Reflection on Coursera course- IV

 

Reflection on “Using Basic Formulas and Functions in Microsoft Excel"

Completing the guided project “Using Basic Formulas and Functions in Microsoft Excel” was an insightful and empowering experience that has deepened both my technical competence and pedagogical perspective. Though the course was brief, it was rich in practical knowledge and delivered in a clear, accessible way by Paula Del Rey, whose instructional style emphasized hands-on learning.

One of the most impactful aspects of the course was its focus on building a strong foundation in Excel as a functional tool for real-world problem solving. Before this course, my understanding of Excel was largely limited to using it for tabular data entry and simple totals. Now, I feel confident not just entering data, but performing logical analysis, error-checking, and even building basic automated models that can process financial information efficiently.

At the beginning of the project, learning how to write and apply basic arithmetic formulas in Excel reminded me of how essential it is to understand the building blocks of calculations. For instance, using = A1+A2 for addition or = A2* A3 for multiplication seems simple, but it forms the core of financial reporting. These operations mirror the types of transactions and calculations students perform in Accounting, and I now see the value of demonstrating these digitally in class. They help students visualize how numbers connect and change dynamically—something static textbook problems often lack.

Another highlight was understanding cell references—especially the difference between relative and absolute referencing. When you copy a formula across multiple cells, Excel automatically adjusts the cell references unless you fix them with a dollar sign ($A$1). This was a breakthrough moment for me. I realized that without mastering this concept, students could unknowingly miscalculate results in practical exams or real-life tasks. Teaching students this early on will help them build habits that lead to accuracy and consistency in their financial models.

The course also introduced me to essential functions such as SUM, AVG, MEAN. While simple, these functions offer tremendous utility in summarizing data for financial statements, inventory analysis, or budgeting. I now understand how these can be used to instantly calculate total expenses, average monthly revenue, or identify periods of peak performance. In a classroom context, these tools can help students move from manual calculations to automated summaries that support faster decision-making and reporting.

A particularly transformative part of the course was learning to use the IF function. This opened up the ability to add conditional logic to my data. For example, I could create a formula to classify sales performance as “Above Target” or “Below Target” depending on whether a figure met a set threshold. This logical reasoning is directly connected to how accountants evaluate financial performance and make decisions, and I believe it will be an excellent way to help students start thinking analytically about data.

Additionally, I learned how to apply AutoSum, AutoFill, and formula auditing tools to speed up my workflow and reduce errors. These small but powerful features will help me train students to work smart and spot mistakes easily. It also reinforced the importance of formatting—ensuring numbers, dates, and text are clearly presented—which is crucial for professional reports.

Perhaps most importantly, this course shifted my mindset from simply using Excel to understanding its role as a problem-solving and decision-making tool. As a Accounts teacher, I often emphasize concepts like accuracy, clarity, and interpretation in financial data. With the skills gained in this course, I can now bridge traditional accounting theory with digital tools that students will likely use in higher studies and the workplace.

The hands-on nature of the project also gave me ideas for classroom activities. Instead of merely giving students numbers to calculate on paper, I can assign them tasks in Excel: building a basic income statement, categorizing expenses, or using formulas to simulate cash flow over months. This real-time feedback and interactivity can boost engagement, especially for visual and kinesthetic learners. 

In conclusion, the course “Using Basic Formulas and Functions in Microsoft Excel” has enhanced my technical skill set and inspired new teaching strategies. It reinforced my belief that digital literacy is not optional—it’s essential for students entering commerce-related fields. I now feel more equipped to guide my students not only in accounting principles but also in how to use Excel as a modern tool for financial thinking, problem-solving, and professional communication.

Reflection on coursera course- III

Reflection on “Introduction to Data Analysis using Microsoft Excel”

I recently completed the guided project “Introduction to Data Analysis using Microsoft Excel” taught by Paula Del Rey, a subject matter expert with a clear and engaging teaching style. Even though the course lasted just under two hours, I learned how to transform raw data into meaningful insights using essential Excel features like sorting, filtering, conditional formulas, lookup functions, and PivotTables.

We started by opening a dataset that contained monthly sales data for a fictional company. At first glance, the dataset looked overwhelming—dozens of rows and several columns including Order Date, Product, Category, Units Sold, Revenue, and Region.

