Excel is enough
- A single programme and a few courses
- One experienced person runs the calculation
- An accreditation application is not yet on the agenda
- The method is still being tried out
Comparing
Programme outcome tracking: Excel or software?
For a single programme, a small number of courses and one coordinator who knows the calculation well, Excel is enough. As the number of courses and programmes grows, as several people work with the same data and as results must be frozen for accreditation, software saves time and reduces the risk of error. What matters most is applying the rules consistently, not the tool.
Side by side
Comparison on ten criteria
| Criterion | Excel | Outcome-based assessment software |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | None; everyone has it | Licence or subscription |
| Learning curve | Everyone knows it | A short period of getting used to it |
| Flexibility | Anything can be changed | Rules and structure are defined |
| As the number of courses grows | The number of files and the work of merging them grow quickly | Programme and institution levels combine automatically |
| Separating blank scores from zero | Needs manual care; average formulas can mix blanks and zeros | Built into the rules |
| Formula and copying errors | Can spread unnoticed | The calculation is in one place, the same for everyone |
| Versions and locking | It can become unclear which file is the final version | Results are locked; past reports do not change |
| Traceability | The chain from question to programme outcome breaks across files | Question → outcome → programme outcome → educational objective in one chain |
| Roles and visibility | Whoever opens the file sees everything | Role-based visibility; an instructor's name is never shown with results |
| Accreditation report | Compiled by hand | Produced from locked results |
Green marks the side that is stronger on that criterion.
Decision
Which suits you?
Software saves time
- Several programmes or faculties
- Course coordinators enter the data themselves
- Results must be locked and past reports must not change
- The accreditation file is compiled by hand every term
If you stay with Excel
Five rules that reduce the risk of error
- Separate blank from zeroLeave the cell of a student who missed the exam blank and check that your formulas leave blank cells out.
- Share the marksSplit the marks of a question that measures two outcomes between them; do not enter full marks for both.
- One master fileDo the calculation in a single master file; courses should be separate sheets that feed it.
- Freeze at the end of termKeep the reported result as a read-only copy; later corrections go into a new copy.
- Don't use the course gradeCalculate the outcome from the scores on the questions that measure it, not from the course grade.
To check outcomes, use the Learning Outcome Checker; for the logic of the calculation chain, see How is programme outcome attainment calculated?
Frequently asked questions
About Excel and software
Can programme outcomes be tracked in Excel?
Yes. For a single programme, a small number of courses and a coordinator who knows the calculation well, Excel does the job. Problems usually start as the number of courses and terms grows: merging files, tracking versions and catching formula errors become harder.
What is the most common mistake in Excel?
Counting the blank score of a student who missed the exam as zero, and entering full marks for a question under two outcomes, are the two most common mistakes. Both distort the attainment rate and become harder to spot as the file grows.
When should you move to software?
If several programmes or many courses are tracked, if results must be frozen and past reports must not change, if more than one person works with the same data, or if the accreditation file is compiled by hand every term, software saves time and reduces the risk of error.
Can I move my Excel data into the software?
Yes. SixBloom offers an Excel template for score tables and import from Excel or CSV; course information, learning outcomes and matrices can be imported via CSV, JSON or a learning management system connection. Imported matrices and contribution shares stay marked until the responsible person reviews them on screen.
Do you give up Excel entirely when using software?
Not necessarily. SixBloom also provides its reports in Excel; anyone who wants further analysis can keep working with the data in Excel. The difference is that the calculation and the official result come from a single, locked source.
Try them side by side for a term
Run a course you manage in Excel in SixBloom Course Design Studio as well; compare the results and decide based on the data.