Although there are many computer technologies that are important for
today’s business employees, two of the most important are databases
and spreadsheets. These technologies are used in practically all
companies in today’s business world. K204 presents an introduction to
two of the most widely used database and spreadsheet packages:
Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel. Students learn, via hands-on
examples, many of the powerful tools contained in these two packages.
At least as importantly, they learn how to analyze a variety of
business problems with Access and Excel. The goal is not to teach
these packages in an abstract sense, but rather to show how they can
be applied to real business problems to help make important decisions.

The first half of the course is devoted to relational databases in
general, and to Access in particular. Students learn how data is
entered and stored in Access, how questions about the data can be
answered through queries, and how forms and reports can be used to
view the data in various formats. The second half of the course is
devoted to spreadsheets, particularly Excel. Students first learn the
basic concepts and tools that make spreadsheets so popular for so
many people in today’s business world. They then go on to learn some
of the more “advanced” spreadsheet tools, such as data tables, lookup
functions, IF functions, and others, that make them truly valuable
employees. (Many of Excel’s other “advanced” tools are taught in the
follow-up course, X202.)

K204 consists of two components: lab and lecture.  The lab sections
are very hands-on and implement the database and spreadsheet packages
discussed above. The lectures present the “bigger picture” of how
databases and spreadsheets, as well as other important computer
technologies, are used in today’s businesses to obtain competitive
advantage.

K204 is the honors version of K201, and it shares the same basic
course content as K201. However, its in-class applications and its
projects and exams are more challenging than those in K201.