Ed2Go Fall 2009 Course Descriptions:

Register for continuing education online courses at www.ed2go.com/dtcc. Starting dates for these Continuing Education online courses are: September 16, October 21, November 11, January 20, February 17, March 17, April 21, and May 19.

Durham Tech offers Ed2Go online noncredit, continuing education courses at an affordable cost of only $75; a few certification courses will cost $95. Because these courses are self-supporting, no tuition waivers or exemptions are allowed.

Note: All courses require Internet access, E-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser, and Windows (except the Mac courses!). Some courses have additional software requirements as noted below.

• Accounting Fundamentals: Demand for accounting professionals currently exceeds supply. If you're interested in increasing your financial awareness and accountability while also gaining a marketable skill, this course is for you. You'll learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, while also learning how to analyze and record financial transactions, as well as prepare various financial reports at the end of the fiscal period. Accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll procedures, sales taxes, and various common banking activities will be discussed. We'll cover all the bases, from writing checks to preparing an income statement and closing out accounts at the end of each fiscal period.
  
  
• Accounting Fundamentals II: While it is true that accounting professionals are scarce, those with corporate accounting experience are even more rare. This course will build on the knowledge you gained in our Accounting Fundamentals course to provide you with a solid understanding of corporate accounting practices. You'll be able to analyze transactions and prepare various corporate financial reports. You'll also gain practical experience working with dividends, plant assets, depreciation, accrued revenue and expenses, retained earnings, stockholders' equity, and more.
  
  
• Introduction to Crystal Reports: Learn how to use Crystal Reports to convert raw database or accounting data into meaningful and readable reports. Impress your peers, clients, and superiors by discovering new ways to convey information. By the time you finish this course, you'll be able to create a wide variety of handsome and sophisticated reports that communicate more--much more--than mere facts. You'll also be able to use charts and maps to present information visually, and cross-tabs to show correlations between loosely-related data items. You'll even find out how to save yourself time and effort by creating a library of custom functions you can use over and over in report after report..
  
  
• Real Estate Investing: Want to invest in real estate but have no money and no idea where to start? In this course, we’ll demystify the technical aspects of acquiring and profiting from property. We’ll explore how to find, finance, and negotiate a deal, how to invest in lease options, foreclosures, quick flips, rehabs, and mobile homes. And most important, you’ll finish up the course with a specific game plan tailored to your individual investing goals that will put you well on your way to finding your first (or next) deal.
  

• Real Estate Law: If you've ever bought or sold a home, you know that having an understanding of real estate law is essential. This course will give you a complete overview of real estate law, from buying and selling, to mortgages, easements, and foreclosure. We'll go over the issues in a straightforward and entertaining manner, leaving you with a strong foundation in this critical area of legal practice.
  
  
• The Analysis and Evaluation of Stocks: The Analysis and Valuation of Stocks is a comprehensive course designed to show you how to research and value stocks. Topics covered in the course include reading financial statements, calculating financial ratios, industrial comparisons, and pricing techniques.
  
  
• Introduction to Quickbooks 2009: In this QuickBooks class, you'll get the training you need to start using this accounting program to set up a chart of accounts, reconcile your checking account, create and print invoices, receipts, and statements, track your payables, inventory, and receivables, create estimates, and generate reports.
  
  

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• Achieving Success with Difficult People:
Do you know people whose behavior makes completing even the simplest tasks difficult? Would you like to learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors or family members? Join this class and get helpful information for understanding yourself, solving people problems, and improving your relationships and personal and professional productivity.


• Introduction to Microsoft Project 2007:
Discover how to effectively plan, implement, and control projects using Microsoft Project 2007. In this hands-on course, you'll find out how to apply the world's most popular project management software to your needs. You'll convert lists and schedules into an integrated plan you can be proud of, and you'll see how Microsoft Project can walk you through any project by helping you organize details, sequence tasks, produce a baseline, assign resources and costs, track progress, identify and analyze variances, revise your project plan, create schedules, and share everything with your customers and coworkers.


• Introduction to Microsoft Project 2003: Discover how to effectively plan, implement, and control projects using Microsoft Project 2003. In this hands-on course, you will find out how to apply the world's most popular project management software to your needs. You'll convert lists and schedules into an integrated plan you can be proud of, and you'll see how Microsoft Project can walk you through any project by helping you organize details, sequence tasks, produce a baseline, assign resources and costs, track progress, identify and analyze variances, revise your project plan, create schedules, and share everything with your customers and coworkers.
  
