Welcome & Setup
Scavenger Hunt: Explore Canvas, SIMnet, AppsAnywhere
In-class: Register for SIMnet and install Office 365
Time Management and academic calendar with Outlook
Exit Ticket: Submit confirmation of attendance
Microsoft Word in the Business World
Learn how businesses use Word to communicate
Activity: Format a professional memo
Tech Tip: Avoid common SIMnet upload mistakes
Formatting for Impact
Dive into Word styles, sections, and graphics
Challenge: Design a one-page business flyer
Peer Review: Use checklist to improve your document
Excel for Everyday Decisions
Warm-up: How do businesses use Excel?
Activity: Budget for a campus event
Takeaway: Basic formulas in action
Visualizing Data
Hands-on: Create and fix charts
Design Challenge: Tell a story with data
Group Reflection: Why chart design matters
Excel for Business Decisions
Mini-case: Analyze sales or startup finances
Activity: Use Excel templates for real-world tasks
Peer Coaching: Review formulas together
Logic in Excel
Think about all the information that surrounds you every day: patient records in healthcare, customer purchases in retail, grades in Canvas, or even your own budget. Raw data by itself is overwhelming. But when you know how to organize it, filter it, and transform it into meaningful summaries, you can spot patterns, answer questions, and make smart decisions quickly.
This chapter will give you the same tools professionals use to work with real-world data sets:
Excel tables that make your lists dynamic and easy to update.
Conditional formatting to highlight important insights automatically.
Sorting and filtering to pull out exactly the information you need.
Subtotals, groups, and outlines to summarize data at a glance.
Importing CSVs and databases so you can work with data from multiple sources.
Flash Fill and text functions to clean up messy data instantly.
PivotTables to reorganize, summarize, and analyze large data sets in seconds.
By mastering these skills now, you’re not just checking off steps in SIMnet, you’re learning the exact Excel skills employers look for when they ask for “data analysis” on a résumé. Whether you’re tracking patients in healthcare, analyzing sales in business, or cleaning survey results for a research project, these tools give you the power to turn messy numbers into clear, professional insights.
🤖 AI Personalization Prompts for Excel Chapter 4
“I’m studying [insert major]. What are 3 examples of how Excel tables, filters, or PivotTables are used in this field?”
“Give me a real-world scenario where conditional formatting would save time for someone in [career role].”
“How could Flash Fill and text functions help me clean up messy data in [my field or a class project]?”
“Show me how a PivotTable could summarize data for a [career goal, e.g., financial analyst, nurse, marketer].”
“Explain how importing CSV files into Excel connects to real workplace tasks in [insert field].”
“Design a simple dataset (budget, grades, or schedule) and show me how to use subtotals or filters to find patterns.”
Tech / Student Success Tips
Use Data to Guide, Not Just Record
When you enter values, apply conditional formatting, or build a PivotTable, don’t stop at completing the task. Pause and ask: “What decision could this information support?” Thinking about data as a decision-making tool, not just numbers in a spreadsheet, will help you in school projects, personal budgeting, and your future career.
Resources
Examples
Instructors download grades from Canvas as a csv file. Opening in Excel and formatting as a table allows for quick sorting and filtering to inform decisions.
Collaboration & Templates
In the real world, data rarely comes neatly packaged in one place. You may need to combine monthly reports from multiple departments, pull in information from different files, or link data across workbooks. On top of that, you’ll need to format values so they’re clear, secure your work so it isn’t changed by accident, and sometimes make your spreadsheets more engaging with visuals and hyperlinks.
This chapter will help you master the skills professionals use every day to bring information together, communicate it clearly, and protect it:
Consolidate data by position or category to summarize big sets of information.
Link multiple workbooks so updates in one place flow into others automatically.
Format values with custom styles that improve readability and professionalism.
Work with linked data types to access live, updated information (like stock prices or geography).
Insert illustrations and hyperlinks to make your workbooks interactive and easier to navigate.
Set workbook security to protect your data from unwanted edits or accidental changes.
By learning these tools, you’re building the ability to manage complex, real-world projects, from financial roll-ups to multi-class gradebooks to shared reports in a workplace setting.
AI Personalization Prompts
“I’m studying [insert major]. How would professionals in this field use data consolidation in Excel to combine reports or track results?”
“Give me an example of when linking multiple Excel workbooks would be useful in [career/major].”
“What are some creative ways students could use hyperlinks and illustrations in Excel to make projects, portfolios, or study tools more interactive?”
“How do businesses use workbook security features like marking as final or passwords, and how might I use those as a student?”
“Show me a scenario where custom formatting makes data easier to understand in [specific field, e.g., healthcare, marketing, engineering].”
“What are the advantages of using linked data types (like stock or geography) in Excel, and how could this apply to my classes or future career?”
Tech / Student Success Tips
Communications and Networks
Compare collaboration features in Office vs. Google Docs
Copilot in Outlook
What you see and can do depends on your personal or organization plan / subscription.
Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Outlook
Draft an email message with Copilot in Outlook
Draft a reply (works better in web app)
How to Use Microsoft Copilot in Outlook & Teams: Enhance Your Communications Kevin Stratvert (17:49) (I suggest you subscribe to this channel)
Calendar
Please make an academic calendar! This will give you practical, hands-on experience with Outlook and also benefit your time management. It will also allow you to utilize Scheduling Assistant.
Examples
Instructors teaching multiple sections of a course could download the grades for all of them and consolidate them.
Intro to Microsoft Access
Real-life examples of databases
Activity: Build a table and create relationships
Setup Support: Start your first Access project
Finding Data with Queries
Demo: Filter and search business info
Hands-on: Run queries to detect issues in a dataset
Teamwork: Solve a "mystery case" with Access
Forms and Reports
Explore: What makes a report effective?
Activity: Create a customer summary report
Peer Feedback: Evaluate report clarity and layout
Ethics, AI & Privacy
Discussion: Should employers monitor tech use?
Small Groups: Quick debates on tech ethics
Connection: Tie to course goals on responsible tech use
Capstone Project Prep
Workshop time: Bring your questions and draft projects
Form Groups: Word, Excel, or Access help stations
Support: Peer coaching + instructor and LA check-ins
Showcase & Reflection
Gallery Walk: Share one project you’re proud of
Activity: Build your “Tech Toolkit” for future success
Wrap-Up: Final thanks, feedback, and celebration 🎉
Be ready to participate each week.
All assignments are completed in Canvas and SIMnet, but class time helps you succeed!
Your Learning Assistant is here to help, so ask questions and collaborate.