I’ve been publishing my ExcelTips newsletter for quite a long time now, approaching 17 years. Every week, without fail, I’ve published tips on how to use almost every aspect of Excel.
During that time, I’ve also conducted various seminars on teaching people how to use Excel. I’ve also developed a good number of e-books and real books about how to use Excel.
One thing that I haven’t done, however, is to create any video-based training materials about Excel. I’ve had people ask about them, but I’ve always shied away from them because of, I guess, being a harsh critic of myself.
Well, I’m thinking of changing that situation and coming up with a new online course about how to create macros. The course would be geared toward beginners—those who haven’t ever created their own macros before. (I may do a more advanced macro course later, but it is generally best to start at the beginning.)
Like I said, I’m still toying with the idea; trying to get my head around what the course would (or should) contain. This is always the toughest part for me—figuring out what to include and what to leave out.
Do you think offering such a course would be a good idea? Do you have thoughts as to what such a course should cover? If so, I’d love to have a bit of feedback. Please, let me know below what you think.
Dear Allen, I want to say to you: Thanks you for all tips I have learned in your newsletter. I think would be a good idea you offer a new online course about how to create macros. Armando
It would be a great idea to use video to introduce macros, their creation and uses to those that have shied away from them believing that they are far more complicated to use and create than they are actually are. If such tutorials had been available when I was floundering around trying to grasp macros and how powerful they could be I would have been where I am now many years before I got here.
I think this is a GREAT idea! A lot of people who would like to use the power of macros hesitate to do so as they are not familiar with the programming language and the real benefits that one can derive from macros.
Some of the topics to be covered (for a beginner) could be:
1. Navigating a workbook
2. Selecting cells, ranges, worksheets
3. Switching between sheets / workbooks
4. Copying / pasting data
5. Simple IF THEN ELSE and DO WHILE loops
6. Opening, Saving and Closing Workbooks
7. Accepting inputs via InputBox and displaying messages via MsgBox
8. Simple sub-routines
9. Printing and setting print options
10. Sorting and filtering data
It would be nice to have a logical tutorial running through the course, where a specific business requirement needs to be addressed, and the tutorial guides the learner using the above methods.
There are already so many macros available on your blog and these could be used to create the course (Need and Solution).
All the best!
Thanks for the feedback and ideas. I’ll keep them on hand if I decide to do videos about general Excel usage.
-Allen
I would appreciate a beginners course in VBA. I have done a few already, but it was mostly putting bits of code found on the web together to do what I wanted. An understand of macros would go a long way towards helping automate more of the work I need to do. I encourage you to definitely consider doing a course on macros.
Peter
Recording a macro is simply enough; what leaves me behind is the commands. If I had a list of them I could start to investigate macros. The other problem is knowing what to use them for. Examples seem so complicated, I wonder why you would go to so much trouble.
So I would like to see examples that start with; “Imagine you want to do this..”; and then show how the macro is the best way of doing it.
They have to be worth the trouble.
Good points, Martin. Thanks for the ideas.
-Allen
Thanks for all the great content in your emails, Allen. Would be great to have an Excel course for Mac!
As I’m in the Excel beginner group, can’t recommend what to cover.
Regarding the video-based format… Though it is a different subject, Laura Shoe has a great video-based course for Lightroom with well thought out and brief videos arranged like ‘chapters,’ allowing the viewer flexibility to focus on the areas they need most. It is also easier to find a particular tutorial for review later.
The course comes with a pdf document outlining course contents, and includes recommendations for beginners (what to watch first) ensuring a good foundation before taking on something more challenging.
Would love to see something similar as an Excel tutorial.
Thanks for the pointer to Laura Shoe. I’ll do some research and see if I can find her materials.
-Allen
As a former teacher, I always think that starting with the assumption that the student has NO knowledge of the topic is the best way to proceed. At every stage I would bear this in mind, so introducing a new concept would require an answer to those very basic questions: What? Why? Where? How? I think a video course is a great way to go. I have always fought shy of using macros because I have no knowledge of the commands in VBA and don’t know where to find a comprehensive list. I have a primitive understanding of what macros are and what they are for but I feel I am missing out on a lot. I used to be a pretty capable programmer in basic many, many years ago and I do understand the formats of the macros I have looked at in your books, Allen. Good luck—and no more self-doubt!
Thanks, Eden. That’s very encouraging!
-Allen
If you want to keep up with the time, I think you have to seriously consider doing on line courses. Or at least videos that can be accessed. We are creating a world of visual learners and if you want to reach them, you must do on-line courses. Good luck. Love your weekly newsletter and contribute whenever I can. Keep up the great work.
My thoughts, exactly, Kathy.
Thanks!
-Allen
I think videos are a great idea if they are set up by topic. For me, a full time working mother. I could never sit through I “full class” of videos. But videos with short topics would be great for people new to macros like myself.
You and I are thinking right along the same lines here, Alexis. I am envisioning making shorter, bite-sized videos (3 to 12 minutes each) that teach individual topics related to macros. That way you could come, go, and repeat as needed without needing to sit through much longer videos.
-Allen
I think sure you will make it beautiful.
But what to put in. Macro’s for Excel for beginners is not easy, not like just Visual Basic 6.
You have a lot of questions that would require macro’s for an answer. If you would let Excel record some solutions, you can look what it makes of it and you can make from the code what you consider necessary. You might inventorise the instructions it comes up with.
Me myself am often using VBA in Word or Excel to write a very small program without a user interface for which I don’t want to start a whole project.
I wish you good luck with the project.
