Freshman Global Communications Exam

What is the Dashboard on Canvas

the main landing page displaying course cards and your "To-Do" list

What is the Calendar on Canvas

the best place to see a consolidated list of upcoming assignment due dates across all your courses

What are the modules on canvas

organizes, course, content, assignments, pages, and quizzes into structured sequential units.

What does a green checkmark mean for modules in canvas

you have completed the item or met it prerequisite

What is the inbox on canvas

an internal messaging tool and canvas (it is not the same as an external email system like Gmail/Outlook)

What are notifications for canvas

they must be customized in your preferences if you are missing announcements or want alerts via text/email

What is the syllabus page on canvas

the central area, listing course, expectations, grade, weights, and policies

What is the grades tab on canvas

where you go to see your current standing and waited assignment categories

What are discussions on canvas

the feature used for asynchronous (not live) group conversations, and peer replies

What are cornel notes and how do you set them up

You divide paper into 3 sections

Notes: The main body area on the right side taken during class

Cue Column: The left margin for main ideas, ket terms, and potential test questions

Summary: The bottom section used to distill key takeaways (Should be completed within 24 hours of the lecture while fresh)

What are mind mapping notes

A non-linear, visual style featuring a central main idea with branching subtopics. Great for visual learners.

What is the charting method notes

Uses columns; best for fast paced lectures that require side by side, comparisons of data or categories.

What is Verbatim vs. processing

Avoid writing everything down verbatim (word for work). It prevents you from actually processing and understanding the concepts.

What are visual cues in notes

Make note easy to scan using bullet points, bolt, headers, colors, and plenty of white space.

What are instructor clues when note taking

If an instructor repeat a phrase multiple times or write it on the board, star it! It will likely be on the exam.

What does the S stand for in smart goals and what does it mean?

Specific: clearly defines who, what, where, and why without ambiguity

What does the M stand for in smart goals and what does it mean?

Measurable: how you track progress and know when the goal is achieved. (specific numbers/grades)

What does the A stand for in smart goals and what does it mean?

Achievable: the goal is realistic, given your resources and time.

What does the R stand for in smart goals and what does it mean?

Relevant: the goal matters to your broader life plan.

What does the T stand for in smart goals and what does it mean?

Time-Bound: has a clear deadline to prevent procrastination and create urgency

What are short-term versus long-term goals?

Short-term goals take days two months

Long-term goals, take years (3-5+ years)

Process versus outcome goals?

Process goals focus on actions you can control.

Outcome goals focus on the final result.

What are examples of process and outcome goals?

Process: studying 30 minutes a day.

Outcome: getting an "A" in the class

Email Etiquette: What is the subject line

Email Etiquette: what should you do when writing the salutations and sign offs

Email Etiquette: what should you do when using a professional tone

Email Etiquette: what are institutional emails

Email Etiquette: why should you always do a tone check

Email Fields: What is cc

Carbon copy: it keeps someone informed on a thread without requiring their direct action.

Email Fields: What is BCC

Blind carbon copy.: it hides reciprocate email addresses to protect privacy on large group list

Email Fields: What is reply all

Use only when every person on the chain strictly needs information. If you don't want everybody to know, reply only to the one sending the email.

What are Large Language Models (LLMs)

Algorithms (like ChatGPT) trained on massive data sets to predict and generate the most likely next word in the sequence. They do not possess human awareness.

What is prompt engineering

Crafting precise input (giving context, persona, and constraints) to guide to the AI to give a better output

What are AI hallucinations

When an AI confidently presents incorrect, fabricated, or outdated information as fact. Always fact check your AI information.

What is the AI bias

Systematic skew in AI output, resulting from flawed or unrepresentative training data.

What is the ethical use for AI

It is ethical to use AI to brainstorm, outlined, or explain complex concepts.

What is the unethical use for AI

Unethical use as an integrity violation and it occurs when you copy and paste AI text and submit it as your own original work.

What is cloud storage

It is where Google Drive and OneDrive allow files to be access from any Internet-connected device and auto save in real time.

Explain Spreadsheets (excel/sheets)

Columns: are identified by letters. (A,B,C) Rows: are identified by numbers (1,2,3) Cells: are the intersection of a column and a row (B4 or G9) Formulas: always begin with an equal sign ex. =SUM (A1 :A10)

What are Word/Docs track changes and suggesting mode

It highlights edits without permanently, changing the original text.

What are Word/Docs table of contents

Can be auto generated in word if you use heading styles. (heading 1, Heading 2)

What are Word/Docs format painter

It copies formatting (fonts, and colors) from one element to another

What is the keyboard shortcut for copy

Control + C

What is the keyboard shortcut for paste

Control + V

What is the keyboard shortcut for undo

Control + U

What is the keyboard shortcut for find

Control + F.

What does the keyboard shortcut find do

Searches for specific words in a document or a webpage.

What is the 3-3-3 Rule

Max three colors, max three font sizes, max three bullet points per slide

What is the slide purpose

Slide should visually complement what you are saying, not act as a teleprompter. Do not read your slides Word for Word because it causes cognitive overload

What is the slide master

Locks fonts, and title positions across your entire deck in one click.

What is smart art

Convert plain text bullet points into clean visual diagrams.

What is the eyedropper tool

Samples exact colors from an image to match your text/shapes.

What is the remove background tool

It is isolate the main subject of a photo to get rid of distracting backgrounds.

What does the tool grid lines do

Helps you align elements evenly.

What is a visual contrast and font

Maintain high contrast (dark text on light background or vice versa) minimum font size for body text is 18 pt. to 24 pt.

What is white space on a slide and why is it important

Empty space around text visuals that keep

slides uncluttered.

What is morph transition on a slideshow

Smoothly moves and resize objects from one slide to another automatically.

What are delivery tips

Eye contact, transitions, final slide, introduction.

Why is eye contact important for delivering a presentation

Scan the room comfortably and don't stare at the back wall or read the projector screen because it looks awkward.

How do you get rid of nervousness before presenting

It is best handled by rehearsing out loud multiple times before presenting.

What should you do to use transitions when presenting

Use verbal sign post for example you could say "now that we've covered X let's look at Y"

Why is the final slide important for a presentation

Should be a summary slide with key takeaways in an invitation for a Q&A. Don't just put the end.

Which tool should you use if you want to view a consolidated list of upcoming assignment due dates for all your enrolled courses at once

Calendar.

True or false the canvas inbox acts exactly the same as your external institutional email (like Gmail or Outlook)

False

If you see a ______ next to an item in campus module, it means you have completed the item or it's prerequisite

Green checkmark.