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Office and productivity - Beginner

Microsoft Excel: Spreadsheets from Zero

Learn Excel step by step: enter data, format it, write formulas, look things up, draw charts and build real budgets, mark sheets and stock lists.

About this course

Excel is the most widely used spreadsheet program in the world. Shops use it to track stock, schools use it for marks, NGOs use it for budgets and reports, and offices use it for almost everything that involves numbers.

This course starts from the very beginning. You do not need to know what a formula is. Each lesson explains one idea in plain language, shows you exactly where to click, and ends with a short activity you do yourself.

By the end you will have built a budget, a mark sheet and a stock sheet, and you will know how to print, protect and share your work.

What you will learn

  • Describe a workbook, worksheet, cell, row and column and move around them quickly
  • Enter, edit, copy and fill data, and save your work safely
  • Format numbers as UGX, percentages and dates, and make a sheet easy to read
  • Sort and filter a list and highlight important values automatically
  • Write formulas and use SUM, AVERAGE, IF, COUNT and text and date functions
  • Use relative and absolute cell references and fix common formula errors
  • Look up values, summarise data with SUMIF and a PivotTable, and draw clear charts
  • Build, print, protect and share a budget, a mark sheet and a stock sheet

Course content

5 modules · 20 lessons · 5 h 2 min · 6 quizzes

Module 1: Getting started with Excel4 lessons

What a spreadsheet is, how Excel is laid out, and how to enter, select, save and fill data.

  1. What is a spreadsheet? 10 min
  2. The Excel window and moving around 12 min
  3. Entering, editing and selecting data 14 min
  4. Saving, AutoFill and Flash Fill 14 min
  5. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 2: Formatting and organising data4 lessons

Make a sheet clear and professional: number formats, fonts, borders, column widths, sorting, filtering, tables and colour rules.

  1. Number formats: UGX, percentages and dates 14 min
  2. Fonts, borders, colours and cell size 12 min
  3. Sorting, filtering and tables 15 min
  4. Conditional formatting and cell styles 12 min
  5. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 3: Formulas and functions4 lessons

Write formulas, understand cell references, use the everyday functions and fix common errors.

  1. Your first formulas and cell references 16 min
  2. Everyday functions: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN, MAX, ROUND 14 min
  3. Making decisions with IF, and text and date functions 18 min
  4. Understanding and fixing formula errors 12 min
  5. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 4: Lookups, data tools and charts4 lessons

Find values with lookups, summarise with SUMIF and PivotTables, control input, and draw charts.

  1. Looking up values: VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP 16 min
  2. SUMIF, COUNTIF, data validation and removing duplicates 16 min
  3. Charts and sparklines 15 min
  4. PivotTables: summarise data in a few clicks 16 min
  5. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 5: Real tasks, printing and sharing4 lessons

Build a budget, a mark sheet, a stock sheet and a loan calculation; then print, protect, share and work faster.

  1. Project: a household or small-business budget 20 min
  2. Project: a class mark sheet and a stock sheet 22 min
  3. Savings and loan calculations 16 min
  4. Printing, protecting, sharing and shortcuts 18 min
  5. Quiz: 8 questions
Final exam

29 questions. Pass with 70% or more to earn your certificate.

What you need

  • A computer with Microsoft Excel 2019 or Microsoft 365 (Excel Online in a browser also works for most lessons)
  • No experience needed

Further reading

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