This beginner-friendly session will explore the hidden Microsoft Office tools that can turn repetitive, messy processes into simple, automated routines. Katie Akin, Drake University’s Student Success Systems & Data Manager, will guide attendees through the creation of three workflows she uses daily:
- Outlook rules to promote focused work, not constant task-switching
- Excel macros to instantly create bulk calendar events (no coding required!)
- Microsoft Power Automate flows to send dynamic, deadline-based reminder emails
Through these examples, you will learn to approach administrative work like a data engineer: How does information move from Point A to Point B? How can we keep data consistent with less human interference? If you know what automation tools are already in your toolkit, you can confidently use AI to build functional workflows.
Attendees will leave with a step-by-step handout designed to help you successfully automate a repetitive task at your own workplace.