My first task was to make sense of it by cleaning and organizing the information.

What I did:

• Removed blank rows and unnecessary columns

• Formatted numbers and dates

• Applied “Freeze Panes” to keep headers visible as I scrolled

This step gave me a solid foundation. It reminded me how important it is to have clean data before doing any analysis.

Sorting and Filtering: Finding What Matters

Sorting and filtering are basic but powerful tools. I used sorting to rank sales revenue from highest to lowest, which instantly highlighted the most successful products. Then, with filtering, I could isolate data by Region or Category.

Example:

I filtered the data to only show Technology sales in the East region. This allowed me to analyze how one product category was performing in a specific market. It was quick and accurate—without having to write any formulas.

The IF Function: Adding Logic to My Analysis

Next, I learned how to use the IF function, which introduces logic into Excel analysis.

Example:

I wanted to categorize each sale as either “High Revenue” or “Low Revenue” based on a Nu. 3000 threshold. I used this formula:

With just this line, I created a new column that automatically labeled each sale, helping me visualize the distribution of sales performance.

This was really useful for making summary reports and visual dashboards.

VLOOKUP: Connecting Data Across Tables

VLOOKUP was one of the most valuable things I learned. Paula demonstrated how to use it to retrieve data from another table based on a common key, something that happens all the time in business analysis. 

The VLOOKUP function in Excel is a powerful tool for searching for a specific value in a table or range and returning a value from the same row but in a different column. It's particularly useful when you need to find information based on a lookup value, like a part number, employee ID, or product name.  

Example:

Imagine I had another table with Product IDs and their Descriptions. Using:

I could instantly populate a column with the correct product names. This saved time and reduced the

risk of manually entering incorrect data.

PivotTables: Unlocking Insights in Seconds

The most powerful tool, in my opinion, was the PivotTable.

With just a few clicks, I created interactive summary tables to answer questions like:

• Which region had the highest total revenue?

• What were the top 5 best-selling products?

• How did each category perform over time?

Real-Life Application

Before this course, I mostly used Excel for basic tasks. Now, I can:

• Clean and organize large datasets

• Analyze data by applying logical functions like IF

• Connect and enrich data using VLOOKUP

• Build PivotTables to summarize and compare results

• Make decisions based on data trends and patterns

Whether I’m reviewing sales performance, preparing a budget, or comparing marketing campaigns, I now have the confidence to do it efficiently.

This course helped me shift from just entering data in Excel to actually analyzing it. Paula Del Rey explained everything clearly, and I liked how the video format allowed me to follow along on a split screen. The best part? It was hands-on, so I didn’t just watch—I practiced everything myself.

Integrating Data Analysis Skills into Teaching Accountancy

Completing the “Introduction to Data Analysis using Microsoft Excel” course provided me with practical analytical tools that have a direct application in the classroom, especially for teaching Accountancy to senior secondary students. The techniques taught—ranging from basic data cleaning to the use of logical and lookup functions—can significantly enhance students’ comprehension of financial data interpretation and decision-making processes, which are crucial components of the Accountancy curriculum.

One of the key strategies I learned was how to clean and prepare raw data for analysis. This process—removing blank rows, formatting date and currency fields, and using features like “Freeze Panes”—mirrors the foundational skills required in Class 11 chapters such as "Recording of Transactions". By incorporating this into lessons, I can train students not only to record financial data correctly but also to understand the importance of structure and consistency in accounting records.

Furthermore, the use of sorting and filtering tools in Excel allows learners to quickly identify trends, errors, or outliers in transaction records or ledgers. For instance, students can sort journal entries by date or filter cash book transactions by type, reinforcing their understanding of subsidiary books and improving their analytical accuracy. This aligns well with chapters that require categorization and summarization of financial activities.

The IF function introduced a layer of logic that can help students classify transactions, such as distinguishing between capital and revenue expenditures or determining whether entries should fall under current or non-current assets. This logic-based approach deepens the analytical thinking necessary for Class 12 chapters like "Financial Statements."

Another significant skill was the use of VLOOKUP, which allows data from different tables to be connected based on a common identifier. This is particularly relevant when teaching reconciliation of ledgers, customer balances, or inventory tracking. VLOOKUP empowers students to integrate data across worksheets, simulating real-world practices where businesses use multiple sources of information to create unified reports.

