MS Excel was a useful tool for me in my teaching practice both as an aide to keeping track of student grades and as a tool to introduce to my business students for use in projects and to prepare them for the workforce. Most of my experience with the software, however, was with its basic functions.
The New York Public Library created a series of classes called Excel Genius for those who have good fundamental knowledge of the spreadsheet application. Beginner and intermediate classes are available to gain those fundamental prerequisites and can be taken before registering for the Excel Genius classes. Each class covers a topic in depth and includes exercises that apply that knowledge to real world situations for personal and/or business use. Prerequisite skills include:
- Data Entry
- Selecting Cells
- Copy and Paste
- Formatting Cells
- Basic Formulas
Although the classes are labeled 1-6, each topic is independent and one need not take them in numerical order. Classes can also be skipped or repeated as needed. A link to practice material for all the classes is provided for use outside of the library.
Class 1: Logic Functions
Class 2: Charts and Sparklines
Class 3: Tables, Structured References, and Data Validation
Class 4: Pivot Tables
Class 5: Lookup Functions
Class 6: Importing Data, String Functions, and Goal Seek
Search the TechConnect page to find classes throughout the library system.
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