The ability to use a spreadsheet efficiently has almost become a mandatory skill for anyone working in a modern business environment. This course introduces you to Excel, Microsoft's powerful spreadsheet and database application for computers. It will provide you with the capability and confidence to use Excel professionally.

What's a spreadsheet?

Spreadsheets consist of many cells formed by the intersection of rows and columns. Numbers (and text) can be placed in these cells and spreadsheet applications such as Excel, can use formulae that you enter (and functions that Excel provides) to manipulate the cell contents quickly and easily giving the answer to your problem. Excel is thus ideally suited to adapting calculations from paper and the calculator to the computer. 

This course

We concentrate on presenting the 'big picture' - an overview of Excel's ability to manipulate numbers and text. We show you Excel working across many disciplines and teach you to harness the power of Excel to make 'spreadsheeting' a smooth, efficient and rewarding process.

During the course, you will learn to record, total and sort data; process your data into graphs, view spreadsheet data in a number of different ways and to use Excel as a database, filtering lists to reveal patterns in data.

Try an instructional movie from the course

We have provided some links below to a number of instructional movies from the course. We routinely explain a concept in one of these movies and then invite you to repeat the process using your copy of Excel.

	Click here to download and play one of the movies from the course. It shows Excel working at its simplest level. If the movie (a 1.5 Mb file) works well on your computer, then your equipment is suitable for the distance learning version of this course. We also offer a broadband learning option.
	Click here to play a movie illustrating the value of setting absolute cell references in Excel worksheets.
	Click here to play a movie showing how to split a window in an Excel worksheet.
	Click here to play a movie which shows how macros can be used to good effect in Excel to speed up tedious operations.

Cost of courses

We offer three different pricing models covering the same material:

1. group or one-on-one courses (Adelaide or Canberra - in our offices or yours)
Each course takes one day and costs $AUD750.00.  A comprehensive workbook on CD-ROM and sample files is provided to each participant. Participants are given access to the same materials on our broadband learning web site. Here you can complete additional exercises, join various forums, take multiple choice tests and submit work for comment.

2. CD-ROM based distance learning -
Many courses are available via our distance learning program at a substantial discount -$AUD280.00. Again, we provide a CD-ROM containing many instructional on-screen movies. The whole course can be completed at home or at work, on your own computer, at your pace. No Internet connection is required.

3. Online learning via broadband - fast Internet connection required
Many courses are available by online learning at $AUD250.00 - these courses feature rapid enrolment, online forums, multi choice reviews questionnaires etc. Click here to visit our online learning site. A reasonably fast broadband Internet connection is required. Dial up access is not suitable.

About our courses & methodology

Experience over many years has taught us that adults learn best by progressing through a course of study at their own pace and at times that suit them. Wherever possible, they like to learn by working on their own materials, rather than work through long practice exercises. Our courses are specifically designed so that this can occur- we introduce a topic, provide a movie which shows you how to do it and then give detailed step-by-step instructions for you to follow.

Locations

Courses may be taken at Thebarton in Adelaide, South Australia, in Canberra in hired facilities, or by distance learning or broadband learning. If a course is taken 'in-house' at Thebarton, it normally runs for a whole day with a break for lunch. Starting time is 9.15 am and finish time around 4.15 - 4.30 pm. We usually work group or one-on-one, but can take up to 3 students in our training room.  **We only run groups if all students come from the same organization.**

Credit card payment

We use PayPal, an organization which takes all credit cards using a secure Internet facility. PayPal is a partner within the eBay system. We have chosen PayPal because it is independent of us, allows us to hold money in trust until we have delivered the course and is now operational in Australia. We will provide a tax invoice on receipt of payment.

Cancellation

If you cannot attend after booking a course, there is no penalty, we will simply re-schedule another session. If this is not possible, we will refund payment in full.

Philosophy

 Here is a link to background material on the philosophy behind our course design.

Enrolling

If your company or organization is paying for the course, all we need is a purchase order and an address to send the course materials.

Prerequisites:

An understanding of basic computer operation including the ability to create, save and locate files. We would expect that you have used a computer with the Windows operating system for some time and perhaps developed reasonable facility with a word processor such as Microsoft Word.

Note: In addition to providing courses in our dedicated training centre at Thebarton, Adealide, South Australia, we also run many courses via our distance learning and broadband learning programs.