Excel Foundations: Navigation and Formulas

This unit develops core Microsoft Excel skills including interface navigation, data entry and formatting, basic formulas and functions, lookup tools, charting fundamentals, and worksheet/workbook protection. Students will learn to prepare, clean, visualize, and secure data using built‑in Excel features and automation tools, building a foundation for more advanced analysis and automation in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Demonstrate proficiency navigating Excel’s user interface and managing workbook/worksheet structure by freezing panes, using the Navigation Task Pane, protecting/unprotecting cells and workbook structure, and restoring changes for collaborative scenarios.
• Create and format worksheets and visualizations by applying Format Cells settings, Quick Analysis tools, conditional formatting, sorting, Excel Tables, and customized charts to meet specified presentation and readability criteria.
• Construct, evaluate, and troubleshoot formulas and functions—including use of operators, order of operations, VLOOKUP/HLOOKUP, spilled ranges, and formula auditing tools—to produce accurate computed results and resolve error values in given datasets.
• Apply data‑manipulation and automation techniques such as Flash Fill, Text extraction/splitting, Find & Replace, Undo/Redo, deleting temporary files, and dynamic filtering to clean and prepare data for analysis while documenting steps taken.