YOU are responsible for becoming proficient in the use of spreadsheet software. We'll be using Excel in the class. If you have your own computer and have become used to some other spreadsheet program (e.g., Lotus 1-2-3, QuattroPro, Works), it should be okay for you to continue to use it for the lab exercises.

For those of you bereft of computers or familiarity with spreadsheets, I want you to learn Excel. You can do your computing on campus, and you have quite a few options here:

• Butte Hall 207 and 211 PC labs are open to students taking classes in any Behavioral and Social Sciences department (that means you)
• The Geography and Planning PC lab (Butte 501) is also available for your use
• There are, additionally, three labs on campus that any CSUC student can use (open access labs):
  • MLIB 116
  • THMA 131
  • PHSC 128
  • Map of open access labs

Here are two projects to get you up to speed on spreadsheeting. To do these labs (and all subsequent ones), you need to invest in 3.5" data diskettes and see to it they are properly formatted for the machines you're using (PCs or Macs). Anything you do in the labs MUST BE SAVED ON YOUR OWN DISKETTE!!! Ignore this advice at your own peril. Sanity conservation tip #1.

LAB EXERCISE A: Weighting raw scores

You are a new college instructor facing the gut-wrenching agony of grading. You've put your students' raw scores for each assignment and test into your spreadsheet:

STUDENT NAME      QUIZ  RTP1   RTP2   PAPR   MDTM   FINL

Abiff, H.          149     7     10     19     50     65
Baker, N.J.        157    12     12     17     48     78
Bloe, J.           111    11     10     16     61     74
Carramba, J.       182    13     14     23     62     71
Clouseau, I.        88     8     10     19     49     58
Drakula, V.        200     9     13     25     70     79
Du Fus, G.         121     7     10     15     45     59
Kent, C.           200    10     13     28     68     88
Kirk, J.T.         165    13     15     24     66     75
Lane, L.           148    10     12     19     47     70
Schlimazel, S.      78    11     11     15     39     58
Schmo, J.          117    10      9     19     48     74
Worf, L.           190     6      9     22     55     80
                                                     
Possible (raw)     200    15     15     30     75    100
Possible (wtd)      10    10     10     20     25     25

Plot Complication: You must convert these raw scores into proportionately weighted scores. The two exams were each worth 25 percent of the overall grade, but they didn't each have just 25 questions (one had 75 and the other 100). Each short report was worth 10 percent but, for grading convenience, you used a 0-15 point scale. The term paper had a 30 point grading system, but it was only worth 20 percent of the overall grade. Then, there were all those map quizzes you gave (what were you thinking?). Each map quiz had 30 map identifications, and there were 10 such quizzes. Altogether, however, these quizzes only amount to 10 percent of a student's grade.

You need to enter the raw data in the table above into your spreadsheet. Then, you need to insert seven columns for the weighted scores. You could insert them all in one block between the names column and the beginning of the raw scores columns. Or, you could alternate raw score with weighted score right next to it. Whatever looks nice. Put the weighted scores into these seven columns.

Hint #1: Weight each assignment (A) with the following procedure:

• Raw score (r) times weight (w) of item, divided by number of raw points possible (p) on that item.
• A = rw/p

Hint #2: Pay attention to formatting each weighted column to the same number of decimal places and make sure the column of numbers is right-justified instead of centered in the column (aesthetic quality and readability count). And do check for typos.

LAB EXERCISE B: Federal Income Tax Form 1040

You'll thank me for this one, some day. You are to put the Federal Income Tax Form 1040 and its schedules A and B on one or more spreadsheets. You have to think about formatting the columns. You might, for example, reserve Column A for the IRS line numbering system (since it isn't straightforward: there are lots of lines 20a and 20b to deal with). In doing the labels for each line, you will probably need to abbreviate in some coherent manner (in Column B, probably). For Column C, you will have blank cells for you to enter the numbers below and the formulas connecting certain of those other cells (e.g., for line 31, you need to sum lines 23 through 30). I'll distribute the 1997 forms and tables in class.

The data set for Lab B: Now that you've constructed the spreadsheet(s), here are numbers to enter, so that I can see from the final results whether your work is sound or not. Enter the following values in the appropriate cells:

FORM 1040

LINE    VALUE

 6          1  single (even if you aren't)
 7     24,956  wages
19      1,054  unemployment compensation
21        250  other miscellaneous income (bingo?) 


SCHEDULE A

LINE    VALUE

 1      3,800  medical expenses
 5        384  state and local income taxes
 6      1,567  real estate property taxes
10      7,014  home mortage interest
15        500  gifts to charity
20      1,589  unreimbursed employee expenses
21        250  tax preparation fees


SCHEDULE B

LINE    VALUE

 1
          732  bank interest
          260  credit union income
 5
          462  stock market investment dividends
           96  another stock investment 
 7        119  capital gain distributions (put in 1040, line 13, too)
11         no
12         no