- course details
- Dates and time: 6 – 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, Mar 18 - Mar 25, 2025
- Format: Online, instructor-led live sessions on Zoom
- Number of sessions: 3
- Instructional fee: $325, reduced fees available (see Cost section below for details)
This course is an introduction to Microsoft Excel© for beginners. If you work with numbers or present data to an audience, Excel can be a very powerful tool to use. Each topic will contain a short presentation of the concepts followed by step-by-step, hands-on demonstrations by the instructor. You will be following the steps to practice on your computer along with the instructor.
The course assumes limited or no prior background in Excel.
➔This course is part of a two-course series. After you finish it, you can take the Excel Intermediate course to leverage Excel’s powerful data analysis capabilities to make informed, data-driven decisions and generate reports and visualizations. You need to register for each course separately.
Do I need Microsoft Excel© for this course?
Yes, you need to have access to Excel on your computer to follow the lectures. If you don't already have Excel, you can use the free online version that runs in a web browser. All you need is a free Microsoft account.
What you will learn
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Easily navigate the Excel interface
- Create, modify, and format worksheets, insert/delete rows, and columns
- Perform calculations using formulas and built-in functions, reference other cells, apply formula to multiple cells, use absolute references
- Make different types of charts and graphs, including line, bar, and pie charts, to visualize datasets
- Use Excel templates for presenting nicely formatted data to an audience
- Define print areas, scale, adjust margins, headers/footers to print your worksheets
Who should attend
Working professionals, operators, supervisors, office staff, engineers, managers or data professionals who have a need to sharpen their skills relative to business analytics.
Course content
A typical course covers the following:
- Elements of the Excel interface
- Menu bar; formula bar; status bar; document properties; opening, saving files; file formats
- Worksheets
- Modify appearance; cell borders, colors; fonts, changing font colors, size, type, text align; number formats; hiding/showing or grouping rows, columns, worksheets
- Formulas and functions
- Arithmetic and basic operations; entering formulas; inserting functions; using Auto sum button; copying formulas with fill handle
- Graphs and charts
- Add a chart; select data for the chart; different types of charts/graphs; apply styles to a chart; formatting data and chart elements; moving/resizing charts
- Printing worksheets
- Setting the print area; adjusting page margins and orientation; adjusting paper size and print scale; creating headers/footers; printing a selection, multiple worksheets, and workbook
Instructor
Robin Geertz is the owner and CEO of Dragonfly 360, Inc. She is a licensed CPA with over 25 years of accounting experience. Robin has led teams and managed process and system improvement projects for a variety of companies, including those with revenues in excess of $1 billion. Her responsibilities have included oversight of internal controls, risk management, taxes, budget, payroll, accounts payable, and collections, all while leading key interdepartmental process and system improvement efforts. Robin has a B.S. in Business Management and Communications and an MBA with a concentration in Project Management. She loves spending time with her family, traveling, and learning about other cultures. Robin’s fondest childhood memories include many camping and fishing trips with her family.
Cost
The instructional fee is $325. There are limited number of seats available for employees of small businesses with fewer than 150 employees ($245), non-profits and educational institutions ($179), and for current WSU students ($75) and employees ($179). All instructional fees are per person and include a nonrefundable administrative fee. See Registration for details.
The registration fee is the same regardless of residence.
Meetings and format
The course is delivered via Zoom videoconference with live instruction. To attend, you need a computer with webcam, microphone and high-speed internet.
Each Zoom session allows for live interactions with the instructor and other students via chat, web conferencing or phone, all in real time. Assignments and other materials will be available online through a web-based learning management system.
Certificate completion
- Attend at least 2 of 3 sessions