Australian Vocational Education and Training/ICAU1128A Operate a personal computer

What you'll be able to do

From the official document:

"This unit defines the competency required to operate a personal computer, including starting the PC, logging in, using and understanding desktop icons and their links to underlying programs, navigating a directory structure, saving work, printing, closing down the PC."

That means that once you've learned and practised the relevant tasks for this unit, you'll be able demonstrate all the basic skills you need to use a computer! You'll be able to turn it on, log in, start a few different programs that you like to use (like Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word or Firefox), create some directories (also known as "folders") and save your work, print out documents and find out basic information about your computer.

Some of the more advanced things include: finding files that you've deleted in the trashcan, searching for files on your computer and check printer settings (such as printing double-sided) and understanding directory permissions (who's allowed to access what on the computer). For more details about what you'll be able to demonstrate, please read the official document for ICAU1128A on the National Training and Information Service.

How you can learn the required skills for this unit

Your class facilitator will provide plenty of activities and class challenges to help you learn the skills required for this unit. To get started straight away, you might want to try the Windows XP tour (especially the Windows XP basics section). You can find the tour under the following menu:

• Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Windows XP tour

Microsoft also has a bunch of online tutorials for Windows XP basics including a tutorial on file management that you can access at any time, or print out for reference.

There are also plenty of textbooks that go through the basics of operating a computer. Your facilitator might recommend one, but here are two options:

• Operate a Personal Computer Windows XP by Software Publications, which is an excellent guide.
• Basic Computing using Windows from WikiBooks is a free book that you can print. It is a work in progress with regular updates and so may not suite some people.

If you want to test your knowledge with some questions, try the quiz questions

Ideas for how you can demonstrate this unit

There are a number of options for demonstrating the skills required by this unit. You may

• Complete a practical demonstration or an assignment provided by your facilitator and demonstrate your learning in class.
• If you already have the required skills, you might choose to get Recognition of Current Competence. You will need to organise a time to sit with your facilitator and demonstrate your skills. Your facilitator may have a Practical Demonstration guide that you can use to demonstrate your skills.