All Excel, All the Time

Sometimes the start of a new school year consists of a series of predictable events and tasks, but such is not the case in 2015.  All summer long I've had course preparation for my revised BUS 1700 Spreadsheets course on my must-do list.

First, I had to manage the process of getting SPU qualified as a Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC).  This involved getting Chris Cotten from our Computer Information Systems department going on setting up the Certiport software on our computers in our business school computer classroom.  I became the "Organization Administrator" for the SPU CATC.  I also got our budget manager, Jared Wymer, to process our order for 500 exam licenses so our students could sign up for the MOS 77-420 Excel exam.  And even before all this, I had to work with our Student Academic Services and Finance folks to have a $50 course fee added to BUS 1700. 

Then, I had to start my lesson preparations in earnest.  Before I could go too far in these preparations, I needed to take, and hopefully pass, the Microsoft Excel exam that I would be preparing all of my students to pass.  Our twenty-three MAM-SSM (Master in Management) students were scheduled to take the exam as well.  I signed up as an authorized Microsoft proctor.  On the 16th, I proctored Dr. Ryan LaBrie who had been responsible for preparing the graduate students to take the exam.  We found a glitch in the testing software and Chris Cotten worked the rest of that day to remove that bug.  Ryan might have received a low passing score if a campus group had not scheduled the room for another purpose.

By Thursday the 17th, I'd only prepared 5 of 13 lectures for my new course, but it was time for me to take the MOS 77-420 exam myself.  Even though I had taught this subject for nearly twenty years, I was nervous.  From what I had seen of Ryan's attempt, I knew that this 50-minute test was not trivial.  Ryan proctored eleven of his students and me in the morning.  Only two of those students passed with a score above the needed 700/1000 minimum.    I proctored these twelve students (pictured) in the afternoon and only three "passed."  I'm happy to be back in the classroom that I designed, McKenna 113, and that is right down the hall from my first-floor office.  This may be my only classroom until I retire.

I was sitting at the small podium monitor and had trouble viewing the entire exam without needing to scroll a lot.  I could not even see the count down clock most of the time.  (I did remember to ask for God's peace before I launched into the exam.  I learned the value of pre-exam prayer when I took the GRE back in 1982.)  I seemed to be only halfway done with 14 minutes to go!  But when I finished, I had 1:32 left on the timer.  I let the clock time out rather than clicking on the "Finish" button.  Dr. LaBrie was the first to spot my 924/1000 score.  Chris Cotten, testing the software the night before, again with me as the proctor, and one of the graduate students both scored 905/1000.  That was a hard test.  "924" is an acceptable score for having taken it cold with no practice on the testing interface.  It is a good target for my best students to shoot for. 

Related to all this was the series of reports that came out at our annual school retreat this month showing that our business and accounting alumni know now what I've long claimed.  Out students need much more Microsoft Excel.  It makes me think (at least BEFORE I teach the new version of BUS 1700), that my retirement may be more rather than less distant now.

[ As of the publication of this edition of my journal, I've taught four of the twelve hours of my course.  Lessons 3 and 4 went well tonight.  But it's a "fire hose" class and I fear for many of my students who are such neophytes with computers and with Excel in particular. ]