CSCI 112
Fall 2026 - Assignment 1
Submit deadline: 13:00, 24 September 2026, Thursday

Objectives:

• Get familiar with the computer
• Get familiar with applications (especially Excel) on the computer
• Get familiar with collecting and formatting the data
• Get used to working on weekly labs and assignments
• Practice submitting assignments via VIU Learn

References:

• Lab 1
• Introduction
• Data

Problem Description:

A hypothetical Real Estate Board (such as Vancouver Island Real Estate Board - VIREB) posts monthly market reports regarding the real estate market data in its area. The quoted paragraphs below are sample descriptions of three such monthly reports.

In August 2026, Real Estate Board recorded 654 unit sales of all property types, down four percent from one year ago. Year-over-year active listings of all property types were 4,498, up two per cent from the previous year. In the single-family category, 298 homes sold in August 2026, down 11 per cent from one year ago and a drop of 19 per cent from last month. The average price of a single-family home sold in August was $788,100, about even from one year ago and a drop of one per cent from July. Sales of condo apartments in August came in at 70, down four per cent from last year and one per cent from July. The average price of a condo apartment sold in August was $550,000, up one per cent from one year ago and up slightly from July.

In July 2026, Real Estate Board recorded 707 unit sales of all property types, down 11 percent from one year ago. Year-over-year active listings of all property types were 4,598, up two per cent from the previous year. In the single-family category, 366 homes sold in July 2026, down 12 per cent from one year ago and a drop of 11 per cent from last month. The average price of a single-family home sold in July was $794,500, up one per cent from one year ago and one per cent from June. Sales of condo apartments in July came in at 71, unchanged from last year and down 15 per cent from June. The average price of a condo apartment sold in July was $548,900, down slightly from one year ago and a small dip from June.

In June 2026, Real Estate Board recorded 782 unit sales of all property types, down eight percent from one year ago. Year-over-year active listings of all property types were 4,637, up two per cent from the previous year. In the single-family category, 413 homes sold in June 2026, down 12 per cent from one year ago and an increase of eight per cent from last month. The average price of a single-family home sold in June was $790,800, down slightly from one year ago and from May. Sales of condo apartments in June came in at 84, increasing by 11 per cent from last year and up six per cent from May. The average price of a condo apartment sold in June was $549,400, down one per cent from one year ago and one per cent from May.

The above paragraphs are just samples of the three most recent market reports from the REB. You can expect that there are many more such market reports with similar information published in the past. For example, if you go to VIREB's Market Report website, you can read such monthly reports back to January 2023.

Your Task:

As a data collector and analyst, you need to perfrom the following tasks:

• Design an Excel table to store the data extracted from the above descriptions. Each column of the table should have a proper and meaningful name. Make sure to use bold font for the column names.
• Fill the table with the data extracted from the above three paragraphs of the report descriptions. Properly format the cells to reflect the appropriate data types of the data stored in these cells.
• Using red to highlight the columns that contains the raw data, that is, the data that must be entered manually. Using green to highlight the columns that contains the processed data, that is, the data that can be calculated from other data. Note that you are not required to write the formula to do the calculation for this assignment.
• Give your table a meaningful title, or give the worksheet containing your table a meaningful name, to reflect what kind of data are collected and stored in your Excel table.

How to submit:

To submit your assignment, give your solution Excel file a meaningful name, make sure the file's extension name is .xlsx, then login to your VIU Learn account, find the CSCI 112 course page, click on the "Assessment" drop-down menu, click on the "Assignments" item, then click on the folder named "A1". Then you can click on the "Add a File" button to browse and upload your solution Excel file.

If you have any problem with submitting on the VIU Learn, please email me to let me know and attach your solution file with your email.