Electronic Files for Student Use

There are some strategies you can use to ensure students have the least difficulty accessing and printing your electronic files.

  • Microsoft Office document version. Not all students have the latest version of Microsoft Office. Many students are using free, open source office suites, such as Star Office and Open Office. These programs may not always translate files from newer versions of Microsoft Office, and many students are not technically savvy enough to fix compatibility problems.
    1. One way to prevent this is to save the file in an older version format (such as .doc instead of .docx). Use the Save As option and change the File Type option near the box in which you name the document.
    2. Another strategy is to save your electronic files as PDFs. Acrobat Reader is free, and settings can be set so the file size is small for easier access over slow Internet connections.
  • Powerpoint documents (.ppt, .pptx) that contain large images, animations and media files can be very time consuming (or impossible) to print because of all the extra data.
    1. One way to prevent this from happening is to save the presentation as handouts (4-6 slides per page), in PDF format. If your PDF settings are for Web files, then the extraneous data will not be included.
    2. Another way to deal with this, is to