Go to office.com
Open any browser and head to office.com. This is Microsoft's central landing page — not GCU's student portal. You'll land on a big "Sign in" button.
Excel:
the tool you'll use every week.
Free via GCU · Desktop + Online · Works on anything you already own
MAT-144 runs on spreadsheets. Every DQ, every major assignment, every "show your work" moment — built in Excel, nothing to pay for. MAT-144 runs on spreadsheets. Every major assignment and every Excel Practice set — built in Excel, nothing to pay for.
$0
Free with your student Microsoft 365 account
12
DQ templates built in Excel this term
3
Major assignments built in Excel
7
Interactive challenges in the fundamentals lesson
Get Set Up
Three steps to Excel. One sign-in.
GCU gives every student free access to Microsoft 365 — the same subscription that includes Word and PowerPoint. Takes about two minutes.
Sign in with your student credentials
Click Sign in and use your GCU student email and password — the same login you use for the student portal. Microsoft handles the rest automatically.
Launch Excel from the app list
You'll land on the Microsoft 365 dashboard with every Office app laid out. Click the green Excel tile and you're in — either in the desktop app (if installed) or in the browser.
Desktop or Online
Which version should you use?
Excel comes in two flavors. Both ship with the same Microsoft 365 subscription, and both open every template you'll use in MAT-144 — the real question is which one your computer is happiest running.
Desktop
Desktop Excel
Installed locally on your machine. Launches fast, handles complex workbooks cleanly, and works offline — no browser, no wifi dependency.
- Fastest performance — complex formulas don't lag
- Works offline — coffee-shop wifi can't break your assignment
- Cleaner formatting — charts and layouts render exactly as designed
- Keyboard shortcuts all work the way tutorials describe
Best if
Your computer is a Mac or Windows laptop with room for the install. Runs well on most machines from the last 5 years.
Online
Excel Online
Runs inside your browser — nothing to install. Files auto-save to OneDrive as you work, so you can pick up on another computer without missing a beat.
- Works on any device — Chromebooks, tablets, borrowed laptops
- Auto-save to OneDrive — no lost work from a crash
- Nothing to install, nothing to update
- Heavy formatting can get clunky; needs a reliable connection
Best if
You're on a Chromebook, or any machine that can't install Office. Handles every MAT-144 assignment just fine.
Either one works for every assignment in this course. Pick the version your computer can actually run — don't stress the choice.
Hands-On
Learn the moves. In a real spreadsheet.
Before your first DQmajor assignment, spend ten minutes in our live Excel sandbox. Seven short challenges cover the moves every spreadsheet on earth is built on.
Interactive · ~10 min
Excel Fundamentals
Cells, ranges, formulas — practice in a live sandbox. Seven short missions cover the moves every spreadsheet on earth is built on, from typing =A1+B1 to dragging a formula down a column.
7 challenges
Interactive
~10 min
A
B
C
1
Qty
Price
Total
2
36
3
40
Try it: change a Qty or Price. Total recalculates, because it points at the cells, not the numbers.
The Short List
The functions you'll actually use.
12 functions do almost all the work in this course. Each one shows where you'll meet it: tap a chip to open that DQ or major assignment.
12 functions do almost all the work in this course. Each one shows the major assignment that uses it.
=SUM
=SUM(B2:B13)
Adds up a range.
=AVERAGE
=AVERAGE(B2:B13)
The mean of a range.
=MEDIAN
=MEDIAN(B2:B13)
The middle value once the data is in order.
=MAX
=MAX(B2:B13)
The largest value (and =MIN for the smallest).
=SLOPE
=SLOPE(C2:C13, B2:B13)
Slope of the best-fit line. y-values first, then x.
=INTERCEPT
=INTERCEPT(C2:C13, B2:B13)
Where the best-fit line crosses the y-axis. Same order: y, then x.
=COUNTIFS
=COUNTIFS(B2:B50, ">=70", B2:B50, "<80")
Counts the rows that meet every condition. Builds frequency tables.
=STDEV.P
=STDEV.P(B2:B13)
Standard deviation of a whole population (=STDEV.S for a sample).
T5 DQ 1
In the lessons
=PERCENTILE.INC
=PERCENTILE.INC(B2:B50, 0.9)
The value at a given percentile.
=COMBIN
=COMBIN(10, 3)
How many ways to choose 3 of 10 when order doesn't matter.
T6 DQ 2
In the lessons
=PERMUT
=PERMUT(10, 3)
How many ways to arrange 3 of 10 when order matters.
T6 DQ 2
In the lessons
=RANDBETWEEN
=RANDBETWEEN(1, 6)
A random whole number. Simulates dice and draws.
T6 DQ 1
In the lessons
Don't use
The assignments forbid these shortcuts. Type the formula yourself with cell references, so your work shows the math, which is what's being graded.
Habits That Stick
Five moves that make Excel feel easy.
Students who treat Excel as a skill — not a chore — finish the course with something they'll use for decades. Here's where to invest early.
Reference cells, never retype
If a formula depends on a number, point at the cell that holds it (=B2*0.08), don't retype the number. Change the input, the answer updates itself.
Drag formulas down
Write a formula once in row 2, then grab the little green square at the cell's corner and drag. Excel copies the pattern down the whole column — this is most of what spreadsheets do.
Save often, rename when big
Before you try something experimental, save a copy with a new name. Topic3_draft.xlsx → Topic3_final.xlsx. Cheap insurance against the one time you delete a row and can't undo.
Learn three shortcuts
Just three, the same on Windows and Mac: Ctrl/Cmd+Z to undo, Ctrl/Cmd+C then Ctrl/Cmd+V to copy a formula to another cell (its references shift with it), and Ctrl/Cmd+S to save.
Sanity-check your answer
Before you submit, estimate the answer in your head. If you're calculating 8% tax on $15,000 and Excel says $1,200 — great. If it says $12,000, the decimal slipped. A ten-second estimate catches most slips.
If You Want More
Where to go next.
Optional references for when you want to go beyond the MAT-144 baseline — or when something on your end isn't working.