BTEC National Diploma for IT Practitioners

Unit 42 – Spreadsheet Modelling

Tutor – Bernard Kelly

Today’s Aims:

To introduce the learning outcomes of Unit 42. Identify and describe basic IT concepts and terms.

Objectives - By the end of the session you will:

1. Identify the purpose of Unit 42 and it’s learning outcomes.

2. Access your network storage area and create a directory structure.

3. Login to Moodle and locate unit resources.

4. Understand the purpose and function of a spreadsheet.

5. Identify the parts of a spreadsheet window.

6. Enter labels, values and formulas into a spreadsheet.

7. Use the AutoSum feature to enter the SUM function.

Week 1

L.O. 1 - Understand how spreadsheets can be used to solve complex problems

L.O. 2 - Be able to develop complex spreadsheet models

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Half Term

L.O. 3 - Be able to automate and customise spreadsheet models

L.O. 4 - Be able to test and document spreadsheet models

Referral ,Recap and Workshop Weeks

42.1

Spreadsheet Purpose and Development

P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, M2, D1

Issued Week 4 -Submission end of Week 10

42.2

Spreadsheet Refinement and Evaluation

P6, P7, P8, P9M1, M3, M4, D2

Issued Week 4 -Submission end of Week 10

Active Learning

• Active learning involves students' being truly engaged in the instructional process, with activities such as reading, writing, discussing, and problem solving.sacs.utdallas.edu/sacs_glossary

• Active learning is an umbrella term that refers to several models of instruction that focus the responsibility of learning on learners. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_learning

• is process of exploring, analyzing, communicating, or using new information or experience.aaahq.org/aecc/intent/glossary.htm

• A process whereby learners are actively engaged in the learning process, rather than "passively" absorbing lectures. Active learning involves reading, writing, discussion, and engagement in solving problems, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. palette.ercim.eu/FormaHeticeTest/bayfac/download.php/Glossaryofeducation-relatedterms(A-C).doc

Available options for doing calculations?

• Use paper and pen?

• Use a calculator?

• Use a spreadsheet?

Which method is best?

• Calculations by hand is the slowest not always accurate.

• It is usually faster to use a calculator. If you only have a few things to work out, then a calculator would be faster than a spreadsheet.

• With a lot of problems to solve, complex problems or a lot of repetitive work, then a spreadsheet would be your best bet.

• Although a spreadsheet takes a while to set up and get working correctly, once everything is in place, it is the fastest out of all three methods.

• It is really just a great big calculator which has lots of useful functions to help you solve complex problems.

Spreadsheets and their Purpose

The main purpose of a spreadsheet is to:

• enter numerical data

• edit numerical data

• manipulate numerical data

• to make calculations using this data

• to represent data graphically

Who uses spreadsheets?

• Teachers use spreadsheets to keep track of marks given for homework and recording exam results.

• Salesperson to keep track of the items they sell, the value of the items, the profit made on each item and the commission they have earned.

• Engineer perform thousands of calculations when designing bridges, buildings, airplanes, cars etc.

• Scientist keep track of their results from experiments. Used to analyze what happened with the experiment and to predict what might happen if they were to change variables.

Who else uses spreadsheets?

• Accountants keep track of all of the money coming into the business and all of the payments going out. They calculate profits and forecast how well they think the business will do during the next year. They also need to calculate the wages of all the staff each month.

• Sales analyst keep track of sales and stock inventory. They analyse which products are selling and which are not. They analyse how the different salespeople or different showrooms are doing; which is selling the most, which is selling the least.

• Supermarkets use spreadsheets to keep track of finances i.e. sales, losses and expenditure. Work out queuing times and what are the optimum number of checkouts to have open at any one time during the day.

Formula

• A Formula is used to do the calculations on a spreadsheet.

• A formula enables you to make a wide range of automatic calculations almost instantaneously.

• A Formula can be very simple such as adding up two numbers in two different cells or it can be complex for example working out the statistical mean of a set of experimental results.

• The big advantage of using a formula is that once the spreadsheet is set up, a value can be changed and the spreadsheet will automatically recalculate the result for you.

Simple formulas

A spreadsheet formula must start with an equals sign =, it is the trigger to tell the spreadsheet that a calculation must be performed.

Functions

Demonstration

Recap

• What is the purpose of a spreadsheet?

• What are the advantages?

• Who uses them?

• What are the alternatives?

• What is a formula?

• What is a function?