Welcome to Excel Fundamentals for Data Analysis

Welcome to Excel Fundamentals for Data Analysis

Spreadsheet software remains one of the most ubiquitous pieces of software used in workplaces across the world. Learning to confidently
operate this software will add a highly valuable asset to your employability portfolio. In the United States alone, millions of job
advertisements requiring Excel skills are posted every day. Research by Burning Glass Technologies and Capital One shows that digital skills
lead to higher income and better employment opportunities. At a time when digital skills jobs are growing much faster than non-digital jobs,
completing this course will position you ahead of others, so keep reading.

Excel is a powerful program that has an extraordinarily broad range of features and capabilities. In the first course of our Excel Skills for
Data Analysis and Visualization Specialization you will learn the Fundamentals of data analysis with Microsoft Excel. You will build a strong
foundation to develop more advanced skills in later courses — and, importantly, have some fun along the way. To make the content easy to
relate to and to personalize the learning experience, we are going to follow Zara's journey through the course. Who is Zara? Well, she is
no-one and everyone. You will find that Zara's trials and tribulations sound familiar, and together with Zara, you will develop your Excel
skills along the way.

Online learning has a lot of advantages: you can decide when and where you will study and do so at your own pace. However, it can also
be a challenging experience as you are on your own and not surrounded by your peers in the classroom. There is no teacher holding you
accountable for 'showing up' and for getting your homework done on time. So, don't skip our first discussion prompt where we ask you to
write down your goals for this course and how you are planning to achieve them. These are two proven strategies to increase your chance
of successfully completing the course.

You are here to learn the essential skills you need to use the spreadsheet software Excel efficiently and productively in business
environments. And we are here to help you achieve your goals. We have brought together a great teaching team that will be with you every
step of the way. Our presenters and Excel experts Prashan and Nicky will guide you through each week. Work through each new challenge
with them, and in no time you will surprise yourself with how far you have come. We know you can't wait, so get right into it.

We are so excited that you have decided to join this course with learners from around the globe. We wish you the best of luck and a
fantastic learning experience.

Associate Professor Yvonne Breyer

(Director, Learning and Teaching, Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)
Prerequisites
In order to complete this course successfully, you will need to have some prior knowledge of Excel. At least a general understanding of
basic cell referencing, formulas and functions. If you need a refresher you might like to do our Excel Skills for Business: Essentials course.
The best way to learn Excel is to use Excel. In order to work alongside our teaching staff and to complete the assessments in this course,
you will need to have access to a computer and to the software Excel (at least version 2007 but preferably 2016 or 2019 or the latest Office
365 version).

How the course is structured

Scenario
Each week begins with the Scenario section. In the Introduction video, Prashan and Nicky will present you with a challenge that Zara faces.
In Week 1, Zara discovers that she has some messy data that needs to be cleaned up before she can work with it — and she hasn't got
much time to do it. Sounds familiar? Like we said before, Zara is no-one and everyone!

They then take a closer look at Zara's challenge for the week and how Excel can help. Sit down with these two experts to gain deeper
insight into the week's topic. Watching the Introduction is a powerful way of preparing you for the mechanics you will learn along with Nicky
and Prashan in the Practice Videos.
Practice Videos, Quizzes, and Challenges
To be successful and to really learn the essential techniques and concepts of Excel, it is critical that you use Excel as much as possible.
Prashan won't let you forget it: Practice makes Permanent! Each Practice Video comes with an Excel workbook that you download before
you watch the video so you can work alongside Prashan and Nicky.
In the Practice section, you will find a short Practice Quiz after each video that will help you check your progress. The pass threshold for
these formative quizzes is 80% — ideally, you work through them until you hit 100%. There are no marks for these quizzes — they are
designed to encourage you to revise and expand the Excel knowledge you will be learning that week.

Now you are ready for the weekly Practice Challenge that we have set up for you. Don't skip the challenges — these are critically important
as they will give you the opportunity to not only apply your new skills but to also transfer them into different contexts. Both the quizzes and
challenges may require you to experiment in Excel to find the answer! Don't avoid this — quite the opposite — use Excel whenever
possible to come up with the answer! Don't avoid making mistakes — we welcome mistakes in this course. That's why there is a focus on
practicing and on challenging yourself.

Toolbox
In this section, you will find a Quick Reference Guide for the week containing Keyboard Shortcuts, Excel Terminology, as well as other bonus
content. The resources in here are not exhaustive but they are key to helping build those solid layers of skills. They supplement what you
have learned that week and provide some extra bits and pieces that are not covered in the videos. Make sure to study these resources
together with the Practice Videos, Quizzes, and Challenges in preparation for the week's Final Assessment. You can keep these Guides with
you when you are working with Excel. Below is a screenshot of a Quick Reference Guide:
Assessment and learning tips
 The best way to enhance your Excel skills is to get lots and lots of hands-on practice. In our course, you will be able to practice Excel in a
number of different ways.

1. Work alongside our instructors: Download the workbooks for each of the Practice Videos and work alongside our presenter as they solve
each week's challenge.
2. Work through the Practice Quizzes: Do them straight after each of the videos to reinforce what you have just learned. Try and get all the
questions correct. You can take the quizzes as often as you like.
3. Take on the weekly Practice Challenge: After watching the videos and practicing the new topic, you will be able to transfer and apply your
new skills with confidence in the weekly Practice Challenge. Give it a go and jump right in.
4. Use Excel — as often as you can. Have you considered tracking your daily expenses/exercise? Are you a big sports fan — track your favorite
team's statistics. Perhaps you are helping with administrative duties for your local school or sports club — Excel is your go-to solution.
Once you discover the endless strengths and options available with Excel, you will find yourself using it on a daily basis. That's when you
will quickly become a super-user of Excel.
Finally, once a week, you have the opportunity to put your skills to the test. The Weekly Assignments in this course will each count 15%
towards your final result. At the end of the five weeks, there is one more Final Assignment that counts 25% towards your result.

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