Course web page: Introduction to problem solving with applications James Tam Return to the course web page

CPSC 203: Tutorial Teaching Schedule

Week Topics covered
Sept 10 - 16 No tutorials this week
Sept 17 - 23 No tutorials this week
Sept 24 - 30 First tutorial (MT): [Resources]

Second tutorial (WR): [Resources]

  • Formatting and layout effects: setting the cell fill & font color, text wrapping & indenting
  • Setting the format of cell data: general, number, currency, accounting, date, time, percentage, fraction, scientific, special and custom
  • Pre-created Excel functions: e.g., SUM, ROUND, TRUNC, COUNTIF, AVERAGE, COUNT, COUNTA, MAX, MIN, NOW, TODAY
  • Student exercise: defining arbitrary functions in Excel Formatting and layout effects: setting the cell fill & font color, text wrapping & indenting

 
Oct 1 - 7 First tutorial (MT): [Resources]
  • First spreadsheet: logical functions in Excel [Excel sheet]
  • Second spreadsheet: using string functions [Excel sheet]
  • Third spreadsheet: using the if() function in conjunction with a lookup table, column charts, countif() function [Excel sheet: salaries]
  • Student exercise: applying conditional formatting if time less than 240 seconds run and age over 50 years: [Excel sheet, conditional formatting]

Second tutorial (MT): [Resources]

  • Using VLOOKUP for ranges (approximate matches) [Excel sheet]
  • Using VLOOKUP for keys (exact matches) & changing the return column [Excel sheet]
  • Using logic in conjunction with the IF function [Excel sheet]
  • Absolute vs. relative cell references [Excel sheet]
Oct 8 - 14

Monday Oct 9: Thanksgiving day holiday

 First tutorial (MT):
  • No tutorial due to holiday

Second tutorial (WR): [Resources]

A1 due Friday October 13
Oct 15 - 21 First tutorial (MT):
  • Access basics: where Access can be run, creating a databases, creating new tables, defining attributes and their type, documentation, Design View vs. DataSheet View
  • Creating a graphical data entry form
  • Primary keys
  • Foreign keys and multiplicity: one to one, one to many, many to many

Second tutorial (WR): [Resources]

  • Error prevention by specifying input masks
  • ERDs
 
Oct 22 - 28 First tutorial (MT): [Resources]
  • Validation rules
  • Student exercise: validation rules

Second tutorial (WR):

  • Creating a graphical input form in Access
  • Database normalization
Oct 29 - Nov 4

 

 First tutorial (MT):
  • Teaching Assistants will hand back midterm examinations and go over select questions
  • Examinations can only be picked up the student (university regulations do not allow you designate another person to do so)
  • Make sure you attend your registered section. The exams distributed for a particular tutorial will only include papers for the students registered in that section
     

Second tutorial (WR): [Resources]

  • Databases queries using the graphical design mode and SQL: simple queries, logical operations and queries (AND, OR, NOT)
  • Student exercises

 
Nov 5 - 11

Reading Days Nov 10 - 13 (No classes on Thursday)No CT on Friday

 First tutorial (MT):
  • Many student exercises: queries using logical operators (AND, OR, NOT)

Second tutorial (WR):

  • Using wildcards in queries
  • Forming multi-table queries
  • Deriving values as table attributes vs deriving values in a query: how each approach is done and when to apply each approach

[Resources for the week]
Nov 12 - 18

Reading Days Nov 10 - 13 No CT or Tutorial on Monday

 

 First tutorial (MT):
  • Monday: no tutorial due to Reading Days break
  • Tuesday: 'Open tutorial': TAs will be available for help in the lab (you can also work there without asking questions). Unlike regular tutorial you can go during any tutorial time and not just section in which you registered. List of all tutorials for CPSC 203, fall 2017.

Second tutorial (WR):

A2 due Tuesday November 14
Nov 19 - 25 First tutorial (MT):
  • Typing in macros manually
  • Program documentation
  • Declaring and using variables
  • Getting user input: InputBox
  • VBA operators
  • Branching: IF, IF-THEN
  • Logic and branching

Second tutorial (WR):

  • Branching: Multiple IFs, IF-ELSEIF
  • While loops: counting and error handling loops
  • Loops vs. branches
[Resources for the week]
Nov 26 - Dec 2
  • Many student exercises: loops and branches
  • The value of "Option Explicit"
  • Using the VBA debugger
  • The 'dir' function (several examples)
  • Text processing and other useful functions/methods (several examples)

[Resources for the week]
Dec 3 - 9

 All tutorials during this week

  • 'Open tutorial': TAs will be available for help in the lab (you can also work there without asking questions). Unlike regular tutorial you can go during any tutorial time and not just section in which you registered. List of all tutorials for CPSC 203, fall 2017.

A3 due Friday December 8