About the course
Most analysis in most organizations still happens in a spreadsheet, usually one that three people have edited and nobody fully trusts. This course teaches analysis that holds up: structured tables, cleaning steps you can repeat, lookups that do not break when a row is inserted, pivot tables, charts that show what the data says, and enough statistics to know when a difference is real.
Every exercise works in either of the two common spreadsheet programs, and the instructor shows both. Sessions are live and recorded, and a teaching assistant holds open office hours online on Wednesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. The course data sets include the Porter Loop shuttle’s anonymized ridership file, 400,000 rows that are perfect for practice and slightly embarrassing for the shuttle.
Who should enroll
- Office, operations, finance, HR and quality staff who already use spreadsheets and want to do more with them
- Managers who receive reports and want to build their own
- Anyone heading toward the Process Improvement Practitioner course
You need a computer with a current spreadsheet program, a microphone and a reliable internet connection. You should already know how to enter a formula. If you are not sure, take the 10-minute self-check on the registration page.
Dates, format and fee
| Section | Dates | Meets | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter–spring | Jan. 25–Apr. 5, 2027 (no class Mar. 15) | Mondays, 6–8:30 p.m. Central, live online | Online; recordings posted within 24 hours |
- Format
- Live online, ten weekly sessions, recorded
- Contact hours
- 25
- CEUs
- 2.5
- Fee
- $650
- Seats
- 30
What you will do
| Week | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Tables, data types, and cleaning: text functions, dates, duplicates, a cleaning log |
| 3 | Lookups and joins between sheets |
| 4–5 | Pivot tables, grouping and calculated fields |
| 6 | Charts: choosing the right one, and how a chart can mislead |
| 7 | Descriptive statistics, variation, and comparing two groups |
| 8 | What-if analysis, scenarios and simple forecasting |
| 9–10 | Building and presenting a one-page dashboard; knowing when a spreadsheet is no longer the right tool |
Instructor
Dr. Imani Rasmussen is an assistant professor of data science who worked as an analyst for a regional health system before joining Porter. She is affiliated with the Data Analytics Collaboratory and teaches in the graduate certificate in data analytics. Completers who later enroll in that certificate can ask for prior learning assessment toward its introductory course.
Employer pricing and registration
The list fee is $650 per person. Professional Education invoices employers directly on net-30 terms and provides the completion letter and attendance record that tuition-assistance programs ask for.
| Enrollment | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1–2 people from one employer | $650 |
| 3–5 people from one employer, same section | $585 (10% off) |
| 6 or more people from one employer | $553 (15% off) |
| Porter alumni (not combined with group pricing) | $585 |
| Private cohort of up to 16, at your site or ours | Quoted; usually 70–80% of 16 list-price seats |
Employers with fewer than 250 workers in Porter County and the five neighboring counties may qualify for a Valley Workforce Board incumbent-worker grant that covers up to half the fee. We will help with the paperwork. Register online or by phone. The full policy on cancellations, substitutions and weather is on the Professional Education page.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. This course, its dates, fees, CEUs, instructors and the Valley Workforce Board grant are invented; there is nothing to register for and no certificate to earn. Dr. Imani Rasmussen and the 400,000-row ridership file are invented, though the spreadsheet three people have edited may feel familiar.