Computer Fundamentals and Office Automation

Unit 1: Computer Fundamentals and Number Systems
Evolution and generations of computers; characteristics and applications of computers; types of computers; basic block diagram of a computer system; functional units of a computer; CPU, Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), Control Unit, registers, memory and input/output units.
Number systems: Decimal, Binary, Octal and Hexadecimal number systems; positional number systems; conversion from decimal to binary, octal and hexadecimal; conversion between binary, octal and hexadecimal; binary arithmetic including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; representation of data in computers.
Unit 2: Computer Hardware, Memory and Input/Output Devices
Computer hardware components; motherboard; processor; primary and secondary memory; RAM, ROM, cache memory; memory hierarchy; hard disk, SSD, optical storage and flash storage.
Input devices: Keyboard, mouse, scanner, barcode reader, OCR, OMR, MICR, webcam, touchscreen and biometric devices.
Output devices: Monitor, printer, plotter, projector and speakers; types of printers; storage devices and their applications.
Unit 3: Software and Operating Systems
System software and application software; utility programs; device drivers; translators; compiler, interpreter and assembler.
Introduction to operating systems; functions of an operating system; user interface; file and folder management; process and memory management; Windows operating system basics; desktop, taskbar, file explorer, settings and system utilities.
Unit 4: MS Word / Word Processing
Introduction to word processing; creating, opening and saving documents; editing and formatting text; fonts, paragraphs and styles; page setup; margins; orientation; headers and footers; page numbering; lists; tables; images, shapes and WordArt.
Find and replace; spelling and grammar checking; columns; section breaks; references; table of contents; mail merge; templates; document protection; printing and exporting documents to PDF.
Unit 5: MS Excel / Spreadsheet Applications
Introduction to spreadsheets; workbook and worksheet; rows, columns and cells; data entry and formatting; cell references; relative, absolute and mixed references.
Formulas and functions; SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, IF, COUNTIF and SUMIF; sorting and filtering; tables; conditional formatting; charts and graphs; data validation; basic data analysis; printing worksheets and practical business applications.
Unit 6: MS PowerPoint / Presentation Tools
Introduction to presentation software; creating presentations; slide layouts and themes; formatting text; adding tables, images, shapes, SmartArt, charts, audio and video.
Transitions and animations; hyperlinks; slide master; speaker notes; presentation views; slide show settings; printing and exporting presentations; principles of effective presentation design.
Unit 7: Internet, Networking and Digital Communication
Basics of computer networks; LAN, MAN and WAN; Internet and World Wide Web; web browsers and search engines; URLs, websites and web pages; downloading and uploading information.
E-mail concepts; creating and sending emails; attachments; CC and BCC; cloud storage; video conferencing; online collaboration tools; introduction to cybersecurity, passwords, malware, phishing, safe browsing and data privacy.
Unit 8: Practical Office Automation and Productivity
Integration of Word, Excel and PowerPoint; preparing professional reports; spreadsheets for calculations and records; creating charts and presentations; converting files to PDF; file organization and backup; cloud-based office tools; collaborative document editing; practical office automation workflows.