Teaching basic spreadsheet skills with peer tutoring

Abstract

Purpose Knowledge of spreadsheet tools like Microsoft Excel is a valuable skill to have in today’s job market. The preliminary assessment of a group of business school students shows that most of them struggle to perform simple tasks in a spreadsheet. The purpose of this paper is to propose using student tutors to teach these skills. Design/methodology/approach The authors identify students proficient in Excel as tutors and organize one-on-one peer tutoring lessons. The authors compare the Excel competency level of students prior to and after the tutoring sessions. Findings The results suggest that most students with minimal Excel skills significantly improve their competency level after tutoring. Originality/value The proposed hands-on approach appears to be effective in helping students acquire basic Excel capabilities.