Course · v1.0.0

Google Docs

Write documents that look consistent, are easy to navigate and are safe to hand to a colleague. Styles, headings, comments, suggesting mode, version history, templates and a five-point accessibility check.

9 lessons · about 62 minutes · pass at 80% · certificate does not expire

What you will be able to do

  • Format a document with paragraph styles instead of manual formatting so it stays consistent and is quick to change.
  • Structure a document with heading levels, navigate it with the outline and add a table of contents that updates itself.
  • Collaborate with comments, suggesting mode and version history, including naming and restoring an earlier version.
  • Create and use templates so recurring documents start consistent and nobody edits the master by mistake.
  • Check a document for accessibility, covering heading order, alt text, colour contrast and descriptive link text.
  • Revise a shared document in suggesting mode to match a written brief, leaving a clear trail the owner can review.

Lessons

  1. Styles, not manual formatting

    One change to a style fixes every heading in the document. Manual formatting fixes one line. · 7 min

  2. Headings and the outline

    Heading levels are a map of the document. Keep them in order and Docs builds the navigation for you. · 7 min

  3. Lists, tables and page setup

    Real lists, tables used only for data, and page settings decided once at the start. · 6 min

  4. Comments and action items

    A comment asks a question or assigns a task without touching the text. Resolve it when it is done, never delete it. · 7 min

  5. Suggesting mode

    Propose changes to someone else's text without overwriting it. The owner accepts or rejects each one. · 7 min

  6. Version history, name it and restore it

    Every change is saved automatically. Name the versions that matter so you can get back to them in seconds. · 7 min

  7. Templates

    Recurring documents should start from a clean master that nobody edits by accident. · 7 min

  8. Five accessibility checks

    Headings in order, alt text on images, readable contrast, link text that says where it goes, and no meaning carried by colour alone. · 8 min

  9. Lab: revise a doc to match a brief

    Put it together. Read a brief, review the document against it and propose the changes in suggesting mode with a reason for each. · 6 min

  10. Assessment: Revise the doc to match the brief

    Read a short brief and the document it describes, then say exactly what you would change in suggesting mode and why.

Start lesson 1