A Beginner's Guide: Excel

Excel is one of the most universally useful tools in any professional's arsenal — and most people are only scratching the surface of what it can do. A Beginner's Guide: Excel gives adult learners a solid, practical foundation in Microsoft Excel, covering everything from building and formatting spreadsheets to writing formulas, sorting and filtering data, creating charts, and working with more complex tables. Whether you're stepping into a new role, trying to work faster in your current one, or filling in a gap you've always meant to close, this course gives you the hands-on confidence to open Excel and actually get things done. No prior experience required — just a willingness to learn a tool that will pay off immediately.

Getting Around a Spreadsheet Build and navigate your first spreadsheets with confidence, learning to enter, organize, and edit data efficiently so Excel feels familiar from the start.

Formatting Data Clearly Make your information easy to read with cell styles, column widths, number formats, and table layouts that look clean and professional.

Sorting and Filtering Datasets Sort and filter your datasets to quickly surface the information that matters, instead of scrolling through rows hunting for it.

Writing Core Formulas Write and apply Excel's core formulas to perform calculations and automate basic tasks that would otherwise take you time by hand.

Charting Your Findings Turn numbers into charts and other visual representations that communicate what you found at a glance, without asking anyone to read every row.

Complex Tables and Real Tasks Construct and manage more complex tables for larger, more structured datasets, then put Excel's fundamentals to work on real workplace tasks like budgeting, reporting, and data tracking.