Excel Data Analysis

When spreadsheets first became widely available in the early 1980s, it spawned a revolution in teaching. What previously could only be done with arcane software and large-scale computing was now available to the common man, on a desktop. Also, before spreadsheets, most substantial analytical work was done outside the class- room where the tools were; spreadsheets and personal computers moved the work into the classroom. Not only did it change how the data analysis curriculum was taught, but it also empowered students to venture out on their own to explore new ways to use the tools. I can’t tell you how many phone calls, office visits, and/or emails I have received in my teaching career from ecstatic students crowing about what they have just done with a spreadsheet model.