  
• Project Management Fundamentals: There are more projects occurring today than at any time in history. Organizations initiate projects to create new computer applications, erect bridges and buildings, improve processes, develop new products, and reorganize company operations. Unfortunately, most organizations do not manage projects well, creating an unprecedented demand for project management practitioners. If you're organized, perceptive, detail-oriented, and an excellent communicator, you just might have what it takes to succeed in the fast-growing field of project management. If you're new to project management, this course will provide you with the essential information you'll need to prepare for and complete your first project. If you're an experienced project manager, this course will make you more valuable to your employer by increasing your skills and competencies. This course will also help you prepare for the internationally recognized Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exams offered by the Project Management Institute.
  
  
• Project Management Applications: In this course, an experienced Project Management Professional will teach you the same powerful tools and techniques that experienced project management professionals rely on every day. You'll increase the probability of project success by mastering the tricks of the trade: Earned Value Performance Measurement, Gantt Charts, Network Scheduling, Work Breakdown Structure, and Cost-Volume Analysis. You'll also become proficient at recruiting project team members and empowering them to succeed. You'll understand the stages of team development, and you'll gain skills in developing and motivating team leaders. You'll even learn about project software, statistics, change management, processes, and estimating. And you'll gain valuable experience with project planning, contro,l and data analysis tools. This course will also help you prepare for the internationally recognized Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exams offered by the Project Management Institute.
  
  
• PMP Certification Prep 1: Learn how to prepare for Project Management Institute's prestigious PMP certification exam. Master the first six chapters of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), the most essential resource for the PMP certification exam. Learn all about the nine Project Management Knowledge Areas, five Process Groups, and 39 project management processes. Raise your project management IQ by discovering tips and techniques related to the questions you'll encounter on the PMP exam. Use proven learning techniques to help you absorb key terminology, concepts, and formulas.
  
  
• PMP Certification Prep 2: Prepare to take--and pass--the Project Management Institute's PMP certification exam. Master chapters seven through twelve of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, the most essential resource for the PMP certification exam. Learn all about the nine Project Management Knowledge Areas, five Process Groups, and 39 project management processes. Raise your project management IQ by discovering tips and techniques related to the questions you'll encounter on the PMP exam. Use proven learning techniques to help you absorb key terminology, concepts, and formulas.
  
  
• Keys to Effective Communication: Lost for words? Don't be! Learn to build rapport, trust, warmth, and respect through conversation.
  
  
  

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• Effective Business Writing: Do you have a nagging suspicion that a small improvement in your writing skills might also improve your career prospects? Don't let small gaps in your business writing skills prevent you from reaching your full potential! It doesn't matter whether you're a clerical worker, an engineer, or an executive. If you communicate with others in writing, you need this course to help you identify and eliminate problem areas. By the end of this course, you'll know the secret to developing powerful written documents that immediately draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue until your very last, well-chosen word.
  
  
• The Keys to Effective Editing: Ask any published writer and you will hear that a good editor is not just helpful, but essential. If you aspire to be an editor, this course will teach you the fundamentals of top-notch editing for both fiction and nonfiction. If you’re already working as an editor, you’ll not only brush up on your skills, but will also learn about recent advances in your chosen profession. If you’re a writer, you will learn essential self-editing tools to give your manuscripts the professional look that publishers like to see.
  
  
• Writing Great Technical Documents: Do you write technical documents? Would you like to learn how to write them better? This course will teach you how to polish your writing and improve the effectiveness of your technical documentation. You'll learn how to choose the right words, write powerful sentences and paragraphs that flow, use technical terms, improve your grammar and punctuation, use graphics, and format your technical documents to get results.
  
  
• Grammar for ESL: If English is your second language and you're headed for college, you will find this class to be very valuable. This course will provide you with an in-depth analysis of English grammar and structure so that you will be more prepared to succeed in any class taught in English.
  
  
• Grammar Refresher: Revive your lost or forgotten knowledge of English grammar and gain confidence in your ability to produce grammatically correct writing. Whether you’re a student or professional, a published or beginning writer, this course will help you navigate and master the linguistic twists and turns inherent in English grammar. Grammar is fun if you know the rules. A patient instructor will support you throughout the course, and plenty of interactive exercises will give you ample opportunity to put into practice everything you learn.
  
