Introspection

Reflecting on the last several weeks, it's clear already that my general knowledge of information systems has grown quite a bit. It wasn't so much that I was a complete novice coming in (I wasn't), but more of an issue of having knowledge gaps. I think that, largely, this was because most of what general computer knowledge I had, I picked up specifically for a job, and due to the pace and the stress level of said job, I really had to focus on learning only what I needed to use routinely. IS101 has definitely helped to bridge some of those gaps.

My skill level with respect to Word is a good example of this. Starting IS101, there were some concepts I was very familiar with, and some functionalities I had used regularly before. Nevertheless, there was still some basic foundational knowledge that I was missing, because it wasn't central to doing my job, and due to time constraints, I had to forego learning more about it. I can definitely say that this has changed and, after completing the LabSim units devoted to Word, I have a good solid grounding in all the basics of the word processing software.

LabSim has also done something else, arguably more important in the long run, in that it's made me question how I learn best.

At my previous job, there was no real "hands-on" training; training basically consisted of watching a set of long, horrendously boring seminar videos that took hours. After a week of this, I was on my own, still not having had any practice whatsoever with things I was actually going to be doing on a daily basis. LabSim has really driven home my current boss's philosophy of "You learn by doing," and I've really taken that to heart these last weeks. Having an environment where I have the consistency of being able to do the same tasks again, and again, and again has been enormously helpful, if not always stimulating. Being able to take quizzes over and over, too, has helped, allowing me to refresh my memory in a more hands-on way as often as needed. As a result, most of the topics we've covered, I feel like I now have really strong foundations in. I couldn't say that with honesty before.

The only issue I see going forward is that, starting my next job, there won't be a "LabSim" to give me unlimited experience performing the basic functionalities of my job. I dread returning to an environment like before, where it's a week of videos and then you're off. Maybe I'll be more fortunate this time around, but most workplaces don't often invest in good training, so I'm not optimistic about it.

In summary, this course has illustrated how successful to me personally the repetitive, learn-by-doing method of learning is. This course has also helped me reflect on just how woefully unprepared most employers are with respect to training new employees. I have no doubt that retention rates and general workplace culture would improve if more institutions started offering hands-on, repetition-based training platforms like LabSim.