Re-read the Scenario
Re-read the lab scenario or the task instruction. Did you miss a detail that was included in the task instructions? It is very easy either to misread an instruction or to fail to notice specific details about a task, such as what to type or which cells to select.
View Hints
View the hints or explanation steps for the lab.
- For Skills and Challenge labs, click Hint or Show Me to see specific steps on how to perform the task.
- For Applied labs, examine the Explanation included in the Lab Report after clicking Done. You can then return to the lab and try it again.
If you need further instruction on a particular skill, return to the table of contents and watch the relevant video.
Try an Alternate Path
Consider possible differences between the simulated labs and the live application.
- The simulated labs are "open simulations," which means that they provide multiple ways to accomplish tasks, much like the real application. Typically, the labs provide the most common and most efficient paths for task completion.
- The lab simulations are necessarily limited in some aspects. If you are an experienced Office user, you may find that some commands or dialog boxes are not supported within the labs. In this case, the lab will usually display a Feature Not Simulated message and you will need to perform the task in a different way.
Close and Restart Your Web Browser
If your web browser has been running for a long period of time, a lab may become unresponsive. In these rare cases, consider closing and restarting your web browser. Log in to the course again and return to complete the lab. This will release the memory that was being used by the web browser.
Other Technical Issues
Follow these suggestions for common technical difficulties.
- Web Browsers When running the labs, do not reload web pages. This will restart the lab and discard your work.
- Mac Tips While Office Pro is compatible with the Mac OS (through a web browser), students should be aware that the course teaches Microsoft Office for Windows. Consequently, some keyboard commands will necessarily be different in the simulated labs. A notable example is the Mac delete key, which is roughly equivalent to the Backspace key on Windows keyboards.