::: Align Media Inc. :::

Certification
In addition to their high–quality standards, Align Media eBooks and classroom workbooks, when used in conjunction with our eLearning Nuggets or on their own, cover the topics required for students (and instructors) to pass the exams of the following certification programs:

Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) certification
Cambridge Skills Award in Information Technology (Cambridge University)
European/International Computer Driving License (ECDL/ICDL) certification

MICROSOFT OFFICE USER SPECIALIST (MOUS) CERTIFICATION
The Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) certification program is designed to allow end–users to become certified in different Microsoft Office applications. Depending on the particular application, certification can be achieved at different levels—Core, Expert or Master.
Each level of certification is achieved by passing a corresponding hands–on exam or exams. Hence, depending on the exam passed, an individual may attain, for instance, the MOUS Expert designation in Word XP or the MOUS Proficient designation in Excel XP. MOUS exams carry a fee and are administered by authorized MOUS testing centres.
Chapters sections progress from simple topics to more complex ones, but are designed in such a way so that, in most cases, a chapter can be treated as a self–contained learning lesson. Each chapter section, in turn, can too be treated as an independent learning object. This modularity allows for great flexibility at the time of teaching a course, permitting instructors and learners to adopt a non–linear path if so desired. For people unsure about the order in which they should teach or learn, the order presented in the workbook is the otherwise recommended learning path.
In addition, classroom workbooks have review exercises at the end of each chapter and, where applicable, come accompanied by sample files on disk to complete the exercises.
The table below lists the different MOUS certification exams and the corresponding Align Media eBooks or classroom workbooks which cover the necessary exam topics.

OFFICE XP EXAMS*	CORRESPONDING eBOOKS/WORKBOOKS
Word XP Core Exam	Introductory Word XP and Intermediate Word XP OR Becoming Proficient in Word XP
Word XP Expert Exam	Introductory Word XP and Intermediate Word XP and Advanced Word XP OR Becoming Expert in Word XP
Excel XP Core Exam	Introductory Excel XP and Intermediate Excel XP OR Becoming Proficient in Excel XP
Excel XP Expert Exam	Introductory Excel XP and Intermediate Excel XP and Advanced Excel XP OR Becoming Expert in Excel XP
PowerPoint XP Comprehensive Exam	Introductory PowerPoint XP and Advanced PowerPoint XP OR Becoming Expert in PowerPoint XP
Access XP Core Exam	Introductory Access XP and Intermediate Access XP
Outlook 2000 Core Exam	Becoming Expert in Outlook XP
*If you pass the following five exams: Expert Word XP, Expert Excel XP, Comprehensive PowerPoint XP, Core Access XP and Core Outlook XP, you attain the corresponding designation in each of these applications plus the Master designation in Office XP. You do not need to write first the Core exam for an application in order to write the corresponding Expert exam.

OFFICE 2000 EXAMS**	CORRESPONDING eBOOKS/WORKBOOKS
Word 2000 Core Exam	Introductory Word 2000 and Intermediate Word 2000 OR Becoming Proficient in Word 2000
Word 2000 Expert Exam	Introductory Word 2000 and Intermediate Word 2000 and Advanced Word 2000 OR Becoming Expert in Word 2000
Excel 2000 Core Exam	Introductory Excel 2000 and Intermediate Excel 2000 OR Becoming Proficient in Excel 2000
Excel 2000 Expert Exam	Introductory Excel 2000 and Intermediate Excel 2000 and Advanced Excel 2000 OR Becoming Expert in Excel 2000
PowerPoint 2000 Core Exam	Introductory PowerPoint 2000
Access 2000 Core Exam	Introductory Access 2000 and Intermediate Access 2000
Outlook 2000 Core Exam	Introductory Outlook 2000
**If you pass the following five exams: Expert Word 2000, Expert Excel 2000, Core PowerPoint 2000, Core Access 2000 and Core Outlook 2000, you attain the corresponding designation in each of these applications plus the Master designation in Office 2000. You do not need to write first the Core exam for an application in order to write the corresponding Expert exam.

