NHTI Learning Center
Welcome to the Learning Center Computer Lab
Computer Learning Lab
We encourage you to use our 21 station lab with high speed laser printer and we ask that you be aware of your responsibilities.
Why Use the Computer Learning Lab?
Use the Learning Lab to:
- Complete PC Applications labs (IT 102) and get help using word processing, Excel and PowerPoint
- Explore Careers
- Use Computer based Tutoring:
- Plato Computer Assisted Instruction has help in:
- Math (all levels through Trigonometry)
- Science (Biology, Chemistry, Technology Fundamentals, and Physics)
- Reading (including Vocabulary Building)
- Writing
- BodyWorks (for Human Biology and A & P courses)
- Type to Learn will increase your typing speed
- Plato Computer Assisted Instruction has help in:
- Become a better learner using Inspiration for Visual Learning
Getting Help in the Computer Learning Lab
Unlike many other campus labs, someone is usually available to answer questions whenever our lab is open. We can assist you with:
- questions about printing ("Why isn't my paper printing out?")
- questions on how to use word processing ("How do I double space?")
- questions about software ("What does this error message mean?")
- general questions ("Where is the file I saved yesterday?")
- BlackBoard questions ("How do I print this course document? Why can't I login?)
Software Available
Office 2003
Plato Computer Assisted Instruction (in Math, Science, Reading, Writing)
Keyboarding Instruction
Inspiration® (for visual learners)
Bodyworks (for Biology and A&P)
Choices Career Exploration
Internet Access
Office 2003 Like all campus labs, we have the Microsoft Office programs (Word 2003 for word processing, Excel for spreadsheets, PowerPoint for presentations, and Access for database).
Plato (Computer Assisted Instruction) If you want to brush up on science or math or English skills, we encourage you to use Plato, our computer assisted instruction in these subjects. It is now available from any web-based computer but in order to use it, you must set up a brief appointment with the computer learning lab coordinator to get you accurately entered into the system.
Through tutorials, practice exercises and mastery tests, students can
- learn at their own pace
- obtain immediate feedback about their progress
- have additional practice in areas and topics of your choice.
- Preparing to take the Pre NLN (Nursing) Exam.
- Refreshing algebra skills before beginning Elementary Functions or Intermediate Algebra
- Brushing up on physics skills before taking a physics course.
- Reinforcement of a difficult math or physics concept while taking a course
- Reinforcing Chemistry and Biology concepts while taking any Chemistry or Biology course
- Reviewing grammar and usage skills while taking English 100 or EN101
- Improving your reading skills specifically for Science, Social Science, or Literature courses.
Inspiration® Are you a visual learner? Try using Inspiration Software to create 'maps' of what your know! See the Computer Learning Lab Coordinator for instruction. This software is also available in a few other campus labs.
Bodyworks, a graphical guide to the body and its various systems, is helpful to those taking Biology courses. Use it to review different systems, zooming in on areas to see more detailed information. Besides reviewing names, it explains the processes and functions of body systems.
Choices If you are not sure of your career goals or are looking ahead to further education, Choices software allows you to:
- Perform self assessment of both interests and skills
- Explore different occupations in terms of education needed, salary, skills, interests
- Create a portfolio to use in job interviews
- Search for jobs on the World Wide Web
- Search for information about 2- and 4-year colleges
- Coordinate your career decision process
Internet We also have high-speed Internet access for research or access your web-based email. Please read and adhere to our Internet Guidelines.
We ask that you follow these guidelines:
- Please sign-in. Please enter your name and activity into the sign-in computer each time you use the lab. Your faithful sign-in allows us to accurately report students' usage, as required by our funding source. These reports help us staff the lab and upgrade our hardware and software. If you enjoy using this lab and our services, please remember to sign in. Thanks for your cooperation!
- Please do not eat or drink in the lab area. This protects our computers from accidental spills and down-time during repair.
- If the lab is busy, please limit your non-academic use of the computer or Internet
- Use the Internet responsibly. Use good sense and common courtesy by not visiting pornographic or violent content sites, which may be offensive to others in a public setting such as our lab. (See the Internet Guidelines for complete rules.)
- Use the printer appropriately by previewing documents before printing, asking for help if the printer is not responding, and printing less than 15 pages at a time. (See the Printer Guidelines for more info.)
Internet Guidelines
Internet access is a privilege we provide to our students. The Internet is an increasingly valuable resource for research in a variety of subjects, offering up to date information in an incredibly wide range of topics. It can also be used to access web-based email accounts.There are also many fun and interesting sites that are of great personal (but not necessarily academic) interest to students. We regularly see students in chat rooms, doing on-line shopping, or just looking up information about their interest or hobbies. We are glad to see such broad use of this resource, but if the lab is busy, please limit your non-academic Internet use, out of consideration to others who are waiting to use the computers for schoolwork.
We also ask that students exercise good sense and common courtesy by not visiting pornographic or violent content sites, which may be offensive to others in a public setting such as our lab.
Unacceptable (and in fact illegal) uses of the Internet include:
Failure to follow these guidelines may result in loss of privileges in our lab.
- Use for illegal purposes
- Sending obscene, threatening or harassing material
- Propagating computer viruses or worms
- Unauthorized entry into other computers ("hacking")
- Unauthorized access to files or copying of files of another user
- Interference or disruption of network users
- Distribution of unsolicited advertising
Printing Guidelines
In an attempt to conserve paper (saving money, trees, and landfill space) we ask that you follow these guidelines:
- Do not print more than 15 pages at a time. Do not use the printer to 'make copies'. Use the copier in the library.
- Do not print entire PowerPoint documents. Print 3 or 6 handouts to a page, please.
- Spell Check your documents before printing.
- Before you print anything, Print Preview it. Print Preview is the 5th Tool from the left on the first toolbar (or you can File/Print Preview). This allows you to see what is about to print and notice glaring errors or extra blank pages. You can then go back and fix problems without wasting paper.
- Once you have printed the document, you may find you need to fix one page (or more) although you may not need to reprint the whole document. Figure out which pages need correcting, then print only those pages. (Use File/Print, not the Print Tool. Under Page Range, type in the number of the page or pages you wish to print and then hit OK.)
- If you print from the Internet, please also use Print Preview to see how many pages you are about to print. If you only want one page, then only print that page. Figure out which pages are needed, then use File/Print rather than Print tool to tell the computer the Page Range.
- Once you have hit the Print tool (or hit File/Print), it can take up to 1 minute for the printer to begin printing, especially if nothing has printed for several minutes. Do not hit Print again!! (Especially if this is a long printout.) The printer may need paper or have some other problem. Ask a staff person for help.