# AI for Excel Course Canonical URL: ## Overview This course teaches experienced Excel users how to leverage artificial intelligence to dramatically reduce time spent on repetitive, tedious spreadsheet tasks. Participants will learn to use AI tools—including ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot—as intelligent assistants for formula creation, data cleaning, analysis, and automation. Through hands-on demonstrations and practical exercises, you'll discover how to prompt AI effectively to generate complex formulas you'd otherwise spend hours researching, clean messy datasets in minutes instead of days, create VBA macros without writing code from scratch, and transform raw data into actionable insights faster than ever before. Whether you're a financial analyst wrestling with monthly reports, an HR professional managing employee data, or a project manager tracking complex schedules, this course will show you how AI can become your most powerful Excel productivity partner. ## What you'll learn - Craft effective AI prompts to generate accurate Excel formulas, including complex nested functions you'd otherwise spend hours researching or debugging - Use AI to automate tedious data cleaning tasks such as standardizing formats, splitting/combining text, removing duplicates, and correcting inconsistencies - Leverage AI assistants to explain existing formulas, troubleshoot errors, and suggest optimizations for slow-performing spreadsheets - Apply AI to accelerate data analysis, including generating insights, creating visualizations, and producing VBA macros for repetitive workflows ## Prerequisites Attendees must have beginner Excel skills equivalent to our [Excel Fundamentals course](/courses/basic-excel-classes), including basic functions and formulas, printing, formatting, basic charts, and tables. ## Curriculum #### Module 1: AI Fundamentals for Excel Users - Understand what AI can (and cannot) do for your Excel work - Overview of AI tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and others - How AI "thinks" about spreadsheets—and why that matters for getting good results - Setting realistic expectations: AI as assistant, not replacement - Security and data privacy considerations when using AI with sensitive data #### Module 2: Mastering AI Prompts for Formula Generation - The anatomy of an effective Excel prompt: context, examples, and constraints - Generating simple to complex formulas on demand (VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, nested IFs, array formulas) - Prompt techniques for dynamic formulas that adapt to your data - Troubleshooting formulas with AI: explaining errors and suggesting fixes - Hands-on practice: Building a prompt library for your most common formula needs #### Module 3: Automating Data Cleaning with AI - Identifying data cleaning tasks AI handles best - Prompting AI to standardize inconsistent data (dates, names, addresses, phone numbers) - Using AI to generate formulas for splitting and combining text - Detecting and handling duplicates, outliers, and missing values - Hands-on practice: Cleaning a messy real-world dataset using AI-generated solutions #### Module 4: AI-Assisted Data Analysis and Insights - Asking AI the right questions about your data - Generating summary statistics and identifying trends with AI guidance - Using AI to suggest appropriate chart types and visualization approaches - Creating data narratives: Having AI help explain what the numbers mean - Hands-on practice: Analyzing a dataset and generating insights with AI assistance #### Module 5: VBA and Macro Generation with AI - When automation makes sense: Identifying repetitive workflows to streamline - Prompting AI to write VBA macros for common tasks (formatting, reporting, data manipulation) - Understanding and modifying AI-generated code (even if you're not a programmer) - Testing, debugging, and refining macros with AI support - Hands-on practice: Creating a macro to automate a repetitive reporting task #### Module 6: Building Your AI-Enhanced Excel Workflow - Integrating AI into your daily Excel routine without disrupting productivity - Creating a personal prompt library for recurring tasks - When to use AI vs. when to do it yourself: A practical decision framework - Keeping up with rapidly evolving AI capabilities - Developing an action plan for continued AI skill-building ## Schedule - Jun 23, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — Live Online - Jul 9, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — Live Online ## Instructors ### Bruce Gay — Instructor Bruce is an engaging trainers and program manager who brings 25+ years practical experience to deliver effective and experiential training to students. Able to engage adult learners with a range of backgrounds and professional experiences. Successful at building effective stakeholder relationships and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams for solution delivery. Bruce has over 25 years of project and program management experience across multiple industries. He has a Masters degree from The George Washington University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Bruce currently runs his own freelance training and consulting business, helping project managers and team leaders improve their business skills, become better leaders, and achieve professional greatness. Bruce is a well-received speaker in the areas of design thinking, project management, cross-team collaboration, and AI tools for projects, and has presented at regional and international conferences. ### Steve Pesklo — Instructor Steve is an energetic trainer who focuses on applying technical concepts to everyday work practices. He is the founder and president of SoftLake Solutions, a company that specializes in providing