• The Mid-Hudson Regional Information Center in New Paltz, through our Office Professional Applications Learning (OPAL) service, offers free classes to school districts who subscribe to the service. Starting July 1, 2021, these classes are open to parents and guardians of current students in the district.

     

  •  What do you need to register?

    • You will need to create an account in our registration software. There is no cost to you to create this account, and your information will not be shared with anyone outside of our organization.
      Instructions will be provided by the district.
    • You will need to know the current code, which will be provided to you by the district each quarter.


    What topics do you offer?

    • Our course topics are chosen to be useful to office professionals in their work, but everyone is welcome, and the instructors will be able to explain if there is any difference between the
      professional version and the public version of any software.
    • Our topics include, but aren’t limited to, Gmail, Google Applications (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and more), Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Adobe Acrobat Forms, Adobe
      Photoshop Elements, Office 365, MS OneDrive, Making ADA Accessible Documents, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word, Chromebooks


    Where are the classes held?

    • Currently all of our classes are offered online through Zoom. You do not need a Zoom account to take a class. You only need internet access, and a device with speakers and a large enough screen to see what the instructor is demonstrating.
    • We will transition at some point to a mix of online and in-person classes. The in-person classes will be held on our campus in New Paltz, located about one mile north of the village on Route 32.


    What times are the classes offered?

    • Starting times range from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm


    What if I have questions about registering, or about the topic after the class is over?

    • Email our team at OPAL@mhric.org
    • We can also supply help over the phone or through a video conference, but email is the most reliable way to reach our trainers to set that up.


    How do I find out what classes are available?

    • A complete list of our current OPAL classes is always available at OPAL catalog of classes (or https://bit.ly/3xfBdg8)
    • There is also a link on our website: https://www.mhric.org/
    • Four times a year we publish a list of classes by topic. There is a link on our website to that PDF.
    • Caution: Class dates and times may change for various reasons. The catalog link above is always accurate. Instructors will always contact registrants before making changes, except for weather emergencies.

     

    Steps to login to your account: 

    To manage your account and registrations, you can login directly: Professional Growth Sign In (or https://bit.ly/2Qmtex9)
    signin

    Your username is your email address

    If you forget your username or password,
    click one of the links below the sign-in spaces.

  •  Instructions for a Parent/Guardian to Register for OPAL Classes:

    IMPORTANT NOTES

    • You must have a valid email address to create the account that you need to register for any of our classes.
    • You must know the current parent/guardian code for your child’s school district.

    Steps to register for a class:

    1. Go to our catalog: OPAL catalog of classes (or https://bit.ly/3xfBdg8)
      In the drop down menu next to “Program,” choose” Office Professional Applications Learning” and then click the blue “Search” button. You can scroll down to see our complete list of current offerings.
      step1

    2. When you find the course that you want, click on the title:
      step2

      This will bring you to the Enrollment page. As a parent or guardian of a current student in a member district, the Subscriber price (Free!) applies to you regardless of what the software says.
      step2

    3. When you click the “Enroll” button, you will see the page below. Never click on the button to the right.
      step3
      1. The first time that you register for one of our classes, click the middle button (“I’m a new user”). This will bring you to a page to enter your first and last name and email address. Then click “Next.” That will take you to Step 4.
        step3a

      2. If you have registered for a course and created an account before, click on the left button (“I’m a registered user”). This will bring you to the login page and then Step 4.

    4. When a new user clicks the “Next” button, or a registered user clicks the left button and then logs in, this is the page to enter or update information about yourself. Instructions are below the image.
      step4
      step4

    5. Once you have clicked “Update and Continue” you will see this registration form. Instructions are below the image.
      step5
      Don’t worry about the Fee listed here. If you entered the correct code on the previous page, there is no fee.
      Check the box that says “District Pays (COSER member)”
      Check the box that says you agree to the terms and conditions.
      Be sure to click “Submit”!