A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!
How does it work? Once a session starts, two lessons will be released each week, for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.
Keep in mind that the interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes 2 weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
The Final Exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the Final Exam has been released, you will have 2 weeks plus 10 days to complete the Final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.
Week One
Lesson 01 - Introduction
Wednesday
In the first lesson, you will learn why organizations need administrative assistants and explore the types of work that they perform. You will be introduced to the different administrative specialties and look at an overview of their varied duties and requirements. You will learn about the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), and the professional certification—Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)—that IAAP offers.
Lesson 02 - Office Planning and Layout
Friday
As an administrative assistant, you frequently participate in office planning. This lesson will help you to understand that an office is an interdependent system where everything works together. You will see that creating an office environment requires bringing many components together.
Week Two
Lesson 03 - Information Management
Wednesday
In today's fast-paced world, organizations move very quickly and make split-second decisions that have far reaching implications. In this lesson, you will learn how to effectively use information management to create a successful office operation and help increase your value to your organization.
Lesson 04 - Communications Technology
Friday
Telecommunications, communications, and technology fit together like a hand in a glove. This lesson will show you how telecommunications technology enables you to access information, share knowledge, and communicate without boundaries.
Week Three
Lesson 05 - Records Management
Wednesday
In this lesson, you will learn how to productively use reprographics and manage records, two duties that are frequently handled by administrative assistants. You will also discover that records management is the management of paper documents, micromedia, and other documents.
Lesson 06 - Hardware and Software
Friday
As an administrative assistant, you spend a lot of your day inputting and storing data, retrieving and analyzing information, and producing presentations, newsletters, numerical reports, graphs, and charts. To better help you focus on computer hardware and software in this lesson to help you better understand the properties of your office computer system.
Week Four
Lesson 07 - Meetings, Conferences, and Travel
Wednesday
This lesson covers scheduling and coordinating meetings, conferences, and business travel. As an administrative assistant, you play an important role in helping co-workers arrive at the right place at the right time. You also provide them with information and materials that enhance their effectiveness while they travel and participate in meetings.
Lesson 08 - Policies and Procedures
Friday
A critical responsibility of administrative assistants is coordinating numerous office activities. This lesson examines how to create practical policies and procedures. You will focus on the use of policies and procedures that meet organizational objectives and create order in your day-to-day activities.
Week Five
Lesson 09 - Business Documents
Wednesday
As an administrative assistant, you spend much of your time reading and composing business documents. This lesson's objective is to enhance your business writing skills. After you finish this lesson, you will have an increased ability to write high-quality business documents.
Lesson 10 - Grammar and Punctuation
Friday
This lesson bridges the subjects of written and verbal communication by discussing the principles of grammar and punctuation. It's likely that you need to help others with their written communication, so you will also review the mechanics of proofreading.
Week Six
Lesson 11 - Interpersonal Communication
Wednesday
As an administrative assistant, you practice interpersonal communication in a variety of ways, ranging from one-on-one to communicating in a group. This lesson will explain how your desire to share thoughts and ideas creates the first part of communication and how you create the second part when you listen, interpret, and react to feedback.
Lesson 12 - Research and Presentations
Friday
This final lesson will teach you how to perform basic research—something administrative assistants are often asked to do. It also discusses the steps you take to create a meaningful and memorable presentation, including strategies for starting your preparation and the software that can help you create a polished piece.