There are many students new to Blackboard who are augmenting their education by developing important computer skills. Knowing how to create and submit appropriate file types for various documents can be a marketable asset worth learning. Instructors will usually specify what file types they can accept, which you must adhere to when submitting your work. Some common file examples for documents would be .doc or .docx, .pdf, and .rtf.
Using the right program is the first key to achieving the correct file type… The second key is clicking File and Save As (not Save) and selecting the specified file type before naming your file.
Creating .doc or .docx files
For an English class, your instructor may require you to use MS Word for your assignments. If you don’t have MS Office (which contains Word), you can either go to any Clark computer lab or purchase a student discounted version of MS Office from the Clark College Bookstore. MS Office is available for both Windows and Mac. The default for saved files with Word is currently .docx (or .doc in older versions). For older versions, Microsoft does offer a Compatibility Pack so users can open, edit and save files in the newer format.
If your instructor doesn’t require that you use MS Word and you want to explore another option, you could download and install OpenOffice, a free open source productivity suite which includes a text editor much like Word. Be sure to save your work in the file type that your instructor specifies, like .doc (not the default .opt file type of OpenOffice Writer). A helpful resource for OpenOffice users is their support forum. OpenOffice is available for many operating systems, including Windows and Mac.
Mac users also have the option of using TextEdit, which comes with Mac OS, to save documents as .doc or .docx. TextEdit offers only basic formatting, however. For those Mac users who have purchased iWork, Pages will allow you to save documents in most of the common file types by using the export feature in the file menu.
Creating .pdf files
To save your work in a “Portable Document Format” or PDF, Windows users will need to use MS Word to create the file, click Save As and select pdf, if that option is available in your version of Word.
For Mac users, just hit Command and “P” to bring up your print window, click PDF, select Save as PDF and name your file before saving. The file viewing program, Preview, will also allow Mac users to save documents in a .pdf format.
Actually editing a pdf document requires specialty software such as Adobe Acrobat. The more commonly known Adobe Reader is only for reading pdf documents, not creating them. There is a free open source alternative to Adobe Acrobat, part of the OpenOffice Suite called OpenOffice Draw. There is also OpenOffice Writer, which like its counterpart MS Word, will allow users to save files as a .pdf.
Creating .rtf files
Wordpad comes with Windows and will create a .rtf file by default (when clicking Save).
Mac users can use TextEdit, saving your work in the .rtf file format by default (when clicking Save).
Although both of these programs lack the full formatting ability of MS Word, iWork Pages or OpenOffice Writer, they are simple to use, allow some basic formatting, and they come pre-installed on Windows and Mac (you’ll find them in your Accessories or Applications folder).
Final Note…
If you are one of those students sending wps files, you are using an old program called MS Works which is very limited in the file types it’ll produce. Your instructor will most likely be unable to read your submitted work, as would any potential employer, so it’s in your best interest to find another solution among those mentioned above. If you need help getting set up, be sure to contact us in eLearning right away. We’re here to help you succeed!
There are a few professors at Clark College advising students against using OpenOffice, claiming it’s not compatible with Microsoft Word. While I know this is not the case, a lot of students believe it to be. Point being: teachers should be made aware of these open-source (and free!) alternatives.
Your comment will help get the “Word” out, Joel.
Some of the misconception may be coming from the fact that by default, OpenOffice Writer puts out a .opt file, which isn’t compatible with MS Word unless the user knows how to save the file as a .doc or .docx instead… Hence the post, hopefully giving users some instruction. There are plugins available from Microsoft for Word which allow .opt files to be read, however, you should know that faculty using college provided computers do not have administrative rights, meaning they are not allowed to download and install software or such plugins on their machines, leaving them with no alternative – other than setting up their own equipment and providing their own support, which they may not have time for. Also, we need to remember that software (and hardware) are in a constant state of flux with each new release, update, or patch creating changes in compatibility status in any software. It may be compatible today, but there are no guarantees that won’t change. Now if your working conditions are very dependent on software status, for example, an English professor teaching several courses online with an average of 30 students each, grading weekly assignments, research papers, essay tests with each requiring review comments, mark-ups, rewrite suggestions, and grades with this software, you can imagine that any glitches could create major issues which would interrupt work flow and perhaps the timely grading of many students… So, we must understand and accept that sometimes it’s for the benefit of many, if the faculty have made the decision to require MS Word. We do have many faculty who don’t require MS Word, however, and as the reliability and compatibility with OpenOffice becomes more apparent and well known, acceptance may follow. We’ll just keep spreading the information, Joel, and thanks so much for your input!