TECH CLUBBOZOMA INNOVATION HUB

Session 14 • Page 1

Learner Full Name:

School:

Assigned Workstation:

Class:

Session 14: Filling Forms Online

Very soon, important things in your life will start with an online form: choosing your senior high school, applying for a scholarship, registering for a competition or a holiday camp. One wrong letter or a missing file can cause real trouble. Today you will learn to fill in any online form accurately, safely and calmly, and to keep proof that you sent it.

1. Plain Talk: The Very Strict Registration Clerk

Think of registering at a clinic. The nurse at the desk asks your name, your date of birth and a phone number, and writes them on a card. If you say "Akos", she may ask, "Is that Akosua?" She can notice a mistake and help you fix it.

An online form is a registration desk with a very strict clerk: the computer. It cannot guess what you meant. It saves exactly what you type, spelling mistakes and all, and that information may later be printed on your admission letter or certificate. So the person filling in the form must be the careful one.

Figure 14.0: The six steps of every online form, from getting ready to keeping proof.

2. Where You Will Meet Online Forms

Form	What it usually asks for
Senior high school placement	Ghana's school placement uses an online system. Your school and parents will guide you; your details and school choices must be exactly right.
Scholarships	Personal details, school results, a short essay, uploaded documents.
Camps, clubs and competitions	Name, class, school, a parent's phone number, sometimes a photo.

Know Your Form Fields

Session 14 • Page 2

1. The Building Blocks of Every Form

Each place where you give an answer is called a field. Forms use a few kinds of field again and again:

Figure 14.1: A practice form showing the eight things you will meet on almost every online form.

⭐ THE RED STAR MEANS "REQUIRED"

A field marked with an asterisk * must be filled in. If you leave it empty, the form will not send and usually shows a red message such as "This is a required question". Fill it in and press Submit again.

2. Tips for Each Field

Field	Tip
Drop-down	Click the arrow and scroll: your choice may be lower in the list. Check that the right one shows after you click.
Radio vs checkbox	Round radio buttons allow only one choice. Square checkboxes allow several (or one "I agree" tick).
Date picker	Check the year: calendars often open on this year. Typing the date in the hinted format is often quicker.
CAPTCHA	Tick "I'm not a robot" or pick the pictures it asks for (for example all squares with a bus). It never needs a password or PIN.

Your turn: Which kind of field would a form use to ask for...

...your region (from a list of all 16 regions)?
...the subjects you enjoy (choose any)?
...a scan of your birth certificate?

Getting Every Detail Exactly Right

Session 14 • Page 3

1. Names: Exactly as on Your Documents

Type your name exactly as it is on your birth certificate and school records: same spelling, same order, no nicknames. If one form says "Akosua Boateng" and another says "Akos Boatemaa", an office may think they are two different people. Forms often split the name into parts:

Surname (family name)	First name	Other names (middle names)
Boateng	Akosua	Serwaa

Start each name with a capital letter, then small letters, unless the form asks for CAPITALS. If Caps Lock is on by mistake, everything comes out in capitals: check the light on the keyboard.

2. Dates, Phone Numbers and Emails

📅 DATES

In Ghana we write the day first: 04/07/2012 means 4 July 2012. Some forms (often American ones) want the month first, so the same numbers would mean 7 April! Always read the hint, such as DD/MM/YYYY.

📞 PHONE NUMBERS

A Ghana mobile number has 10 digits and starts with 0, e.g. 024 xxx xxxx. With the country code you drop the 0: +233 24 xxx xxxx. Many forms want it typed without spaces: 024xxxxxxx. Only give a parent's number, with permission.

📧 EMAILS

No spaces, every letter right (Session 13). Use the address your parent or school gives you. A wrong email means you never receive the confirmation.

⚠️ WATCH OUT FOR AUTOFILL ON SHARED COMPUTERS

Browsers remember what was typed before and offer to autofill it. On a shared computer it may fill in someone else's name or phone number. Check every field the browser fills for you, and never let a shared computer save your details.

3. Spot the Mistakes

Yaw filled in a camp form. Find his mistakes and write the correction. (One field is correct!)

Field	What Yaw typed	Mistake and correction
First name *	`yaw`
Date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY) *	`2012/31/05`
Parent's phone *	`024 123 456`
Email	`yaw asante@example.org`
Class *	`JHS 2`

Uploads, Submitting & Staying Safe

Session 14 • Page 4

1. Uploading a Document or Photo

📏 READ THE RULES FIRST

Format: photos are usually JPG or PNG; documents are usually PDF. Size: e.g. "max 1 MB" (remember KB and MB from Session 6). Photo: passport style, plain light background, face straight, no filters. Give the file a clear name, e.g. Photo_AkosuaBoateng.jpg.

