Practical Lecture on Microsoft Word for Midwifery Students

1. Introduction

Microsoft Word is a powerful word processing program. However, the majority of its users do not utilize
the application to its full potential. The lecture "Practical Lecture on Microsoft Word for Midwifery
Students" is aimed to provide fundamental understanding and methods to use Word efficiently for
documentations. The word processing benefits that will be discussed in this lecture include formatting,
documenting, editing, and customizing documents, working with tables, templates, and styles. As future
midwives, it is important to be proficient in the use of word processing programs since we will be facing
lots of documentation tasks. Throughout the lecture, we will also touch on some advanced Word
features and provide tips to work more effectively. At the end of the lecture, there will be a question
and answer session. Students can also ask questions during the lecture. I recommend all students to jot
down any questions that they might have and ask at the end of the lecture in order to have a smooth
and efficient session. The objectives of this lecture include what the lecture is and its scope, to provide
an introduction to word processing, to identify the uses and features of Microsoft Word, and to identify
different ways to start Microsoft Word. By the end of the lecture, students should be able to create a
new document, start Microsoft Word using any of the four methods, and know some or all of the
features and uses of Word. I hope you will find this lecture interesting and useful. Thank you.

1.1. Overview of Microsoft Word

If you have never used Microsoft Word before, the idea of starting to use it now may well seem a bit
daunting. However, almost all word processors - the more modern ones certainly - work in broadly the
same way and Microsoft Word is no exception. When you open Microsoft Word, you see the "Word"
window in which you can start to create a new document. At the top of the window, you will see an area
called the title bar. The title bar contains the name of the file you are using, as well as the standard
Windows control buttons - the minimize, the maximize/restore and the close buttons. These three
buttons are standard for all windows displayed on the computer screen and when clicked with the
mouse perform a standard function - minimizing the window (so that it hides the document, but not the
'Word' program), maximizing the window (so that it covers the entire screen) and closing the window
respectively. On the left there is the quick access toolbar with commonly used commands. These are
buttons for the most common tasks such as creating a new document, opening a pre-existing one,
saving and printing the document you are working on. Just below the title bar is the menu bar. This is
the main way of using closed on the horizontal ruler bar and the vertical one. The one at the top of the
window is the horizontal ruler, the one down the left is the vertical ruler. By dragging the small square at
the top left corner of the 'page' area (between the two rulers when displayed) you can change the
length of the rulers so that you can better match the size of the document you are creating. The ruler
bars allow you to change the indents and margins of the document and also to set tab stops. Though the
space is slightly limited on a computer screen compared with a sheet of paper, there is still plenty of
room to work on your document in a format and style that suits you best. Each 'page' in your document
can be displayed clearly and you can easily move around your document using either the mouse and the
scroll bars that appear next to the document or by using the keyboard and pressing the cursor control
keys. On the left-hand side of the window there is the vertical scrollbar. This will change position - the
larger the document, the smaller the slider is, although this is something you'll get used to quite quickly.
On the bottom right-hand side of the 'Word' window there is a slider area which changes the size of the
viewed document. Any change in size will automatically be updated in the document itself, allowing for
quick and easy size adjustments. At the very bottom of the window is the 'Word' status bar. This
contains helpful information about the page and text you are working on. For example, it will display the
page number and information on the current status of the keyboard as well as other information about
the view currently selected.

1.2. Importance of Microsoft Word for Midwifery Students

The main aim of the "Practical Lecture on Microsoft Word for Midwifery Students" is to teach midwifery
students the basic and advanced features of Microsoft Word. By the end of the lecture, students will
have a good understanding of the program and will be able to utilize Microsoft Word to its full potential
in their coursework. It is crucial for midwifery students to have a good understanding of Microsoft Word
because it is one of the main programs used by healthcare professionals for patient documentation.
Microsoft Word allows midwives to efficiently record and analyze patient data which ultimately results
in better care for patients. Additionally, throughout the lecture, students will learn how to create a new
document, save and open documents, and the correct ways to edit and format text. By teaching these
fundamental capabilities of Microsoft Word, students can then go on to learn more advanced
techniques such as creating and formatting tables and charts and using templates and styles. The
knowledge will provide important skills which can be used in both practice and theory when studying
midwifery. The step-by-step demonstration of functions and practical activities will equip students with
the skills needed to effectively use Microsoft Word.

1.3. Objectives of the Lecture

To facilitate the students in explaining the basic features of Microsoft Word. To demonstrate the use of
Microsoft Word in practical sessions, such as preparing a simple document. To teach the usage of
Microsoft Word in creating more complex and professional-looking documents in a step-by-step
manner. To illustrate the usage of some of the more advanced features in Microsoft Word, such as mail
merge, collaboration features, and creating and using templates in document production. To introduce
some tips that can be used in Microsoft Word for effective and efficient document production. To
provide a good number of hands-on practices for students so that they will have a good command of the
different features in Microsoft Word and be able to make use of Microsoft Word for the production of
various types of documents both in study and work.

2. Basic Functions of Microsoft Word

2.1. Creating and Saving Documents

2.2. Formatting Text and Paragraphs

2.3. Inserting and Formatting Images

3.1. Working with Tables and Charts

3.2. Using Templates and Styles

3.3. Collaborating and Tracking Changes

4. Tips and Tricks for Efficient Word Processing

4.1. Keyboard Shortcuts and Time-Saving Techniques

4.2. Customizing Word Settings

4.3. Troubleshooting Common Issues