Excel Beginning 1: Your First Worksheets

This three-hour session for Windows and Mac users introduces you to Excel’s interface and fundamental capabilities. By the end of the session, you will be easily getting around in Excel’s Ribbon-based interface, able to enter and edit labels, values and dates, extend series of dates and months, cut and paste entries, insert and delete cells and sheets, and set print attributes like headers and footers, print area and print titles.

Course Outline

Introduction to Excel:

• what can I do with Excel?
• learning the Ribbon-based interface
• selecting cells in a worksheet
• controlling your view of a worksheet
• zooming and switching views
• closing a workbook and exiting Excel

Making Entries:

• creating a new workbook
• entering labels and values
• switching between worksheets
• entering dates and months
• extending a series of dates or months
• editing and clearing entries
• undoing mistakes
• moving and copying entries

Performing Calculations:

• using the SUM function
• using the Average function
• writing a custom math formula
• performing math with dates
• referencing cells on other worksheets
• duplicating formulas into neighboring cells
• absolute vs. relative referencing
• changing referencing style

Audience: This class is ideally suited for people with at least basic computing skills, such as using a mouse and opening and closing windows. Typing skills are helpful, but no spreadsheet experience is required.