📱 NO SCANNER? USE A PHONE

Android: Google Drive app > + > Scan. iPhone: Notes app > camera icon > Scan Documents. Both make a PDF. Lay the paper flat in good light with all four corners showing. File too big? Ask your mentor to help make a smaller copy.

2. Before and After You Press Submit

✅ BEFORE: THE FINAL CHECK

1. Every * field is filled. 2. Names match your documents. 3. Dates are in the right format and the year is right. 4. The right file is attached. 5. A trusted adult has checked a real form. Then press Submit once.

🧾 AFTER: KEEP THE PROOF

Write down the reference number. Then save the confirmation page: Ctrl+P > Save as PDF (or print it), or take a screenshot with Win+Shift+S. Look for a confirmation email too.

3. When the Form Goes Wrong

What happens	What to do
A red message under a field	Read it: it tells you what is wrong ("Enter a valid phone number"). Fix that field and submit again.
"Session expired" or "timed out"	You took too long and the page forgot your answers. Start again. Next time get all your details and files ready before you start.
The page freezes or shows an error after Submit	Do not press Submit again and again. Wait, then check for a confirmation email or reference. If there is none, try once more later, or ask an adult.
The website is very slow	Many people may be using it near a deadline. Try at a quieter time, and never leave a form until the last day.

🛡️ STAYING SAFE WITH REAL FORMS

1. Only use the official website given by your school or an official letter. Check the address (for example .gov.gh) and the padlock. 2. Never pay a stranger who promises to "help" or to "guarantee" a placement or scholarship. 3. Never share a PIN, password or voucher code with anyone except the trusted adult helping you. 4. Never fill in forms from links in WhatsApp messages or pop-ups. 5. Always ask a trusted adult (parent, guardian or teacher) before you submit a real form.

Guided Hands-On Lab: Holiday Camp Registration

Session 14 • Page 5

1. Lab Mission: Register Akosua for the BIH Hub Holiday Camp

Your mentor will give you the link to a practice registration form. You will fill it in for a made-up pupil, not yourself, so no real personal details go online. Goal: zero errors. Each team member with a perfect form earns a team point. Practise first in the Form Filler 3D lab on your session page.

🪪 FICTIONAL PUPIL PROFILE (practice only)

Surname: Boateng

First name: Akosua

Other names: Serwaa

Date of birth: 14 August 2012

School: Bozoma Model JHS

Class: JHS 2

Camp track: Coding

Activities: Typing contest and Quiz

Parent/guardian: Mr Kwame Boateng

Guardian's phone: 0240000000 (practice: type it without spaces)

Email: akosua.boateng@example.org

Photo file: Practice_Photo_Akosua.jpg

1

Get ready: Read the whole profile card. Check that the photo file is on your Desktop (or where your mentor says). Turn Caps Lock off.

2

Open the form: Type the link from the board into the address bar. Check the padlock. Read the form's title and instructions first.

3

Fill every field from the profile, letter for letter. Use Tab to jump to the next field. Watch the date format hint and check the year.

4

Upload the photo if the form has an upload field: click the upload button, find the file and choose it. Check its name appears.

5

Final check: Swap seats with a partner and check each other's form against the profile card before anyone presses Submit. Then press Submit once.

6

Keep the proof: Write down the reference shown. Press Ctrl+P, choose Save as PDF (or Microsoft Print to PDF) and save it in Documents > BIH_TechClub as Camp_Confirmation_YourName.

2. Form Record Sheet

Check	My answer
Kinds of field I met (text box, drop-down…)
Mistakes my partner found before Submit
Reference shown on the confirmation page
Where I saved the confirmation (folder and file name)

Session 14 Review & Verification

Session 14 • Page 6

1. What Would You Do?

Situation	A	B	C
1. A WhatsApp message says: "Send GH₵100 by MoMo and we will guarantee your SHS placement."	Pay quickly before it is too late	Do not pay; show a trusted adult	Forward it to friends
2. You left a form open for 40 minutes. Now it says "Session expired".	Start again with everything ready	Press Submit ten times	Give up for ever
3. The upload says "max 1 MB" and your photo is 3.2 MB.	Keep trying the same file	Upload a friend's smaller photo	Make a smaller copy, then upload
4. After Submit you see "Received. Reference: CAMP-0417".	Write it down and save the page	Close the tab quickly	Submit again to be sure

2. Written Review Questions

Question 1: Why must the name on an online form match your birth certificate exactly?

Question 2: Name three things you should check before you press Submit.

3. Self-Assessment & Mentor Sign-Off

Tick the column that reflects your confidence at the end of Session 14:

Online Forms Competency	With Help	Almost Alone	All By Myself!
1. I can use every kind of form field, and I know what the * means.
2. I can enter names, dates and phone numbers accurately and in the right format.
3. I can upload a file, check before Submit and save the confirmation.
4. I know what to do when a form goes wrong, and how to stay safe with real forms.

Mentor Signature: _____________________________

Date Completed: ____________________