Online Courses for Office Assistants with Class Descriptions

Students pursuing careers in office administration or seeking to improve their current business office skills may benefit from the online courses available through college certificate and degree programs designed for office assistants.

Overview of Online Courses for Office Assistants

Administrative office assistants can improve their professional and technical skills by completing online college courses as part of certification programs in office management. Several 2-year and 4-year colleges offer six-month to one-year online programs for the administrative office assistant certificate. Students may also complete coursework online for the Associates in Applied Science in Administrative Office Management.

Course Requirements

Successful participation in online courses will require that students have regular access to a computer with a high-speed Internet connection, Web browsing software and a personal e-mail account. Students should demonstrate basic computer skills and be comfortable with Internet navigation and file management.
Some online courses may have specific technical and software requirements which will be outlined in the course curriculum. A high degree of self-motivation and good time management skills also contribute to the success of online students.

List of Online Courses for Office Assistants

Basic Business Grammar Course

This introductory course reviews the fundamental skills used in writing, grammar, spelling and sentence structure. Classes focus on business vocabulary, correct punctuation and the proofreading of documents. Students may be required to demonstrate a basic level of skill in English and comprehension prior to entering the course.

Business Writing Course

The basics of written business communications is the focus of this course, with an emphasis on writing letters and memos, e-mail correspondences and reports. Classes in fundamental writing techniques, active and passive voice and the avoidance of jargon and slang phrases help students to create, format and review effective and professional business documents.

Keyboarding Course

Students without prior experience will develop a mastery of the computer keyboard through practice exercises in touch typing. Classes include an introduction to word processing software, concepts used in formatting business correspondence and proofreading skills.

Word Processing Software Course

This course introduces students to the main functions of computer word processing programs. Students learn to create, modify, save and print documents. This class helps students change the formatting of a document, use grammar and spelling check features and more. Students learn to use the built-in thesaurus feature, organize files and print documents.

Spreadsheet Software Course

This course focuses on the the basic functionality of spreadsheets and worksheets, including writing formulas, sorting data, creating graphs and producing multi-dimensional charts. Classes consist of hands-on training to build accuracy while entering data values, using macros, linking files and creating correct formulas.

Presentation Software Course

Students learn to create multimedia business presentations that include animation, video and audio clips, Web links and special effects in this course. Classes include information on formatting and editing text within slides, inserting charts and objects, using downloaded clip art and templates and exporting slide shows for use on the Web or on other computers.