  
• Beginning Writer’s Workshop: If you've dreamed of writing creatively, this course is a great place to start. Get a taste of the writing life, improve your writing skills, and discover new ways to stretch your creative muscles. This isn't school as you know it. It’s an in-depth writing experience filled with challenging hands-on exercises, expert advice, and plenty of direct support and encouragement.
  
  
• Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers: Banish writer's block forever with these tricks from the published writer's toolbox. Writeriffic liberates the inventive bolts of genius that are inside everyone. If you've ever dreamed of hearing your writer's voice, this class will make it happen.
  
  
• Writeriffic2: Advanced Creativity Training for Writers: Increase writing confidence, beat writer’s block, manage time, negotiate writing fees, write, and live your dreams. Learn advanced methods to create and write like the professionals--whether you’re launching a career or seeking personal satisfaction through writing. In Writeriffic 2, you’ll learn to be the writer you've always wanted to be and have fun, too.
  
  

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• Advanced Comp TIA A+ Certification Prep: Ready for a crash course in (almost) every important computer technology in the known world? The Advanced CompTIA A+ Certification Prep course takes you through an extensive set of technologies, including SCSI, video, modems, printers, multimedia, portable PCs, and networking. You'll study the hardware and learn the software necessary to install, configure, and troubleshoot that hardware. This course completes your understanding of the hardware and operating systems tested on the CompTIA A+ Certification exams. So grab a seat and strap yourself in - you're in for a wild ride!
  
  
• Basic Comp TIA A+ Certification Prep: The Basic CompTIA A+ Certification Prep course teaches you about the hardware common to virtually every personal computer - including microprocessors, RAM, power supplies, motherboards, BIOS, CMOS, the expansion bus, floppy drives, and hard drives. You'll learn how things work, how to configure everything, and how to troubleshoot in real world environments.
  
  
• Intermediate Comp TIA A+ Certification Prep: The Intermediate CompTIA A+ Certification Prep course teaches you how to work with the command line in Windows; how to install and configure both Windows 9x and Windows 2000, and install hardware in both operating systems; and you even learn how to work with DOS memory management within Windows.
  
  
• Comp TIA Network+ Certification Prep: This course will teach you everything you need to know to take and pass the challenging CompTIA Network+ certification exam and become an excellent network technician. You'll learn about topologies, the OSI Seven-Layer model, protocol suites, modern network operating systems, network hardware, cabling standards, remote connectivity, Internet connections, network troubleshooting, and more. CompTIA Network+ certification also counts as one of the elective exams for the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) certification.
  
  
• Comp TIA Security+ Certification Prep: The U.S. Department of Labor forecasts that computer security and related computer-support specialties will be among the fastest-growing occupations through 2012. CompTIA’s Security+ certificate is widely regarded as the entry-level certificate for gaining access to this well-paying, in-demand field. In this six-week course, you'll learn everything you need to know to achieve your Security+ credential.
  
  

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• Introduction to Networking: Businesses, schools, and other organizations are becoming increasingly reliant on computer networks, which explains why workers with networking skills are in high demand. If you'd like to learn the fundamentals of computer networking in terms you can easily understand, this course is for you. Learn why networks have become so important, how software and hardware makes networking possible, and how networks function. This course will give you the foundation you need to begin training for CCNA Certification or employment in a computer networking career.
  
  
• Intermediate Networking: Learn real-world applications for the concepts you learned in 'Introduction to Networking. You'll gain a full understanding of almost every aspect of networking technology, including hot topics such as virtual private networks, security, and Internet connectivity. Completion of this course and its prerequisite should serve as a springboard for a career in computer networking or training for CCNA Certification.
  
  
• Introduction to PC Troubleshooting: Are you ready to dive under the hood of your PC? Introduction to PC Troubleshooting takes you step by step through the typical hardware and operating system problems encountered by technicians, and teaches you troubleshooting techniques to decipher any problem and gives you the skills you need to solve them. Once you've mastered the basics, the course launches into some of the more advanced and nasty problems that sometimes crop up in the PC, teaching you how to diagnose and fix those problems. Finally, this course will show you how to maintain and optimize a Windows PC. So what are you waiting for? Let's troubleshoot - and fix - some PCs!
  
  
• Introduction to PC Security: What you don't know about PC security really can hurt you! Learn why you're at risk and what you can do to protect your precious personal and business data from the outside world. This course, taught by a security expert, will quickly bring you up to speed on the fundamentals of PC and network security. You'll learn the nature of the threats you face, how to assess your vulnerability, how to identify the weak links in your system, and how you can implement simple solutions to minimize your risks.
  
