Alternative to Our Spreadsheet Problems - Especially Recommended for Finance and Business Admin. Majors

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo

Guidance for ISU students on alternatives to assigned spreadsheet problems, focused on proving Excel proficiency for advanced Finance courses beyond level 190/240. The document explains that completion certificates from approved third-party Excel prep options can replace the course’s assigned spreadsheet work, awarding 25 points. It sets two key conditions: the course must be completed this semester and proof must be submitted by the last day of regular classes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Excel proficiency requirement

Approved third-party course alternatives

Submission conditions and points

Recommended course options

Alternative to Our Spreadsheet Problems – Especially Recommended for Finance and Business Admin. Majors (But every student can meet the requirement either with our own problems or with one of the three eligible commercial Excel prep courses) Students who take ISU Finance courses beyond the 190/240 level are expected to have proof of Excel proficiency through completion of a course from a commercial education provider. (It is not clear that the higher course instructors always ask to see the proof, but students report that having comprehensive Excel knowledge is essential for succeeding in those more advanced Finance courses.) Initial requirement was certificate of completion specifically for Excel “Crash Course”from Wall Street Prep company. But over time more on-line Excel courses have become available, and as other FIL 240 instructors have allowed alternatives to Wall Street Prep (and higher-level course instructors seem not to have objected) we do not want those in our section to be unduly restricted. So now we have three outside options (in addition to our own problems on the course web site) for earning the spreadsheet points. Two important conditions: first, the course you use must be completed this semester (cannot be something you did in earlier semester); we are supposed to keep you working with Excel, so if you are already good at it then do some more. Second, you must provide the instructor with certificate of completion for your course no later than last day of regular classes. Certificate of completion for any of the three courses shown below automatically earns you 25 points in place of doing our assigned spreadsheet problems. All Finance and Business Administration (who take FIL 242) majors are strongly encouraged to earn spreadsheet homework points by taking one of the three comprehensive on-line courses. Per the official rules you will have to show Excel proficiency before long anyway, so you might as well handle that task now. The links for the three acceptable alternatives are: Wall Street Prep Crash Course ($39 cost, students have reported time to complete of about 10 hours) [https://www.wallstreetprep.com/self-study-programs/excel-crash-course/](https://www.wallstreetprep.com/self-study-programs/excel-crash-course/) Udemy Comprehensive Microsoft Excel Course ($14.99 cost when on sale, no information yet on time to complete) [https://www.udemy.com/course/comprehensive-microsoft-excel-tutorial/](https://www.udemy.com/course/comprehensive-microsoft-excel-tutorial/) LinkedIn Learning (No cost if you connect your LinkedIn account to your University ID – your ancient instructor has never done that), and no info. yet on time to complete) [https://www.linkedin.com/learning/excel-essential-training-microsoft-365-17231101/the](https://www.linkedin.com/learning/excel-essential-training-microsoft-365-17231101/the)future-of-excel?u=125113850 Your elderly instructor does not have experience with the Udemy or LinkedIn offerings, so we hope that young tech-savvy students will figure out the complications, and then share insights with the instructor for future semesters. Thank you!!

FAQs

What requirement must students meet for ISU Finance courses above the 190/240 level?

Students must provide proof of Excel proficiency by completing an approved Excel course from a commercial education provider.

What conditions apply when choosing one of the approved Excel alternatives?

The course must be completed during the current semester, and the student must provide the completion certificate to the instructor no later than the last day of regular classes.

How do the approved alternative courses affect spreadsheet points for the program?

Completion certificates from any of the three listed courses automatically earn 25 points instead of doing the assigned spreadsheet problems.

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo