Post 4

For this week’s reflection, I looked at the YouTube video “How to Create Charts and Graphs in Microsoft Excel – Quick and Simple” by Teachers Tech. The video walks through the basics of creating charts in Excel, starting with a simple dataset and eventaully towards customizing visual outputs. This introductory tutorial connects well to our inclusive design subject, project evaluation, because it shows how raw numerical data can be turned into something visual and easier to interpret, which is a sub-topic after transitioning from learning economic basics and depreciation into Excel. It is also a great resource since it is an introductory video that caters to any level of learner, perfect for inclusivity and design.

Interaction and Response

Prompts 1 and 2

One of the strengths of this video is that it naturally encourages students to interact with the content rather than just watch it. Early in the video the instructor provides a practice dataset, which makes it easy for students to open Excel and follow along while the chart is being created. Instead of passively consuming the information, students are likely to pause the video, replicate the steps themselves, and experiment with shortcuts and formatting options. This interaction encourages the learner to build a model through the live demonstration and recreate the chart on their own screen and practice in their own environment.

Post-Video Activities and Feedback

Prompts 3 and 4

After watching the video, a useful follow-up activity would be to have students apply the same charting techniques to their own project evaluation data. For example, students could take a dataset, such as projected and actual project costs, and create a chart that compares the two over time. This kind of activity focuses on interpreting and communicating project data within Excel, and it becomes less of a calculation tool and more of a way to visualize a project’s performance.

An activity that provides feedback could be handled through an upload of a sheet for evaluation. Students upload a screenshot of their chart or .xlsx file of their charts along with a brief description to explain what the data visualizationd does and how it works. Afterwards, the evaluator is able to interpret their results and provide appropriate feedback. This kind of process is already integrated in our assessment overview and will be a key component in understanding a student’s understanding and literacy of Excel and its functionalities.

Barriers and Inclusivity

Prompt 7

Similar to how I have been reflecting to other components of our learning assessment, it is important to think about potential barriers. Not every learner is equally comfortable navigating new software while following along with a tutorial. To make the activity more inclusive, it would help to provide the dataset used in the video ahead of time and have suggested exercises along with timestamps for key steps in order to make sure a student is on track. This kind of in-exercise support can reduce the frustration that can occur when following a long tutorial, and help students focus more on the learning goal which is understanding how visualizations can support project evaluation.

The video works well as a starting point for learning how to visualize project data. An additional document that pairs the tutorial with an activity, which asks students to apply those skills to their own project datasets, will help in assissting how visualizations are able to help assess a project’s performance.

References:

[1] Learning Design Blueprint: Project Evaluation

[2] Teacher’s Tech. (2022, April 11). How to create charts and graphs in Microsoft Excel – Quick and simple [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64DSXejsYbo