Online Professional Development Courses Available

Columbia State Community College's Center for Economic and Workforce Development is offering several non-credit courses during the month of December.

The Introduction to Excel 2007 course topics include: getting started with Excel 2007, working with formulas and functions, formatting a worksheet, working with charts and analyzing data using formulas and functions. This class will be held on Friday, December 4 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The fee for the class is $129 with the text is included.

Upgrading to Microsoft Office 2007 covers changes in Windows XP, Word 2007, Excel 2007, Access 2007 and PowerPoint 2007. This class will be held on Friday, December 11 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The cost of the class is $129 with the text included.

Internet/email for Seniors teaches participants how to get started with email, send and receive messages, and use popular email tools in a four-hour seminar. The class will be held on Thursday, December 17 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. The cost is $84 and includes the text.

Accounting for Small Business covers basic accounting concepts needed by small business owners and operators to run their businesses effectively. Content includes accounting fundamentals, cash and accrual accounting, basic recordkeeping, ledger and journal entries and financial statement preparation. This class will be held on Friday, December 18 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The fee with text included is $119.

Online Professional Development

Through a partnership with Oak Horizons, Inc. Columbia State's Center for Economic and Community Development delivers an online medical transcription program. The Online Medical Transcription program involves an intense curriculum that prepares individuals to be employable and achieve their financial goals. The program consists of six consecutive blocks. Each block contains four to five courses and will take about six weeks to complete. A student will complete 905 cumulative hours of study during the program. Medical transcription is a healthcare profession that is in great need of knowledgeable and skilled professionals. This online program has been prepared by experienced professionals who have been owners of successful medical transcription companies and a medical transcription school. Oak Horizons regularly networks with various employers to document skill needs and program value. This class will begin on Monday, December 7.

Columbia State's Center for Economic and Community Development has also partnered with Education To Go to deliver a variety of instructor-led, online computer training. All courses start monthly and run for six weeks. The instructors release two lessons for students to complete each week. Students can email questions to the instructor and classmates. There is a quiz at the end of each lesson to help students gauge their progress.

Available courses include Introduction to the Internet, Creating Web Pages, Intermediate Web Pages, Introduction to FrontPage, Creating Web Graphics, JavaScript Programming, CGI Programming, and Introduction to PC Troubleshooting. Course fees start at $102. For complete course guide and registration information, go to www.ed2go.com/coscc.

For more information on continuing education classes call (931) 540-2660.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.