  
• Advanced PC Security: When is hacking legal? When you use it to secure your own network. This new method of hacking, called ethical hacking or white-hat hacking, uses common and readily available hacking tools and techniques to audit your network so you can locate and close security holes. Whether you're running a small home network or you're an enterprise network administrator, this course will teach you how to better protect your system against those who wish to gain unauthorized access. Sooner or later, you know that somebody is going to try and break into your network. Why not learn how hackers think so you can harden your defenses against them?
  

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• Discover Digital Photography: This course provides an introduction to the fascinating technology that is catapulting the photographic world into the 21st century. We'll discuss the basics of digital photography, equipment, software, the digital darkroom, printing, Internet and e-mail use, along with commercial and personal applications.
  
  
• Photographing People with your Digital Camera: Photographing people can be fun, exciting – and complicated! This course will make taking beautiful pictures of adults, children, and babies simple. Don't be nervous if you're new to digital photography, because we'll start with the basic principles you need to know in order to become a skilled people photographer. You'll discover the best way to shoot faces, fix common close-up problems, and use digital photo editing techniques to retouch your photos and make other improvements. Next, we’ll move onto portrait and formal group shots, where you’ll learn how to organize people, which angles to use, and which to avoid. You'll become proficient in action photography, and you'll also learn several fun and creative ways to photograph children and babies. You'll even gain expertise in filling your photographs with imagery, setting moods, and creating themes. Rounding out your training, this course will allow you to edit and improve your photos with Photoshop Elements 3.
  
  
• Photographing Nature with your Digital Camera:Jump into the world of nature photography! In this course, you'll master taking beautiful outdoor photos of everything from landscapes to specific nature items such as water, flowers, trees, animals, and more....
  
  
• Photoshop CS3 for the Digital Photographer:
Adobe Photoshop CS3 is a high-end software solution that provides support and specialized editing tools for digital photographers and graphic artists. In this class, we'll focus on how to select and use the professional techniques that are most helpful to photographers. Designed for those with no image-editing experience, this class will take students from novices to accomplished users.


• Secrets of Better Photography: Designed for both film and digital photographers, this course is filled with tips and tricks to help you take better photographs. You'll learn the basic technology that all cameras use, and you'll receive helpful information on exposure and lighting. You'll also explore strategies for taking excellent photos in all types of situations, including portraiture, landscape, macro, and still life.
  
  
• Photoshop Elements 6.0 for the Digital Photographer:
Bring out the best in your images! Adobe's Photoshop Elements 6.0 provides the tools you need for quick fixes and detailed enhancement. Take control as you discover the features of this award-winning package specifically designed for photo enthusiasts. Created for those with no image-editing experience, this class will take you from novice to accomplished user. Upgrade students are welcome as well!


• Photoshop Elements 6.0 for the Digital Photographer II: Adobe's Photoshop Elements 6.0 is full of outstanding features for advanced editing. Once you've learned the basics, you're ready to see how they all work together for detailed editing, building collages, restoring old photos, and more. This class is designed for those already familiar with cropping, printing, and color adjustments, as well the various selection tools. If you're ready to take your photo-editing skills to the next level, join us and see what more you can do with the advanced features of Elements.


• Photoshop Elements 7.0 for the Digital Photographer I: You'll experience editing images on your computer, correcting flaws, enhancing the final product, creating simple art projects, preparing images for e-mail and the Web, and more. You'll achieve high-quality results with your images without having to learn complex professional techniques. And you'll see how Photoshop Elements 7 gives you room to grow while making it easy to achieve amazing results even in the early stages of your learning.
  
  
• Photoshop Elements 7.0 for the Digital Photographer I: Adobe's Photoshop Elements 7 is full of outstanding features for advanced editing. Once you've learned the basics, you're ready to see how they all work together for detailed editing, building collages, restoring old photos, and more. This course is designed for those already familiar with cropping, printing, and color adjustments, as well the various selection tools. If you're ready to take your photo-editing skills to the next level, join us and see what more you can do with the advanced features of Elements.
  
  
• Travel Photography for the Digital Photographer: The lure of travel is surpassed only by the inevitable desire to bring home pictures and share your adventures. Join us and discover the world through a photographer's eye.
  
  

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For further information or questions, please contact conedonline@durhamtech.edu. You may also phone Cynthia Davis at 919-536-7240 ext 4403, Becky Roehrs at 919-536-7239 ext. 4308, or Herleesha Anderson at 919-536-7240 ext 4418