsoft Windows is the operating system found on most

personal computers. As an operating system Windows
manages all that the computer does.
 Icons

On the desktop screen you will see several small

pictures. These pictures are called "Icons." The
"My Computer" picture below is an example of
an icon. Double clicking the left mouse button
on an Icon will start the programs it
represents.
 The "Start" button

The "Start" button is probably the most

used part of the Windows Desktop. The start
button is where you access all the programs
on the computer.

When you click on the "Start" button you

will be shown a menu of the major computer
headings. These headings provide access to
the major programs on your computer.
 Menus

When you click on the "Start" button a menu with

options will appear. Moving the mouse over the
items in the menu causes them to highlight.
Clicking on a highlighted item will open that program.

To close the "Start" menu click on the screen anywhere

other than the menu.
 Finding a program

Moving the mouse over a menu item marked with

an arrow as shown below will open another list
with more options

To see all the programs available for you to use

on your computer click on the Start button and in
the menu that appears, highlight the item named
“Programs.” A new list will appear that holds
more selections.
 The taskbar

Windows has the ability to run several

programs at once and to easily switch back
and forth between running programs. All
programs currently running are shown on the
windows "taskbar."

The taskbar is a gray bar with pictures on in

it that runs across the very bottom of the
screen.
The taskbar can be recognized by the "Start"
button located on its left hand side and the clock
on its right.

To switch between programs that are running at the same

time, click on the program buttons shown on the
taskbar. This is demonstrated below.
 Adjusting a window's size

Most Windows programs share the same look and

feel which makes switching between and learning
new programs easier.

Common to all Windows programs is the ability to

adjust the shape and size of the window you are
working in.

Some of the ways you can change a window includes;

•moving
•closing
•maximizing
•minimizing and
•restoring it.
Click on the button marked with an “x.”
Clicking on this button closes the program
you are using.
Close
This button will restore a program's window to
its original size. The original size of a window
is a little bit smaller then full screen

Restore
This button opens a program's window so that it
fills the screen as much as it can

Maximize
 Minimize

This button puts a program on hold and places it on

the taskbar at the bottom of your screen. To re-
open a program that is on the taskbar click on the
box which represents the program you want to open. For
example the box shown below would represent this
tutorial
 Resizing

When the mouse (cursor) is positioned

over this part of the program window, a
set of arrows appears. When these
arrows appear click and hold the mouse
button down. You will now be able to
stretch the program window in any direction
Using my computer
 The "My Computer" program is a tool that lets you
see everything that is stored on your computer. It is
useful for finding, organizing and storing files on
your computer

 Files represent stored information that you have

named. Think of "My Computer" as a filing cabinet
for your computer.
 You can open the "My Computer"
program by double clicking on the "My
Computer" icon on the "desktop" as
shown below.
 Once you have double clicked on the icon,
the following window will appear
 The icons in the" My Computer" window
represent all the drives, folder and files on
your computer. The following describes
the icons that you will use the most as a
new computer user.
 Drives are like filing cabinets for computer files.
To see what is stored on a drive double click on
its icon and a list of files and folders will appear.
These files and folders will be arranged
alphabetically. To open any of these files
double click on them.
The A: drive icon opens files saved
on a floppy disk. You may only
open this drive when you have put a
floppy disk into the drive slot of the
computer
 The C: drive icon on most home computers
represents the hard drive. This is the drive
where all the programs that your computer runs
are stored. You can also store files that you
have created on this drive. If you do not think
that the C: drive is your hard drive, look for a
drive that has the same picture for an icon.
 The D: drive icon represents the CD-
ROM drive. Double clicking on this icon
will show you all the files stored on a CD-
ROM
 Folders help you organize your files by
dividing up a drive into alphabetically
organized sections. Double clicking on a
folder will open it. Each folder can also
hold other folders and files
 Files are information stored by a
program. For example a file created in
"WordPerfect" will be saved with the
ending ".wpd." Double clicking on a file
will open it