Computer News No.106, Nov-Dec 2003

Training News
 

The following are the training courses arranged by the Computer Center till March 2004 to help our staff and students learn how to use the various software and services.  Most courses are open to HKU staff and students free of charge.  Some courses are provided by a course vendor and a fee is charged for these courses (e.g. the Microsoft Office series and other PC software) . Click on the course number to see the description of each course.
 
 

Users can apply on-line for attending these courses through the web by visiting HKU Portal (https://hkuportal.hku.hk) => Services tab => Workshop and Courses (under Computer Centre Services)

Course Schedule
 

Note:

RR = Run Run Shaw Building

OLB=Old Library Building

 

Users can apply on-line for attending these courses through the web by visiting HKU Portal (https://hkuportal.hku.hk) => Services tab => Workshop and Courses (under Computer Centre Services)

Click here to suggest new courses you would like

Courses on E-mail and HKU Portal Services
 

Introduction to Email and Computer Virus

This is a 2-hour course on using "Email in HKU and how to prevent computer virus". It covers:

Introduction to HKUESD and HKU Portal

This is a 2-hour workshop on how to use electronic signatures in electronic documents. It will cover the following topics:

                1.  Introduction to the PKI and ESD concept
                2.  PKI infrastructure and ESD applications at HKU
                3.  Using digital signature for HKU ESD applications
                4.  Overview on building ESD applications for your department

The HKU Portal provides an intuitive, convenient and customizable web interface to campus wide services and faciliates access to personalized information in a secure environment.

The HKU Portal supports single-sign-on.  You can customize the web interface to choose the web applications for e-learning, e-administration, online library services, and other services that you are interested in. This seminar will introduce the features and services available for you on HKU Portal.

Introduction to Mathematica

Mathematica is a general computer software system and language intended for mathematical and other applications. In this 3-hour seminar, examples of using Mathematica in numerical calculations, graphics, algebra and calculus, solving equations etc, will be shown.

Introduction to Matlab

Matlab is an integrated computing environment for numeric computation and visualization. This 3-hour seminar will give an introduction on using Matlab in numerical analysis, matrix computation and graphics etc.

Introduction to UNIX

This is a 3-hour introductory course for users with little or no Unix experience.  The course will cover the Unix computing environment, the Unix file system, the editor, email, disk quota allocations and commonly used Unix commands.

Introduction to EMBOSS

This is a 3-hour course on the introduction of EMBOSS (European Molecular Biology Open Software Suite) for bioinformatics research. Course outline:

Starting EMBOSS in BIOINFO server

Main programs in EMBOSS

Exercises on: retrieving multiple sequences, comparing sequences, getting opening reading frame, amino acid properties,    hydrophobicity profiles, displaying aligned sequences.

Getting online help from the Internet.

Pre-requisite: BIOINFO system account is required.

Introduction to SRS

This is a 3-hour course on the introduction of the SRS (Sequence Retrieval System) for bioinformatics research.

        Content include:

            Exercise 1- Simple sequence query
            Exercise 2- Advance sequence query
            Exercise 3- Integrate sequence query with BLAST and FASTA
            Exercise 4- Integrate sequence analysis with EMBOSS tools

        Pre-requisite: BIOINFO system account is required.

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Introduction to SPSS for Windows

This is a course on SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) for Windows PC. Users will learn how to read the input data as well as to perform some simple statistical analysis. Contents include:
 
1. Getting Started,  SPSS Manager, Creating and Editing Chart
2. Statistical Analysis with Dialog Box Interface
3. Data Files
4. Data Editor
5. Working with Output
6. Working with Command Syntax
7. Data Transformations
8. File Handling and File Transformations
9. Some Statistical Procedures
10. Utilities
11. Production Facility
Introduction to SAS for Unix
 
The SAS package (on HKUSUA) is an integrated system for data analysis. In this 3-hour workshop, users will learn how to create a SAS data set, to retrieve data from the data set and to perform some commonly used statistical procedures. Users are expected to have some knowledge in statistics. Pre-requisite: Attendants must have the HKUSUA computer account.
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Learning with WebCT

This 2-hour workshop will discuss the basic features provided by WebCT from a student's point of view, e.g. browsing course materials, communicating via discussions, attempting on-line quizzes, checking usage records, etc. This workshop aims at familiarizing staff and students to the various functions of WebCT.

The powerpoint presentation can be found at http://www.hku.hk/local/cc/training/webct/introwebct.ppt.
 

