Excel is a spreadsheet and data software developed by Microsoft. Its features include a macro programming language, named Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), graphing, graph/table calculation, and easy integration into other Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Word. VBA makes it possible to run functions in order to auto-fill data into spreadsheets, graphs or charts. Once data is plotted, multiple assets of this data can be automatically determined. An example of this is the y-intercept of a graphed function. Excel also makes it simple to drag and drop different entities between Excel and other Microsoft applications.

Excel has many features that other software could not hope to match such as the customizability of graphs and data presentation. However, its steep learning curve makes it an impractical application to use as a classroom grading software.

• Both instructor and student views
• Excel has powerful spreadsheet calculation and manipulation capability
• Integration with other Microsoft Applications is easy
• VBA can create precise functions for the grade prediction tool and other tools
• Ability to graph pie charts
• Extra credit, late work and other policies can be accounted for with functions
• Templates can be saved and shared throughout the internet
• Ability to connect to a SQL server
• Large amount of online tutorials
• Pivot Tables allow sorting of any and all columns

Bad Features:

• Not specifically created for the purpose of grading assignments
• User Interface is inconvenient to sort through for large amounts of data
• VBA is complicated and not meant for regular teachers
• The help option usually does not pull up many specific help topics
• User interface does not have much variability
• Automated policy functions would not be trivial to understand for non-technical staff

Missing Features:

• No way to hand in assignments to the instructor
• No way to communicate information between student and teacher besides table data/headers; eg- if the Course was curved the teacher would have to put 'an A grade is 87% and up' in the spreadsheet and hope that the student sees.
• Missing different logins to view/edit one excel sheet; eg- the teacher would have to constantly send out read-only copies each student's progress
• Ability to see other students' grades
• Ability to see previous sections' grades besides the teacher saving the excel document, hiding names, and sending out the data as a histogram