This course is designed to give students beginning Microsoft Excel skills and includes functions and formulas, formatting, charts, and lists.

Registered Students | Overall Course Objectives | Major Course Topics | Course Format | Orientation | Course Requirements | Materials | Exams

Registered Students

Immediately after enrolling, send Cathy Sutton an e-mail at csutton@howardcc.edu; include your name, the semester, the course and section. You will receive specific course instructions the week classes start.

Overall Course Objectives

This course is for two types of students – those who have no knowledge of Excel and those who have used Excel but only know the basics (entering data, editing, and printing). Excel is usually not a good course to take as a first computer course; CMSY-102 Beginning Word Processing is a better choice.

Once you have completed this course you will be able t0:

• Create, save, and print a worksheet
• Format a worksheet
• Enhance a worksheet
• Insert formulas and functions
• Move data within and between workbooks
• Create and modify charts
• Use styles and comments
• Insert hyperlinks, images, WordArt, and shapes
• Filter lists using AutoFilter and sort data
• This course includes all of the skills needed to prepare you to take the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Exam at the Specialist skill level for Excel 2003

Major Course Topics

• Preparing a Worksheet
• • Creating, saving, and printing
  • Editing cell data
  • Selecting cells
  • Using Help
• Formatting a Worksheet
• • Changing column width and row height
  • Formatting cell data
  • Inserting/Deleting rows and columns
  • Adding borders and shading
  • Using the Format Painter
• Inserting Formulas and Functions
• • Using AutoSum
  • Writing formulas with mathematical operators
  • Using the AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, COUNT, PMT, FV, DATE, NOW, and IF functions
  • Creating absolute and mixed cell references
• Enhancing a Worksheet
• • Inserting headers, footers, and page breaks
  • Changing margins and centering worksheets
  • Printing titles, gridlines, and headings
  • Finding and replacing data
  • Sorting data and filtering a list
• Maintaining Workbooks
• • Working with multiple worksheets and workbooks
  • Moving, copying, pasting, and linking data and worksheets
  • Using styles and templates
  • Using comments
• Creating Charts
• • Creating, sizing, moving and formatting charts
  • Adding and editing chart elements
• Enhancing Workbook Display
• • Creating hyperlinks
  • Inserting and editing images
  • Creating diagrams
  • Creating WordArt
  • Drawing and modifying shapes, lines, and AutoShapes

Course Format

This course:

• Is not self-paced. However, you may accelerate your pace so that you may finish the course in fewer than 14 weeks.
• Does not require on-campus meetings. However, this course does require on-campus attendance for tests. Tests may be taken during any open hours in the Office Technology classroom. Please note, however, that all CMSY-101 online students are welcome to come to the Office Technology classroom to do classwork and/or to get personal help from an instructor.
• Does not require real-time chats.
• Uses email for communication.

Orientation

This course does not have a face-to-face orientation. You will receive detailed course information the week classes start.

Course Requirements

• Review the “Checklist for Registered Students” section of the Distance Learning Homepage.
• Although there are no prerequisites for the course, having knowledge of Microsoft Word or another software program will make Excel easier to learn as you will understand the basic concepts of using Windows.
• Install Microsoft Excel 2003 on your computer.
• Come to the college periodically to take both written and computer tests, which have deadlines for completion.
• Complete three homework assignments.

Materials

Required:
Rutkosky, Nita. Microsoft Excel 2003, Specialist, Benchmark Series. EMCParadigm, 2004.

• Buy your textbooks from our online Bookstore, or visit our Bookstore.

Technical Requirements:
Review the Technical Requirements link above. The course requires

• Internet Explorer or
• Netscape

Exams

For purposes of verification and assessing learning outcomes, this course has six exams, which have deadlines for completion. The exams must be taken at the college during any open hours in the Office Technology classroom. There are three theory exams (written) and three production exams (taken on the computer).

If you have any questions or comments about this course, please send a message to Cathy Sutton, csutton@howardcc.edu.

Last updated on 13-Jun-06 © Howard Community College, 2000