Course Description

As an engineer and business professional, Mr. Ruggiero uses Excel extensively to perform the complex numerical analysis. He believes that knowledge of Excel is essential for anybody who wishes to demonstrate proficiency in computer skills.

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Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application and one of the core components of the Microsoft Office suite of applications.  It is capable of handling simple to advanced calculations, contains various graphing tools, provides pivot tables for data discovery, and utilizes Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming.

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The topic of VBA programming will be discussed in the “Microsoft Office Automated Productivity” course.  This course focuses on the most common functions and capabilities within Excel to perform the numerical analysis. Students completing this course will emerge with a firm understanding of the essential elements of Excel which is necessary for anybody that wishes to demonstrate proficiency in computer skills.

 

Prerequisites

Students will need to have the Microsoft Excel application installed on their computer.  Excel for Windows is covered in the course. Students using Excel for Mac will still benefit from the course, but the user interface may be different at times.

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Course Outline

Topics are subject to slight change.  These topics will be covered in an interspersed manner throughout the course.

• Getting to know the Excel Interface

• Understanding cell references – Relative, Absolute, and Named Ranges

• Data types and Format options

• Entering formulas

• Logic conditions (if-this-then-that)

• Goal Seeking

• Pivot Tables

• Data Visualization: Charts and Graphs

• Avoiding pitfalls and evaluating equations

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Course Materials

Microsoft Excel. The instructor will provide all other necessary materials. Recommendations for other resources will be provided with no obligation to purchase.

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Homework

A few online quizzes will test understanding of the lecture topics. Two Excel files will be turned in (1 per week) that will cover a practical application of their skills.