"Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1" is aimed at learners who are seeking to augment, expand, optimize, and increase the efficiency of their Excel spreadsheet skills by tapping into the powerful programming, automation, and customization capabilities available with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).
This course is part of the Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving Specialization
Offered By
Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving SpecializationUniversity of Colorado BoulderAbout this Course
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Learner Career Outcomes
31%
started a new career after completing these courses
27%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
15%
got a pay increase or promotion
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 1 of 3 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Beginner Level
Approx. 18 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, English, Spanish
Skills you will gain
Microsoft Excel VbaComputer ProgrammingProblem SolvingDebugging
Learner Career Outcomes
31%
started a new career after completing these courses
27%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
15%
got a pay increase or promotion
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 1 of 3 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Beginner Level
Approx. 18 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, English, Spanish
Offered by
University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
4 hours to complete
Macro recording, VBA procedures, and debugging
Week 1 will introduce you to visual basic for applications (VBA) and teach you the foundational tools required to create basic procedures in VBA. You'll learn about different data types and the scope of variables, how to troubleshoot your code when it's not working, and how to record basic macros using both absolute and relative referencing modes.
4 hours to complete
14 videos (Total 67 min), 11 readings, 2 quizzes
14 videos
Welcome!2m
What can you do with Excel/VBA?5m
Is this course for you?3m
How the course works3m
Week 1 preview1m
Getting your feet wet4m
Saving your files as macro-enabled workbooks57s
Recording basic macros8m
Absolute vs. relative referencing during macro recording8m
Overview of procedures in VBA8m
Why use Option Explicit?3m
Declaration of variables, data types, and scope of variables8m
How to troubleshoot when your code is not working properly6m
Assignment 1 preview and instructions2m
11 readings
For Mac users10m
The power of Excel/VBA3m
The importance of a Course Certificate and the future of higher education5m
For business and finance folks2m
Course improvement and my philosophy on learning2m
I can't open the assignments nor the "starter"files - I thought the course was free?10m
VBA Tutorial10m
Need to improve your Excel skills?10m
"Debugging.xlsm" file
Quiz 1 solutions and explanations10m
Assignment 11h
2 practice exercises
Week 1 Quiz10m
Assignment 1 Submission1m
3 hours to complete
User-Defined VBA Functions
In Week 2, you will learn basic VBA expression entry, how to create user-defined functions, how to convert functions to Add-Ins in Excel, how to borrow Excel's built-in functions, how to troubleshoot your VBA functions when they aren't working, and you'll learn about how to design your procedures in a modular fashion.
3 hours to complete
11 videos (Total 41 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes
11 videos
How to write basic VBA expressions and use built-in functions6m
How to make your own user-defined function4m
Example of a user-defined function3m
How to convert a user-defined function to an Excel Add-In4m
Borrowing Excel functions4m
How to troubleshoot your user defined functions1m
Why you don't use input and message boxes in functions2m
An introduction to modular programming5m
Running a subroutine that resides in another file4m
Assignment 2 preview and instructions1m
2 readings
Quiz 2 solutions and explanations10m
Assignment 21h
2 practice exercises
Week 2 Quiz30m
Assignment 2 submission1m
3 hours to complete
Exchanging Information Between Excel and VBA
Week 3 teaches you all about how to reference and move information to VBA from Excel and vice versa. You'll learn about the various objects, properties, methods, and events in VBA. Some of the most important properties and methods will be learned in this module that will make future problem solving in the course possible. You will also learn how to deal with errors that arise in your subroutines.
3 hours to complete
8 videos (Total 36 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes
8 videos
Introduction to objects, properties, methods, and events7m
Common objects, properties, and methods8m
Examples, Part 1: Basic input and output in subroutines6m
Examples, Part 2: Basic input and output in subroutines4m
Examples, Part 3: Basic input and output in subroutines2m
How to handle basic user error in your subroutines3m
Assignment 3 preview and instructions1m
3 readings
Remember to use your DEBUGGING skills!10m
Quiz 3 solutions and explanations10m
Assignment 31h 30m
2 practice exercises
Week 3 Quiz30m
Assignment 3 submission1m
4 hours to complete
Programming structures in VBA
Week 4 begins the "meat" of programming in VBA, and we are finally moving into some exciting problem solving. You will learn about the common programming structures in VBA (sequence, selection, and repetition) that form the foundation for advanced programming procedures. Several examples will highlight the utility of these programming structures.
4 hours to complete
15 videos (Total 93 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes
15 videos
How to implement One-Way If...Then selection structures7m
How to implement Two-Way If...Then selection structures7m
All about the Multi-Alternative If...Then4m
Variable iteration loops (Do...Loops)7m
Validating user input using a Do...Loop3m
Creating a guessing game using a Do...Loop3m
All about fixed iteration (For...Next) loops8m
Putting it all together: Example 15m
Putting it all together: Example 27m
Using the For Each... Next statement8m
Worked mini-project: Searching through high and low temperatures in an Excel workbook8m
(OPTIONAL) Advanced input validation and error handling: Part 19m
(OPTIONAL) Advanced input validation and error handling: Part 28m
Assignment 4 preview and instructions40s
3 readings
"Boulder High and Low Temperatures 2016 - STARTER.xlsm" file
Quiz 4 solutions and explanations10m
Assignment 41h 30m
2 practice exercises
Week 4 Quiz15m
Assignment 4 submission1m
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM EXCEL/VBA FOR CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING, PART 1
by GPSep 7, 2019
Very good teaching by Prof. Nuttelman, who explains new notions very clearly. On the improvement side, I would perhaps suggest adding a few exercises to vary a bit the problems students have to solve.
by MSJan 26, 2018
Great course! I like it goes straight to implementation and is practice-oriented. What could be improved maybe is sound quality of lectures. And maybe it would be great to have some VBA notes in pdf.
by IFSep 20, 2018
the course was very informative and helpful. However, it would be easier to concentrate on VBA if people who don't use mathematical formulas that much would not have to deal with maths that much.
by PPApr 18, 2020
The pattern of course is really nice.It first teaches all the basic information in video and the assignments are designed in a way that all the taught information are used to solve the assignment.
About the Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving Specialization
This Specialization is for learners wishing to dramatically change the way that they use Excel spreadsheets by unleashing the power to automate and optimize spreadsheets using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The first two courses will teach learners the basics of VBA through the use of dozens of educational screencasts and a series of quizzes and in-application programming assignments. Finally, in Part 3 of the course, learners will complete 3 "real world" and somewhat open ended projects, which are graded through peer review.
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