Developing Online Courses with WebCT (Basic)
 
This 4-hour workshop will cover how to start using WebCT to develop online courses. It will cover the more commonly used features like discussions, emails, posting notes, etc.  It will also introduce how to explore and make use of functions in general. This workshop aims at helping first time course developers of WebCT to get started with the common tools to develop their online courses.

The powerpoint presentation can be found at http://www.hku.hk/local/cc/training/webct/webctBasic.ppt.

Pre-requisites: Participants are expected to be familiar to using a WebCT course, or have attended 'Workshop 1 : Learning with WebCT'
 

Developing Online Courses with WebCT (Advanced)
 
This 2-hour workshop will cover more advanced features for course developers, e.g. assignments, quizzes and statistics. This workshop aims at helping course developers to make use of the more advanced features with hands-on experience.

The powerpoint presentation can be found at http://www.hku.hk/local/cc/training/webct/webctAdv.ppt.

Pre-requisites: Participants are expected to be familiar to using a WebCT course, or have attended 'Workshop 2 : Developing Online Courses with WebCT (Basic)'

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Web Page Editing with Microsoft FrontPage

This is a 3-hour workshop on webpage editing using Microsoft FrontPage.  In the workshop, students would be doing the following exercises:
    Exercise 1 - Create a document, try colors, fonts, bullets lists etc.
    Exercise 2 - Create targets and hyperlinks
    Exercise 3 - Create a table
    Exercise 4 - Using image files in your document
    Exercise 5 - Uploading your document to the server
Pre-requisite: Attendants must have the HKUSUA computer account.

Using CGI Programs in Webpages

This is a 3-hour course on using cgi programs in webpages.  Contents include:
    Exercise 1 - Running cgi program on the web server
    Exercise 2 - Imbedding cgi programs in a web form
    Exercise 3 - Putting a counter in a homepage
    Exercise 4 - Putting a guestbook in a homepage
Pre-requisite: Basic HTML Editing. Attendants must have the HKUSUA computer account.
 

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Parallel Programming with workshop
 
This course is suitable for researchers and their assistants who need to run programs with very long execution time. By parallelizing and executing the program in a computer cluster environment, the execution time may be reduced significantly, for example, from 2 days to 2 hours. Students must have programming experience in either C or Fortran.

The course is designed for our HKUHPCC environment which consists of 2 PC-clusters of 32 nodes and 7 nodes, where each node is of dual CPU architecture.  For technical details on HKUHPCC cluster, please refer to: http://www.itservices.hku.hk/ccsystem/hkuhpcc.
 

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Advanced Word 2002 (Office XP) ($500)
 
1.  File Protection using Password, and Auto-save
2.  Creating Templates
3.  Creating Styles
4.  Creating Marcos
5.  Uses of Footnotes, Index, and Content
6.  Uses of online form
7.  Using master documents
8.  Sharing data with other Office applications
9.  Insert hyperlinks
PowerPoint 2002 (Office XP) ($250)
 

This is a 1-day course on making a professional presentation slide show using PowerPoint2002.  Contents include:
 

1. Introduction to PowerPoint
2. Creating a presentation using "Auto Content Wizard"
3. Understanding PowerPoint views
4. Adding clip art and pictures
5. Customise slide shows
6. Transition effects and text animation
7. Printing slides and speaker notes
8. Creating special text effects with WordArt
9. Creating organisation charts
10. Inserting Microsoft Word table and Excel spreadsheet

Creating charts

Access 2002 (Office XP) ($500)

Access is a powerful database software allowing users to create database and database applications without any programming work.  This is a 2-day course.

Contents of this course include:

1. The Access 2002 fundamental database components
2. Using a database wizard
3. Creating a database
4. Defining data types and setting field properties
5. Using the primary key
6. Adding and deleting records
7. Finding and replacing records
8. Filtering and sorting records
9. Relational database
10. Making use of queries
11. Using quick form and quick report
12. Creating a customised form
13. Changing design of forms
14. Creating print reports
15. Mailing labels

Advanced Excel 2002 (Office XP) ($500)

The course outline of this 2-day workshop include :

1. Database query and table handling
2. Worksheet and workbook linking
3. Useful built-in and user-defined functions
4. Add-in programs
5. Graph and picture handling and slide
6. Goal seeking and scenario manager
7. View manager and report manager

Record Macro

Visual Basic for Application - Excel  ($500)

This 2-day course is designed for students who want to learn how to use Visual Basic to write Macros in Excel.