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CAMBRIDGE SKILLS AWARD IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The Cambridge Skills Award in Information Technology has been designed and developed by Cambridge International Examinations, which is a part of Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. This prestigious award provides successful candidates with a qualification valued and accepted internationally that demonstrates their skills in information technology to current and prospective employers, co–workers, and educators.
The Cambridge Skills Award in Information Technology can be obtained at two different levels, depending on the examination successfully passed—Foundation level and Standard level.
In either case, the examination includes assessment of the following six areas of information technology, where the Standard level requires more advanced skills than the Foundation level:

Using the computer and managing files
Word processing
Spreadsheets
Databases
Electronic communication
Presentations

These exams are administered at authorized testing centres. The table below lists the Align Media eBooks or classroom workbooks which cover the topics required to pass the Foundation exam and the Standard exam of the Cambridge Skills Award in Information Technology.

FOUNDATION EXAM	CORRESPONDING eBOOKS/WORKBOOKS
Using the computer and managing files	Introduction to PCs and Introduction to Windows 2000
Word processing	Introductory Word 2000 and Intermediate Word 2000 OR Becoming Proficient in Word 2000
Spreadsheets	Introductory Excel 2000 and Intermediate Excel 2000 OR Becoming Proficient in Excel 2000
Databases	Introductory Access 2000 and Intermediate Access 2000 OR Becoming Proficient in Access 2000
Electronic communication	Exploring the Internet and Becoming Expert in Outlook 2000
Presentations	Introductory PowerPoint 2000

STANDARD EXAM	CORRESPONDING eBOOKS/WORKBOOKS
Using the computer and managing file	Introduction to PCs and Introduction to Windows 2000 and Advanced Windows 2000 OR Introduction to PCs and Becoming Expert in Windows 2000
Word processing	Introductory Word 2000 and Intermediate Word 2000 and Advanced Word 2000 OR Becoming Expert in Word 2000
Spreadsheets	Introductory Excel 2000 and Intermediate Excel 2000 and Advanced Excel 2000 OR Becoming Expert in Excel 2000
Databases	Introductory Access 2000 and Intermediate Access 2000 and Advanced Access 2000 OR Becoming Expert in Access 2000
Electronic communication	Exploring the Internet and Becoming Expert in Outlook 2000
Presentations	Introductory PowerPoint 2000 and Advanced PowerPoint 2000 OR Becoming Expert in PowerPoint 2000

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EUROPEAN/INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER DRIVING LICENSE (ECDL/ICDL)
The European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) is an internationally recognized certification standard for computer competency available in more than 88 countries around the world. The International Computer Driving License (ICDL) is the name under which the ECDL certification initiative operates in countries outside Europe.
To become ECDL/ICDL–certified an individual needs to pass a test in each of seven different areas (modules):

Basic concepts of IT
Using a computer and managing files
Word processing
Spreadsheets
Databases
Presentation
Information and communication

When a candidate registers for the ECDL/ICDL certification process he or she receives a Skills Card on which progress through the seven tests is recorded. When all seven tests are successfully completed, the candidate achieves certification by receiving the European/International Computer Driving Licence. The ECDL/ICDL exams are administered by authorized testing centres. Individuals can prepare for the ECDL/ICDL exams on their own with Align Media eBooks or workbooks. In addition, Align Media’s eLearning Nuggets are an excellent supplement to reinforce eBook/workbook–based study.
ECDL/ICDL certification offers a number of clear benefits to employers, including:

An immediate way of identifying IT skills in employees and job applicants
A standard for competency across the entire organization
An objective criterion to reward learning achievement by employees

On the other hand, the following are some of the benefits provided by ECDL/ICDL certification to individuals:

Offers proof to current or potential employers of your IT skills and knowledge
Improves your self–confidence
Allows you to use computers to further expand your knowledge into other areas
Increases your human capital value in the workplace
Earns you additional regard and respect from co–workers and peers

The table below lists the Align Media eBooks or classroom workbooks which cover the topics required to pass the different seven ECDL/ICDL exams.

EXAM MODULE	CORRESPONDING eBOOKS/WORKBOOKS
Basic concepts of IT	Introduction to PCs
Using a computer and managing files	Introduction to Windows XP/2000/98

Word processing	Introductory Word XP/2000 and Intermediate Word XP/2000 OR Becoming Proficient in Word XP/2000
Spreadsheets	Introductory Excel XP/2000 and Intermediate Excel XP/2000 OR Becoming Proficient in Excel XP/2000
Databases	Introductory Access XP/2000 and Intermediate Access XP/2000 OR Becoming Proficient in Access XP/2000

Presentations	Introductory PowerPoint XP/2000

Electronic communication	Exploring the Internet and Becoming Expert in Outlook XP/2000

Information and communication	Exploring the Internet and Becoming Expert in Outlook 2000

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