Finally, PivotTables stood out as a powerful summary tool that can be introduced during lessons on final accounts and financial statement analysis. Through PivotTables, students can visualize trends such as revenue by region or expenses by category, encouraging them to draw conclusions and make financial decisions based on data. This not only supports the curriculum content but also enhances digital literacy—an essential 21st-century skill.

Reflection on Coursera Course - II

Creating Financial Statement using Microsoft Excel 

When I began the guided project “Create a Financial Statement using Microsoft Excel,” I logged into Microsoft Excel Online and set up a blank spreadsheet, then identified my reporting-period and currency assumptions before creating a structured Transactions sheet to record each business event—date, description, amount, and category—within an Excel Table. Over the next two hours, I built a Profit & Loss statement and a Balance Sheet using dynamic formulas, mastered SUMIFS aggregation, and gained confidence interpreting financial results—all without installing any software.

1. Organizing Raw Data with Transactions

I started by logging into Excel Online and opening a blank workbook, then defined my reporting-period assumptions and created a Transactions page with columns for Date, Description, Amount, and Category. By converting that range into an official Excel Table, I ensured that sorting, filtering, and formula references would automatically adjust as I added new entries.

2. Automating the Profit & Loss Statement

Once my data was structured, I laid out the Profit & Loss template with revenue and expense categories in rows and months across columns. I then used the SUMIFS function to dynamically pull and sum transaction amounts based on category and month, which eliminated tedious manual summing and dramatically reduced the risk of errors.

         

3. Completing the Balance Sheet

Next, I reviewed the Balance Sheet components—Assets, Liabilities, and Owner’s Equity—so I could properly organize each section. I referenced figures from my Transactions and P&L sheets to populate current and fixed asset accounts and then entered liabilities and equity transactions. Finally, I applied the fundamental accounting equation (Assets = Liabilities + Equity) to verify that my Balance Sheet balanced perfectly.

4. Practical Excel Skills Gained

Throughout this project, I became proficient in navigating Excel Online interface, converting data into structured tables, and applying core formulas like SUM and SUMIFS with both relative and absolute references. I also learned to interpret the resulting financial outputs—translating raw numbers into meaningful insights about business performance.

Applying Excel-Based Financial Statement Skills to Teaching Accountancy

The "Creating Financial Statement using Microsoft Excel" guided project equipped me with both technical proficiency and pedagogical strategies that align closely with the Class 11 and 12 Accountancy curriculum. The skills acquired not only enhanced my personal understanding of financial statement preparation but also offered concrete ways to bridge the gap between theory and practical application in the classroom.

One of the most impactful insights came from constructing the Transactions Sheet, which mirrors the concepts taught in the Class 11 chapter on "Recording of Transactions." In Excel, I categorized every transaction by date, description, amount, and type (e.g., revenue or expense), essentially practicing digital journal entry. Using structured Excel tables allowed for real-time updates and automatic referencing, which can be introduced to students to emphasize the importance of systematic bookkeeping. By teaching students how to set up such tables, I can help them understand how accounting data flows from raw input to summarized reports—a foundational concept in both manual and computerized accounting.

The course also introduced me to creating a Profit & Loss Statement using the SUMIFS function, which aggregates financial data based on multiple criteria. This approach directly complements Class 12 topics such as "Financial Statements of Sole Proprietorship" and teaches students to summarize income and expenditure across time periods. Incorporating Excel-based activities into lessons will allow students to experiment with their own P&L statements, fostering a deeper understanding of revenue recognition and expense matching.

Another core takeaway was the preparation of a Balance Sheet, which reinforced the accounting equation: Assets = Liabilities + Equity. The structure of the Excel-based balance sheet enabled me to show how values from the transactions and P&L sheets contribute to the final financial position. This approach integrates smoothly into teaching chapters on "Financial Statements – With Adjustments", where students must learn to adjust and finalize accounts. I plan to have students apply similar techniques to prepare digital balance sheets from fictional transaction data, helping them visualize the flow of financial information and ensuring they understand balancing principles.

Finally, the broader pedagogical benefit of this course is its ability to transform passive learning into active engagement. By teaching students how to use Excel for financial reporting, I can align my classroom with real-world practices, preparing them not only for exams but also for higher education and workplace expectations in accounting, finance, and business.