data and AI applications to identify fraud for Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, Forensic Accounting, Privacy, and Compliance. Steve brings a large amount of experience across multiple industries and government agencies. He is an expert in implementing large data analysis projects across the world, including Inland Revenue in the UK and Argentina, New Zealand, Africa and across Europe. Previously, he was the manager of Data Architecture and Data Services for a large mortgage company. He is a frequent speaker on data analytics and project management topics and speaks fluent German. He has been teaching at the Graduate School for over 10 years. Steve has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Computer Science from California Lutheran University and the Universität Salzburg in Austria. He is certified as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). ### Brian Simms — Instructor Brian Simms is a seasoned educator and training leader with extensive experience developing and delivering innovative learning programs in project management and emerging technologies. Over the course of his career, he has designed adaptive learning models that combine instructor-led sessions, live online experiences, and self-paced study, ensuring professionals can access training in flexible and effective ways. His work has emphasized the integration of artificial intelligence into professional development, helping organizations and individuals understand how AI can be applied to solve real-world challenges in leadership, project execution, and decision-making. In addition to his instructional expertise, Brian has guided curriculum development, led large training initiatives, and advanced the use of collaboration tools that improve learner engagement and retention. His depth of experience and forward-looking perspective make him uniquely equipped to prepare federal professionals to navigate the complexities of data, project management, and the transformative potential of AI. ### Clarissa J. Corbin — Instructor Clarissa J. Corbin is an accomplished corporate trainer, project manager, and business consultant with over 25 years of experience designing and delivering impactful learning experiences. As President and CEO of Projections Training Solutions, she partners with federal agencies, private corporations, and international organizations to provide results-driven training in leadership, project management, business analysis, and emerging technologies. Clarissa has trained more than 10,000 professionals worldwide, serving clients such as the DoD, NASA, FEMA, Microsoft, Citibank, PNC Bank, Del Monte, and Symantec. Her expertise has taken her across the globe, leading initiatives in Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, Africa, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and St. Thomas, USVI. Known for her ability to engage diverse audiences and create interactive, high-impact sessions, Clarissa equips participants with practical solutions they can apply immediately. At Graduate School USA (GSUSA), Clarissa is regarded as one of the most versatile and trusted instructors. She teaches across multiple programs. She played a pivotal role in redesigning the flagship “Managing for Results” course, while also contributing to the development and review of numerous others. Her contributions have earned her two GSUSA Customer Excellence Awards and a two-year appointment to the GSUSA Instructor Advisory Council, underscoring her commitment to innovation, quality, and learner success. ### Natalya H. Bah — Instructor Natalya Bah has been a part-time instructor at the Graduate School USA for over fifteen years. Natalya teaches across multiple curricula, including Leadership and Management, Project Management, and Human Resources. She has created a curriculum for the school, including Change Management Workshops and project management courses. She has served as an action learning coach, instructor, and facilitator for government leadership programs in the Center for Leadership and Management. Natalya also provides self-assessments and dynamic team-building sessions on behalf of the Graduate School USA. Outside of Graduate School USA, Ms. Bah is a self-employed business owner providing executive coaching, training, and consulting services to the public and private sectors. She created the Define and Achieve Your Goals Process™ and is a certified Birkman Method© Consultant. She received her Master of Science degree in Project Management from George Washington University’s School of Business, where she served as a teaching assistant and received the Project Management Award. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). ### Michiel Pruijssers Michiel is a Principal Designer and Forward Deployed Engineer at Microsoft's Industry Solutions Engineering Division, where he partners with strategic enterprise customers to architect and ship production AI systems. With over 15 years of experience, he operates at the intersection of user research, design, engineering, and cloud architecture, anchored by deep expertise in machine learning. His career spans senior roles at Snorkel AI, Determined.ai, and earlier Microsoft teams behind foundational AI products including LUIS.ai, Azure Bot Service, and Azure Stack, where he led both customer discovery and platform design for some of the industry's most technically ambitious ML offerings. He pairs rigorous qualitative research with hands-on building, shipping his own production SaaS products in Python while also teaching students through cohort-based AI courses. His instruction is grounded in real practice: what it takes to design, build, and operate AI systems that actually hold up in the wild. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $649