Office Pro - Building an MOS Plan

Have a plan for what to do in the classroom and a plan for online learning

The best part of using Office Pro is it can be easily switched from learning in the classroom to learning online at home. If you follow the outline below for both in class and online students, they will have the training and preparation needed to pass the MOS exams.

Determine how you want to use the different learning components

Don’t skip any sections within an application.  Complete each section in the order they are presented.  

• Class Lectures / Discussions (before each section) Use the classroom slide deck provided in the Teaching Aids to introduce each section. Slides include activities and discussion points.  
  
  
• Fact Sheets and Tips Sheets: Use fact sheets and tip sheets as part of the class discussions.
  
  
• Videos: Use videos depending on how you teach. Videos can be assigned as homework or watched together as a class and discussed.  They can also be used to replace a class lecture if students are working at their own pace.  Videos are perfect for online students or for those that have missed class.
  
  
• Labs:
  • Skills Lab: The Skills Lab can be covered together as a class or done individually at the student’s own pace. If you prefer to do your own lecture you can also use the Skills Lab to discuss and demonstrate each task in the topic and then have the students do the lab individually.
  • Challenge Lab: There are three different documents and randomized tasks for each Challenge Lab, so we strongly encourage students to complete these labs at least three times.  This will be key to developing proficiency before moving on to scenario-based questions. Use this lab and the corresponding Leaderboard to encourage some fun class competition.
  • Applied labs: There are two Applied Labs for each section.  Students need to complete both labs and the format (scenario-based of 5 to 7 tasks) is similar to what they will see on the MOS exams.
    
    
• Additional exercises not covered in the labs: There are a few skills from the MOS objectives that are covered in a video or fact sheet but not in a lab. To help students practice these skills, we have provided additional exercises to ensure students practice all the objectives needed before taking an exam. Cover any additional exercises in the section listed on the guide as part of a class lecture.  These are found in the following section introduction:
  • B.2 Word Associate 2019 (MO-100)
  • C.2 Excel Associate 2019 (MO-200)
  • D.2 PowerPoint Associate 2019 (MO-300)
    
    

• MOS Practice Exams
  • Leave plenty of time for students to practice before taking the MOS exam.
  • Watch the three videos before starting the practice exams.
  • Complete both practice exam Form A and Form B, such as:
    • B.2.1 Microsoft Word Practice - Form A
    • B.2.2 Microsoft Word Practice - Form B
    • C.2.1 Microsoft Excel Practice - Form A
    • C.2.2 Microsoft Excel Practice - Form B
    • D.2.1 Microsoft PowerPoint Practice - Form A
    • D.2.2 Microsoft PowerPoint Practice - Form B
  • Note: Unlike the Skills, Challenge, and Applied Labs, we do not provide answers to missed questions on the practice exams.  We do provide a guide of where students need to go in the course to review the skill and try again.  The only way to pass the practice exam is to know the skills. 
  • We recommend students receive a score of 90% or better on each form before taking the MOS exams.
    
    

Determine how you want to assess and grade your students

• Assessments Graded as Normal: Use the grading found under the Class Reports.
• Capstone Projects: Many schools use the MOS exam as the key assessment, but some add additional capstone projects as another assessment. This is optional and not critical to passing the MOS exams. 
• 100% or 0 Grade for All Labs: Hints and step by step remediation are provided for all labs so students can achieve 100%. Accepting a score below 100% means that a student is missing a skill that will come up in a later lab or practice exam. If students do not learn the skill the first time, it will be harder to learn later. Take the time to learn each skill before moving on.
• Weight of Each Lab: We do provide a recommendation because schools weight the MOS exam differently toward a final grade. However, we do suggest each lab is factored in their grade so students won't skip any of the exercises.  
  
  

Determine which applications you will teach and in which order

While the course is open for you to begin with any chapter, we suggest:

1. Chapter 0. Getting Started Information
2. Chapter 2.3 File Management (found in the Computer Essentials chapter)
3. Chapter 3.0 Common Office Features
4. The application you would like to start next, such as
   • • Chapter 4.0 Microsoft Word
     • Chapter 5.0 Microsoft Excel
     • Chapter 6.0 Microsoft PowerPoint

Some schools start with Chapter 4.0 Microsoft Word because it is easier for students to learn and builds a foundation for the other applications, while others use PowerPoint as the last application because they will go through it faster.

Build your syllabus

• Download the Lesson Plans as a Word document found under the Teaching Aids. This document can be used as a starting point for your syllabus and revised to fit your needs.
• A Course Pacing Guide is also available under the Teaching Aids. This worksheet and video will help you build a week-by-week plan. Here is the article on the Office Pro Course Pacing Guide.
• Review other resources in the Office Pro Teaching Aids. Here is the article on Teaching Aids.