Theo
Hi Allen,
I’ve been reading your ExcelTips for a long time, and I do appreciate them: Your tips are always very clear and well explained!
Maybe I am a dinosaur, but I can’t see what video would add to such subjects…
Well, I know video and “multimedia” are fashionable, but just a well written text – yes, with some pictures – altogether is easy for me to understand and requires much less efforts from its creator!
Kind regards,
J-M J
Well, you’re not the only dinosaur, Jean-Marc. (My kids–and now grandkids–most definitely have categorized me in that genus.) I, too, learn best when I read and study. I think that’s why I’ve done ExcelTips the way I have.
For some people that works great, but I’m beginning to believe that video is more than just fashionable–some people actually learn better that way. While I may not be in that group, I can’t ignore those who are.
Thanks for the feedback.
-Allen
Good idea if well spoken
Perhaps cover most of the simpler functions like look up tables once you get these going you can make Excel achieve remarkable things.
Regards
Peter in UK
Hi Allen,
just like you do things with Excel, I do things with AutoIt and XXCOPY, so I’m sort of a fellow “teacher”.
I’ve always shied away from video. For the good reason that if you don’t understand the meaning of a
word, you must hit Stop, then GoBack, then Fwd oops I’ve missed it. Where the hell is it? Oh… I’ll see it
later on. I’m too busy for this sort of stuff…
I think you are really wonderful when you explain the details of the process and the reasons behind it.
As far as I’m concerned, please set up some example with the 0-part (what you need to do BEFORE
writing anything, i.e. the setup), then the 1-part (the way you must think in the world of MACROs)
THEN the good stuff, i.e. how to write the darn thing, followed by the control-1 (how to check what
is happening as the istructions are executed) and by (I’m making it up) control-2 (why things went
that way or may be wrong in some cases).
Considering that 0-part, 1-part, control-1 and control-2 more or less are always the same, people
(and myself) will finally start working with macros.
Paul
Good ideas and excellent feedback, Paul. Thanks.
I’m a firm believer in “laying out a firm foundation” and then building on it.
-Allen
Good Idea Allen. This would help quite a large number of people, but, I think that you should work on useful macro applications, rather than just macros themselves (i.e. find out what everyone wants or repeatedly has difficulty with and then show how a useful macro can be created). All too often I see, this macro will do this, rather than going through the stages of showing how it is created, on a step-by-step basis. Most assume too much prior knowledge (i.e prior to publishing, put it to people that have just a little experience and then see what steps have been missed).
Hope this helps.
Sort of like “beta testing” the course, right? I like that idea!
-Allen
Dear Allen,
I think this is a good idea.
The video based course should, in my opinion however be in combination with a e-book (or real book).
Video based training material pops up everywhere and for all subjects.
Grts,
Bart
Thanks, Bart. I’ll have to give some thought to the idea of combining it with an e-book.
-Allen
I think that it is a good idea and it would be helpful to me if you went ahead with an online course
There are several such sites that teach excel on youtube, but your addition would make a subscriber with a potential for fame due to the many subscribers you have currently, beside google adsense would pay you , too. 17 years on the web and you know that times are a changing. now bitcoins, social media, streaming etc. What next ??
I think a beginner video would do well IF it is not like most on the web. IE. Using the macro recorder is nice but it really does make one lazy. What is it that others are leaving out that are foundational to truly understanding the building blocks of vba and writing a macro. My own current experience is one of frustration. There are gaps in my foundation that are causing challenges as I plod along. Trying to find answers is time consuming. Having a resource – both video and written that breaks it down succinctly (like the tips) could make a difference.
In my company, Global Aviation Data A/S, we calculate flight crew members’ and frequent flyers’ exposure to cosmic radiation (ionizing/radioactive radiation) in an attempt to minimize the related risk to cancer. We have a number of Excel routines backed up by Visual Basic and I would like my employees to get a better knowledge to Visual Basic, and I believe that learning to create macros would be the best way.
Sounds like important work, Peer.
I appreciate the feedback!
-Allen
I think a beginners course on formulas would be great
I think that it would be a great idea. You could also think about production of “short” versions that could be posted on a YouTube channel or your web site for free with a longer paid version on your website. The free version would be geared to kids and first time Excel users to get them into the subject of marcos without cost to them.
Great idea, have a great day, John R Willis
Good ideas, John. I’ll give it some thought.
-Allen
I would encourage it. I am sure you are familiar with the very useful Excel is Fun series.
DR
I’m not familiar with that series, Dennis. Is it a book series?
-Allen
thoroughly enjoy your ‘excel tips’ and have weekly pages from ‘way back’. not too sure on whether I’d personally enjoy the videos tho’….I enjoy the written word.
I feel this has always been my solution…get book…search index and read, and try the various advisory statements/
I probably have a ‘considerable’ collection of ‘dummy’s guide to’….
I am having dire problems with ‘windows 8.1’ and am of the opinion…they should have left things as they are.
will wait, get windows10 update…and keep fingers crossed.
I do indulge in designing ‘my own’ accounts type spreadsheets with ‘bit of’ vba to help things along.
a few close friends have commented on how ‘easy and straightforward my finished product is to work with…..
problem is…it’s never finished and I continually change things ‘for the better’
but excel vba seems to be ‘slower’ than it once was…!!!
Yes it is a good idea but as I don’t know about macro so no suggestion on what to be covered. Good luck!
Explain the basic structural elements which by which every macro is created & used.
e.g. Where are they stored, how to access them, how to turn them on & off, how to sequence the stages in the code.