Hello!
It's that time in the semester to start implementing a correction of errors, so that next semester's classes will be even better!
Please review the following questions, and provide your feedback in paragraph form (not one question at a time). Please be aware that everyone on the WWW who accesses this site can read your comments. But don't let that stop you from being honest - in order to build a better future we need to review what we should keep, and what we should toss.
Questions:
1) Was "Actionable Analysis with Microsoft Office" an aptly suited name for this class? If not, why? What would be a better name for the class?
2) Was the pace of this class too slow / too difficult? What level of user should this class be marketed to?
3) Based on your response to #2, what would you recommend changing? What should we keep / toss / add?
4) How helpful were the handouts? Should version 2003 be added to the material?
5) Considering the blend of Access, Excel, and PowerPoint, should more Office programs be added - like Word, MapPoint, Outlook, SharePoint?
6) Do you believe you will be more efficient & productive at work as a result of taking this class?
7) Do you feel confident that you can create your own reporting system as a result of taking this class?
8) Does it make sense to split this class into two 8 week sessions, focusing one section against Access, and the other section against the other Office programs?
9) Would your company allow you to take this class during the day?
10) Would you recommend this class to your co-workers / business associates?
Thank you for taking the time to post your comments to this site! Your suggestions are always welcome, and deeply appreciated.
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4 comments:
Hopefully this is helpful, thanks Valerie!
I thought the course name and description were appropriate, and the pace has been satisfactory. For me, sometimes its a little slow, never too fast.
As part of a company that uses 2003 only, having handouts of that version would be very helpful. However, I am definitely able to manage without and feel this is something I should be learning both ways anyway, so I don't feel like that's a crucial addition.
I think that I will definitely be more efficient and productive as a result of this class, but I don't feel that it will happen right away. My position does not allow for a lot of creative reporting or personal changes to reports I complete as they are submitted the same across multiple accounts. I do think I will be able to slowly suggests improvements that will in the long run benefit multiple analysts.
I will suggest this class to my peers, and I think a lot of people, myself included, would probably be able to take this class during the day for 8wks.
I think the course name is appropriate. My only suggestion would be to provide more detailed information about the course, expectations, homework, etc. prior to enrollment.
I have found the handouts to be very helpful, especially as I build my own database with the queries, reports, and forms we learned in class. The examples have been quite useful when completing my homework.
My company uses a 3rd party data warehousing and reporting solution that is very expensive. As I've gone through the class, I've been able to see that my 3rd party reporting tool is nothing other than a large Access database. While my company is insistent that I use the tool that they're paying for, I feel confident that I could build my own tool and provide similar results. Given the current state of the economy, we never know when budget cuts may take away some of the tools we are so dependent upon. Additionally, I would enjoy having a reporting tool that resides on my own hard drive for the purpose of expedition; our 3rd party tool sits on a shared virtual server, which causes some frustrating delays in data and report retrieval.
I will definitely suggest this class to others. I know many analysts who work in small offices or from home who would benefit greatly. My company might agree to allow me to take the class during the day, but I suspect that I would miss a lot of classes due to unexpected projects.
Overall the class is great. Excellent focus on skills directly related to managing a Walmart account.
For me the class was pretty slow the first few weeks. Prior to this course I had no experience working with Access yet still found the pace slower than necessary, even for a complete novice. Perhaps if everyone was given a preview of the next class’ topics and what to be familiar with, everyone could be on the same page and reduce class time spent on basics.
Being a 2003 user, it would be great if some screen shots were included when 07 and 03 formats differ. (especially Pivot Tables)
I would definitely recommend this course to anyone working on a Walmart account. As far as improving my own productivity, I am already noticing more time in my week which allows me to work on special projects that would have otherwise been put on the backburner until after the Holidays.
Using the techniques learned in this class with some time put in on the front end will pay off in the long run with improved accuracy, efficiency and sophistication of analyzing my business. Whether it’s redesigning a small shop computer system integrating Wal-Mart Retail Link data, 3rd party syndicated data and your own company’s data and formats with Access or learning some “tricks of the trade”; there is something in this class that can be gained for most analysts. The students in future classes will benefit from some of the very few quirks worked through with our class. Valarie weeds out a lot of the unnecessary minutia and quickly gets to what can really be useful in a retail analytical profession.
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