Spreadsheet Modeling Craft

ECON 6100 really helped me understand how to build spreadsheets better than I had been before taking the class. By increasing both my knowledge of Excel and changing the way I viewed a spreadsheet, Dr. Tufte changed the way my spreadsheets functioned for the next user. I am now able to create spreadsheets faster (better knowledge of key shortcuts and initial planning), more efficient (not building more than I need to) and build more complex models. The class wasn't overly difficult and could be seen as more about learning spreadsheets and modeling rather than an assessment of your knowledge. It was one of the most useful classes I took in the MBA program and I highly recommend it to people who want to improve their spreadsheet modeling skills.

ECON 6100 Assessment

If you want a very thorough introduction to and implementation of Excel, I highly recommend this class.  You will learn a vast amount of tips, tricks, and techniques.  There is also a great deal of "problem solving" in the form of modeling on Excel Spreadsheets.  Don't let that scare you, though.  Dr. Tufte does a great job walking you through everything that will be expected of you on your assignments and exams.  The overall feeling of the class is more laid back than most classes I've taken.  One thing is certain: you will learn a LOT about Excel, which puts you in a better position in the workplace, school, etc.

Charlie McCrady

ECON 6100 has been one of my favorite electives that I have taken. Also, I probably learned more about Excel in this class of just one semester than I have since I first started using spreadsheets years ago. I personally thought the class was a fun class at the same time. I think that taking this class will help you surpass your peers in the use of Excel. I think that the class should be a required one because it is so useful. If you are contemplating on taking this class or another, you should really think about what tools you will need in the future as this class will give you some of the most important tools that you will use forever in any career. Thanks for the great class Dr. Tufte!

Jenna Balch

This class was not only beneficial to my education and career, but it was also enjoyable.
Excel is a class that I use almost everyday at work. Before this class, I thought I was proficient in Excel; however, I found out quickly that I didn't know half of the useful functions that can be performed in Excel. This class was challenging, but not overwhelming. Dr. Tufte did a great job of explaining, and it was nice to be able to converse with other students and share ideas. I definetly feel that this class was the most useful class that I took as an MBA student. I would encourage any student from any background to take this class.

Travis Sheffield

I truly enjoyed the ECON 6100 course taught by Dr. Tufte @ SUU. As other students have mentioned, the skills acquired in this class are extremely valuable to any business professional.

Previous to taking the class, I felt fairly comfortable in Excel and often functioned as the 'Resident Expert' in the office. I am now VERY confident accepting a myriad of data analysis projects that may have given me heartburn in the past.

I would have to agree that taking this course earlier in the MBA degree would have greatly benefited my performance in my other courses, but just take the course as soon as you can.

But be warned...after taking this class you will start noticing spreadsheets everywhere that are not well designed and you will have an urge to fix them. Just make sure that your work looks professional and is easily understood by a random user. It will increase your credibility, make you a more competitive candidate in the job market, and a more powerful entrepreneur, business owner, or consultant.

Econ 6100

I would recommend Dr. Tufte's class. I had a very interesting experience becuase working with spreadsheets is not in my field of work. I went into the class with limited knowledge. The class was intense, alot of information in such little time, but Dr. Tufte gets a good feel of what the class can handle quickly. I came out of this class with a better understanding of excel, and know where I can turn to if I ever have questions.

GREAT CLASS!!! EVERY STUDENT SHOULD TAKE!!!

I really enjoyed Econ 6100. Tufte does a great job at explaining the tools and methods of excel. I use the information I learned quite often at work. I was actually given a job just yesterday that required me to organize a bunch of raw data onto an excel spreadsheet. I used what I learned in that class to help organize a document that impressed my boss! I think that all students should take this class. It will help them not only in school and their careers, but in their personal life as well. I highly recommend this class!!!

David King

I found Econ 6100 to be very useful. If possible, I would recommend taking this class at the beginning of your master’s degree program because it will be useful in virtually all of your other classes. This class was not easy, but very useful and very applicable. Dr. Tufte is very willing to help if you have a problem with any of the material. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone.

Econ 6100 Evaluation

Overall this was a great class. Dr. Tufte organized it in a way that was unique and interesting. For example, the spreadsheet projects were exchanged by students (anonymously) and then each student was graded by both what he/she produced and what he/she received.

The book was pretty good and the subject matter was pretty good. However, from spreadsheet sensitivity analysis to stats and linear programming, there seemed to be many different subjects that were only loosely related. Maybe it was just alot of material in a short amount of time (Maymester). In some ways, it was better to do it in Maymester, but in other ways it was more difficult.

I would recommend this class to anyone with a disclaimer...bone up on statistics before taking the class. Espescially if you are like me and have not had a stats class in almost 10 years.

Jake Miller

I found ECON 6100 to be very practical and conducive to developing an analytical approach to business. I highly recommend taking the course, especially toward the beginning of the MBA program.

