Introduction
If you find it challenging to use Office 365 Suite to effectively study and do assignments, this article will liberate you from the struggle. It is common for students who are not tech-savvy to struggle with the use of digital technology when studying or doing assignments. Despite this struggle, the use of digital platforms in higher education is fast becoming the norm. This trend will only continue at a fast pace. Some popular digital platforms used while studying are Online Libraries, Google Scholar, Moodle, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Turnitin, Kahoot, Padlet, Miro, and Nearpod, and many more.
There is no way to avoid using digital technology for higher education students or aspiring students even if you don’t like it. The only option is to learn how to use the ones that are used as part of your course. This is one of a series of articles on how to use these digital platforms. The focus of this article will be on the Microsoft Office 365 Suite which is popularly used in higher education, especially Word and PowerPoint.
How to Use Microsoft Word for Studying and Assignments
Using Microsoft Word for studying and assignments will help you in several ways. For example, to organise your thoughts, take notes, and create well-structured documents. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to use Microsoft Word to study and for assignments with pictures:
How to Create a New Word Document
You can create a document in two ways. Either on the internet or as an app. Using Microsoft Word on the internet is always better than the app. This is because you can access your study notes or assignment anywhere via the internet. You only need your username and password. When you use the app, you can only access it on your computer or the device you saved the app. The steps below are on the 2021 version of Office 365 (on a laptop), it will be the same for similar versions.
How to Open Microsoft Word on the Internet: Sign into your Office 365 account using the email address that your university or college gave you. To do this, type office.com in your browser:
You will see the page below once signed in:
Click on the nine dots circled in red on the top left of the page and you will see the following:
Click on “Word” and you will see the page below:
Click on “Blank Document” and you will see the following page:
Click on Document 1 to save it with a unique name. This will help you easily identify the document when you intend to open it another time. Use the name of the module and/or the assignment. For example, “Academic Skills Practice Assignment”:
When you sign into your Office 365 account another time the saved work will be displayed as follows (there will be a list as you save more):
To save Word on your computer, click on “Editing” then “Open in Desktop” in the dropdown. After it opens as an app, then save it to your computer.
Formatting and Styling
Use the formatting options in the toolbar to adjust the font, size, and style of your text:
To see more options, click on the ribbon display option and select “Classic Ribbon”, the following will show:
Always use headings and subheadings to organise your assignment answers and notes. Select the text you intend to make a heading and choose appropriate heading styles from the “Styles” menu (circled in red in the image above).
To insert a picture, click on the “Insert” tab in the toolbar and click on “Pictures” to choose an image from your computer or other sources. You can also insert tables shapes, web links, videos, comment and headers and footers such as page number:
Table of Contents
If your document has several sections or headings, you can create a table of contents to easily navigate through the content. Put your cursor where you want to insert the table of contents. Go to the “References” tab and click on “Table of Contents.” Choose the desired style:
How to Use PowerPoint for Assignments
Microsoft PowerPoint is a useful tool for creating engaging presentations, study guides, and interactive content. Below is a guide on how to use Microsoft PowerPoint for assignments and studying:
Creating a New Presentation
After clicking the nine dots as shown above, click on PowerPoint (Some of the other useful apps for studying such as OneNote, Excel and Teams are underlined):
Then click on “blank presentation” for a plain version or click on any of the other templates provided such as Madison, Atlas, and Gallery:
Once the slides open, you can change the layout by clicking on the “Home” tab and “slide layout”.
After adding a title and subtitle, right-click on slide number one to add a new slide:
Open the classic ribbon as shown above and use the formatting options in the toolbar to change font styles, sizes, colours, and alignments. You can also insert pictures, images and so on as shown above. See more tips on how to use PowerPoint here.
How to Use OneNote for Studying
OneNote is an ideal digital note-taking app that allows you to take notes, draw diagrams, and clip web content. It helps to organise your notes into sections and pages, making it easy to find and review information later. You can also use tags to categorise and highlight important points. Collaboration enables you to share notebooks with study groups to facilitate collaborative note-taking information sharing. Also, you can record lectures or discussions and synchronise the audio/video with your notes for a comprehensive review. Check out some more tips on using OneNote here
How to Use Teams for Studying
Microsoft Teams is a good app for virtual collaboration. Joining or creating study groups on Teams allows group study flexibility in ways that face-to-face studying does not. Other benefits of using Teams for studying include conducting discussions, sharing files, and collaborating on projects or assignments in real-time. Features like video calls, screen sharing, and chat enhance remote learning experiences. These are the basic things to do with Microsoft Teams as a student.
How to Use Microsoft Outlook to Study
Of the many tools within Outlook, calendar and task management are two that help to study effectively. Use the Outlook calendar to schedule study sessions, set reminders, and create to-do lists. Stay organised by managing deadlines and tracking progress. Email and communication are other good uses. Also, to communicate with professors, classmates, or study partners using the email and messaging features. Others are to exchange study materials, clarify doubts, and collaborate effectively. Find many more tips on using Outlook here.
Conclusion
Effective studying involves a combination of utilising appropriate tools, creating a structured study plan, practising active learning, and managing your time effectively. Office 365 Suite is a very versatile and powerful aid in achieving these goals. Using the different Office 365 apps for studying and assignments help you get better at using them. This will put you in good stead when you start working. You don’t have to learn how to use them from scratch. This would also help you sharpen your transferable skills, which are highly desirable by employers and to successfully run a business.
Drop your questions (and thoughts) in the comment box below.
