HIT191 > Spreadsheets: Basics
Basics

Excel, Microsoft's popular spreadsheet program, is very powerful and can be used to solve many complex problems. This module will introduce the main features of the program. This first topic will give you the basic skills and ideas you need to create a simple spreadsheet. Having mastered these skills the later topics will then expand on these skills.


Develop your skills - Basics

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Skills

Stable 2007 textbook
Stable 2003 textbook

SET TEXT
Chapters 2-4
pp. 175-214
or
Chapters 2-4
pp. 179-218

Many of the skills covered in this topic are very similar to those you have already learnt in the Word environment. You should concentrate on the features unique to Excel and skim through those parts that you already know.

In Chapter 2 concentrate on:

  • the parts and terminology of the Excel spreadsheet, p. 177
  • Getting help, p. 181.

In Chapter 3 concentrate on:

  • entering and editing text, pp. 185-190.

Chapter 4, Creating a Formula will show you how to perform calculations. This is an essential part of Excel and you need to make sure you feel confident with these skills.


TASK 1: Complete the Develop Your Skills 3-7, pp. 210-214. If you are feeling reasonable confident you may only need to do Tasks 5 and 6.

Stable 2007 textbook
Stable 2003 textbook

SET TEXT
Chapter 5
pp. 215-232
or
Chapter 5
pp. 219-236

This reading shows how to format worksheets. The first half of the reading reviews formatting techniques that you learnt in Word. Concentrate on learning:

  • How to format numbers, cells and row heights and to use AutoFormat, pp. 223 - 229.

TASK 2: Complete the Develop Your Skills 8 and 9, pp. 231-232.

Tips & tricks icon Tips & Tricks

Using keyboard movement and shortcut keys

Learn to use the keyboard to move quickly around the worksheet, select cells and perform actions. This is important for both ergonomic and efficiency reasons. You will find that shortcuts you have learnt in Word and PowerPoint will usually work in a similar manner in Excel. Some examples of these similarities can be found on p. 179.

To find a complete list of shortcut keys use the Office Assistant with the keywords Shortcut Keys.

Order of Operations: BODMAS (p.202)
http://www.abacustraining.biz/AboutBodmas.htm
About BODMAS

It is limited value to be able to use Excel to create professional looking worksheets if the calculations are totally incorrect. To get the calculations right, you must understand about the order of operations or BODMAS. The link opposite explains the principles involved and has some sample exercises for you to practice on. If you have any doubts about your level of understanding, we would urge you to work through the materials.

Format with a purpose

Chapter 5 introduced many techniques to format worksheets. Remember, as with Word and PowerPoint, the aim of any formatting you choose to apply should be to enhance the communication of your message.


Putting it to work: Importance of Readability

Just as with print documents, readability is extremely important. These next activities look at some readability principles for spreadsheets.

Importance of Readability


Print reading 8
Print reading 8
Tufte p.39-45
(521k)

 

 


http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/missed.html
Missed
Opportunities
and Graphical
Failures

 





Compare ideas
Compare ideas

If your readers cannot clearly comprehend the message you are trying to send them no matter how compelling the evidence, your message may be lost.
  • Please read Reading 7 The Decision to Launch the Space Shuttle Challenger that outlines a tragic example where the message was not clearly comprehended.

    When you have finished the reading reflect on the effectiveness of the 13 graphs sent when compared to the graph on p.45.

    Incidentally, if you are interested in reading more, Tufte's book is available from the Casuarina library or try the site opposite.

  • What can we learn from print? How do you think the information design principles and ideas you have already learnt in Word and Powerpoint to improve readability apply in Excel? Using the ideas introduced in
    • the Putting it to Work section of Word and PowerPoint,
    • your checklist for assessment task #1 and
    • the challenger reading
    Identify those principles you can apply to Excel.

Compare your ideas with ours.






Discussion board
Discussion board
  • What is an effective spreadsheet? What features or criteria can you use to judge the effectiveness of a spreadsheet? While these will include some of the ideas from print and presentations, also be sure to consider what other criteria should be included that are particular to spreadsheets.

Post your ideas on the discussion forum.

Use these to develop your checklist that you will use in your Assessment task #2.

 

What have I learned?

After completing these activities you should:
  1. understand the basics of Excel to create worksheets to perform calculation using simple formulas and functions
  2. realise the importance of presenting the information to communicate your message.


Next section --> Organising data