Course outline :

1. Difference between Excel Macros and Visual Basic for Application (VBA)
2. Introduction to VBA - Development Environment, Menus & Toolbars
3. Structure of Procedures - Calling and Organizing Procedures
4. Introduction to Objects and collections
5. Controlling Objects
6. Using the Object Brower, Objects, Properties and Methods
7. VBA Codes - Conditions and Looping
8. Debugging & Error Handling - using Debug Window, Break Mode, using Match Expression and built-in-Error value of MS Excel
9. Exchange Data with other applications - using DDE, using OLE Automation with Applications and DLLs
10. Customer Applications - using Dialog Boxes, Dialog Sheets and Menu Editor

Prerequisites: Participants are expected to be familiar with MS Excel.

Adobe PageMaker 7.0 ($500)

This is a 2-day course on using the Adobe PageMaker 7.0, a desktop publishing software.  The final output can be used for mass printing directly.

Course outline:

1. Basic concept on computer desktop publishing
2. Creating accurate layout
3. Importing other documents including texts and graphics
4. Text Objects: text blocks and text frames
5. Using master items for long documents
6. Uses of styles
7. Creating the table of contents

Dreamweaver MX  ($500)

This 2-day course is designed for users who want to learn how to use Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, a powerful & professional visual editor for creating and managing web pages. With Dreamweaver, it's easy to create cross-platform, cross-browser pages.

Course outline :
    1. Dreamweaver Work Space
    2. Site Planning & Site Management
    3. Understanding Hyper Link
    4. Using Images & Animations
    5. Using Cascading Sytle Sheet
    6. Creating Forms & Frames
    7. Creating Interactive Homepage
 

Flash MX  ($500)

This 2-day course is designed for students who want to learn how to use Macromedia Flash MX, to produce special effects and animation, for a multimedia homepage.  It can help users produce home pages with vector and bitmap graphics, motion, MP3 audio, form input and interactivity.

Course outline :
    1. Flash Work Space
    2. Drawing and Editing Graphics
    3. Editing scenes and objects
    4. Using Timeline
    5. Creating animation and using sound files
    6. Using Actions
    7. Publishing and Exporting to movie
    8. Uploading homepage
 

Adobe Illustrator 10.0  ($500)

Adobe Illustrator allows you to create sophisticated and impressive graphics for use on
the web, in conventional print and other media projects with a variety of graphic tools,
functions and layer effects. In this course students will learn the design concepts in
developing artworks and drawing for professional graphic design.

The course outline of this 2-day workshop include:

1. Introducing Illustrator - Illustrator Basics, Creating Shapes, Drawing and Painting,  Selecting and Editing, Working with Color
2. Putting Illustrator to Work - Manipulating Type, Transforming and Distorting Artwork, Using Layers and Masks
3. Mastering Illustrator - Understand Transparency, Using Style and Effects, Working with Pixels
4. Outputting Illustrator - Understanding Printing, Outputting files to other file format or other applications

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Notes for Registration:
 

1.	Users can apply on-line for attending these courses through the web by visiting HKU Portal (https://hkuportal.hku.hk)  => Services tab => Workshop and Courses (under Computer Centre Services)
2.	Successful applicants will be notified by e-mail or telephone at least one week before the commencement of the course.
3.	Some courses (no. prefix) are organised in conjunction with a course vendor.  There is a nominal charge on the courses. For courses requiring a fee, please send payment to the Computer Centre as soon as you have registered on the web, otherwise your registration is considered invalid. Payment can be made in cheque (payable to The University of Hong Kong), or through departmental requisition (for applicants supported by departments). Once accepted, the fee is not refundable.  However, substitution of participant is possible by written notification to the Centre. The Computer Centre reserves the right to cancel the courses if there is insufficient enrollment. Applicants will be notified by email or telephone of the course cancellation and all course fees collected will be refunded in full.
4.	The maximum number of participants for a course: - 25 in Room 135, Old Library Building - 22 in Room 201, Run Run Shaw Building - 20 in Room 101, Run Run Shaw Building

The Computer Centre runs courses in the following areas throughout the year to assist staff and students in using the Centre's facilities:

 

Email and Network Services  Internet Browsing   Web Course Tools  Unix System   Statistical Analysis  Bioinformatics Parallel Programming

Word Processing   Spreadsheet  Powerpoint Presentations  PC Database Systems Web Page Authoring Pagemaker  Photoshop

Click here to suggest new courses you would like

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