BEMIDJI, Minn. (Sept. 26, 2011) — Optivation, a joint venture of Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, will sponsor on-line courses in project management and PowerPoint development as part of its slate of activities in October.

Oct. 10: Project Management, online course
Covering the fundamentals of project management, participants in the course will gain an understanding of project management framework, how to develop a project charter and craft a management plan using student-provided projects approved by the instructor. This is a project-based applied learning course; participants are strongly encourged to use existing or planned projects at their place of work.

This course carries a fee of $450; the instructor is Michael Wellcome.

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Oct. 10: PowerPoint Development, online course
This course prepares participants to develop effective presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, part of the Microsoft Office suite. This course will be useful for anyone wishing to learn the comprehensive functions of PowerPoint and gain a deeper understanding of the program. This will be a hands-on course; in addition to quizzes, participants will prepare their own slide presentations. No previous experience with PowerPoint is required; experience with Word is desirable but also not required.

This course carries a fee of $75; the instructor is Sudhir Kamath.

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For more information about Optivation, visit http://www.optivation.org or call (218) 755-4900. A complete list of upcoming courses at Optivation is available on its website at http://optivation.org/calendar/.

About Optivation
Optivation is designed to increase collaboration between Bemidji’s higher education providers and the business and technology sectors of the northwest Minnesota region. Staffed by veteran business and entrepreneurial professionals, Optivation delivers targeted training and education systems to help organizations succeed in a changing world. Through its affiliations with Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, Optivation is able to tap into an unparalleled network of people and technology across the state of Minnesota. Optivation is part of Bemidji State University’s Institute of Technology, Entrepreneurship and Innovation and is operated jointly by BSU and NTC. For more information, visit optivation.org.