Page 53 - digitalliteracy

2.3 Software: Your Tools for Success

Software You Will Need for Your Online Courses

In the following sections, we will
review the software programs that
must be installed on your computer
for your Ashford courses. These pro-
grams are also referred to as produc-
tivity software because they allow you
to produce or create new content and
documents. As an Ashford student, you
will receive Microsoft Word, Excel, and
PowerPoint for free as part of your
Office 365 package. After we review
these software requirements, we will
look at some interesting options you
Jacob Ammentorp Lund/iStock/Thinkstock
may also want to consider.
To complete your course assignments, you will need
to install certain software programs on your laptop
or desktop computer.
Word Processing Software

Your word processing software will be a vital part of your educational experience, since you
will probably use this application more than any other. Technology has made creating writ-
ten documents so much easier than it used to be. No longer do you have to handwrite notes
to friends or type your school papers on a typewriter and spend hours fixing mistakes with a
correction pen. Word processing software allows you to quickly and easily compose, edit, and
revise written documents such as class notes, outlines, essays, poems, short stories, books,
brochures, or flyers.

The most commonly used word processing software today is Microsoft Word, which is
required for your Ashford University classes. Word is part of the Microsoft Suite, which
includes software for creating presentation slides, making spreadsheets, and sending and
receiving e-mails. See Table 2.3 for the similarities in look and feel across these software pro-
grams. The Microsoft Suite can be installed on both PC and Mac computers. However, if you
decide to use the Mac version of Word (called Pages), to ensure compatibility in your classes,
you must submit your writing assignments in Word format. Learn how to convert Pages files
to Word files at http://osxdaily.com/2014/08/06/save-pages-file-as-word-format.

Some older computers were sold with smaller, less expensive word processing software
known as Microsoft Works, which did not have all the features of Microsoft Word. Microsoft
Works is not sufficient for your online classes and is not an acceptable alternative to Microsoft
Word.

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