This concept was originally shared with me by Dr. Al Oosterhof of Florida State University. He has used the process extensively to communicate with both traditional and distance learning students. The spreadsheet is used as the primary data organization tool. Students names, scores, and e-mail addresses only need to be entered once if they are entered in the spreadsheet. Create a separate column for each type of information to be reported.
Columns can include text, numbers, or numeric codes.
This sample exercise will be used throughout the paper. The example is based on an instructor who is setting up an e-mail merge system for a new class. Put the formula in to show the average score in the last column. Save the Excel document with a name and in a location which can be remembered. The Word document creates the look and feel for a merge to e-mail letter.