Julia Romanovich

The MBA program at SUU prepared me to face the real business world and be as competent and knowledgeable as students who graduated from Stanford, Berkley, and other reputable and known educational establishments. I consider ECON 6100 one of the most beneficial and valuable classes I took in the MBA program. I apply the skills and knowledge obtained from the class on an every day basis. The class helped me to be efficient in analyzing and sorting data. It assisted me in understanding the “big picture”, looking at problems from different perspectives, and considering multiple solutions and methods for approaching complex situations. These skills are vital in the competitive business world. The class not only improved my excel skills, but also introduced me to new concepts, programs, tricks, and shortcuts. The professor always kept students engaged with new information. I also appreciated the challenge of the class. Homework assignments required effort, analysis, critical thinking, qualitative and quantitative understating of the material and were not a repetition of the undergraduate classes.

Darryl Bosshardt

As a student at SUU, I attended many “good” classes that I have drawn on occasionally during my developing career. However, there are only a select number of classes that I can credit to my accelerated career development from Entrepreneur, to Regional Director of a Utah Small Business Development Center, to Economic Development Director for Southeast Utah, to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development -- in less than 3 years. Among the select number of classes that I credit to this development is ECON 6100. If the SUU School of Business is truly striving to produce successful -professional- graduates, ECON 6100 should not only be a required class, but one that is marketed and supported above most others.

Darryl Bosshardt
Governor's Office of Economic Development
Procurement Technical Assistance Center
(435) 650-1599
dbosshardt@utah.gov
www.goed.utah.gov/PTAC

Jared Peterson

I chose to take Econ 6100 based on the recommendation of two students who had taken the class in the Spring semester. Econ 6100 was an excellent class that required maximum mental exertion to succeed as opposed to the status quo minimal level of regurgitation required for most classes. The class not only strengthened my Excel and computing skills, but it also provided a invaluable framework for solving all types of problems. I found myself employing the skills that I learned from the text and especially from Dr. Tufte in all aspects of my life: school, work, dating, etc. The text's framework and Dr. Tufte's teaching style coupled with his reservoir of practical knowledge (using shortcut keys, using solver, displaying formulas, etc.) and the hands-on learning method of teaching allowed me to take away an immense amount of knowledge that I will use throughout my life. I would recommend that any MBA or MAcc student take this class so as to equip themselves with skills that will enhance their marketability. I would hope that whomever controls the fate of this class will consider the opinions of those who have taken it and not base the outcome of this class on unfounded assumptions steeped in bureaucracy.

Robert Tebbs

When I signed up for ECON 6100 I was thinking that this would be an easy A, because I felt very comfortable with my spreadsheet skills. I thought that the class would just be an extension of an undergraduate class that I took on Office 2000 programs. I was caught off guard when on the first day the professor handed out a statistics quiz and when we started to muddle through problems in the book that were quite complex. I soon realized that this was not the easy class that I had imagined that was going to teach me all the shortcut keys I needed to know, rather the class was turning into one that made me think about the big picture when confronting a problem and how to solve the problem quantitatively and qualitatively.
This class was beneficial for me--a person who is confident with his Excel skills--and would be for anyone majoring in any business field.
An easy A? Well... I hope that I got an A, but if not I know this class has expanded my mind and opened my eyes to the many realities that exist in a real buisness environment. Because of this class I feel better prepared and more confident with my Excel skills and more importantly with my ability to think through complex, real-world situations.

Jeff O

The Econ 6100 class was honestly one of the most applicable classes I've had in 5 years of college. A lot of people know what a spreadsheet is and can create simple financial statements, but not very many know how to effectively, efficiently, and correctly format an actual decision model - which is where spreadsheets really get useful and you begin to see how powerful a tool they really are. I would even go so far as to recommend that this be a required class for Business Graduate students (both MAcc and MBA). The big complaint many employers have about hiring recent college graduates (from what I've read) is their inability to translate difficult concepts into language, models, or any other communication form that people (usually management) can actually understand and use. That's the core concept of this class - sorting through the barrage of data you are given to find what you actually need to perform a specific objective, using that data and tools of the spreadsheet to create simulations about what is happening or what could happen, and then putting all that information in a format that people understand and effectively use. Everyone needs that. Two thumbs up for this class.

Adam Miller

ECON 6100 was one of the most valuable classes that I took as part of the MBA program. I would rank it among the top 10% of the classes that I took. The class is very useful for analyzing complex quantitative problems, which we should confront frequently in management situations. It also requires higher level cognitive thinking and helps us put into practice some of the concepts learned in undergraduate coursework. For example, we learned how to do some linear programming, which we touched on in operations management. I have not talked to anyone who did not like the class and I have recommended this class to many people.

David Eves

To whom it should concern:

Econ 6100 was perhaps one of the most useful classes that I took while at SUU. The knowledge that I gained in Econ 6100 was extremely useful for all of my other classes. I was also able to use this knowledge at my job as well. To eliminate Econ 6100 would be a great disservice to both MBA and MACC students alike.

Purpose of this Blog

I have set this blog up to offer a forum for SUU M.B.A. and M.Acc. students who have taken ECON 6100 to comment about this classes usefulness to their other classes, degree, and careers.

Dave Tufte