Learning objectives for spreadsheets workshop

jp, 06 November 2017

Thinking about learning objectives for the spreadsheet workshop I’m teaching soon. Here’s my wish list that includes all of the very basics I’d hope people come away with from the session in an ideal world. I’d like learners to understand:

  • Absolute/relative references in formulas
  • How formulas update, and what happens to cell references when copied/fill
  • How to use parameter tables to factor out constants in formulas
  • V/HLOOKUP() to fill in data or merge tables
  • IF() to create indicator columns or conditional formulas
  • AVG, AVGIF, SUM, SUMIF, and COUNTIF() and know other formulas exist
  • Text manipulation formulas (e.g. MID, FIND, etc.)
  • That date/text/number columns are displays only, and how to change these
  • Best practices for organizing tabular data:
    • consistency when entering "factor" columns (e.g. use "Y" or "N", not "Y", "Yes", "yes", etc..)
    • avoid colors for anything meaningful
    • use tabular format: columns as features, rows as observations, column names in first row
    • never edit raw data, instead make derived columns
  • How to navigate the inline and online help (e.g. stackoverflow) for problem-solving

What else?