Learning Generative AI Tools for Excel

Appendix B. Searching for the Truth

This appendix is the second in a three-part series where I introduce a teaching approach I call applied fiction, a new technique to learn through storytelling. In applied fiction, the narrative is a vehicle for teaching real concepts and skills.

The short novel unfolds across three appendices, and each part is paired with hands-on activities tied directly to the book’s concepts. You can read all three for the whole arc, or dip into just one and still get a complete set of activities—perfect if you want to focus on skill-building without committing to the entire story.

This appendix reviews concepts from Part II, “Data Science with Copilot”.

The Story So Far

Helena, an experienced climber, learns that her brother Mark, once a guide in the Himalayas, has mysteriously disappeared in Nepal after returning home changed and unsettled. Left with his laptop, Helena uncovers cryptic data suggesting that a past Everest expedition went wrong, with one climber showing a critical physical decline near the summit. Determined to uncover the truth, she returns to Everest herself, accompanied by two guides, Rajan and Tenzing. As the ascent progresses, Helena discovers unsettling similarities between her companions and the unidentified climbers in Mark’s data, revealing that both men were with Mark during his final climb. The truth slowly emerges: Mark sacrificed his chance at the summit to save Rajan, while Tenzing abandoned them and claimed glory alone. When ...