Close-Up: Lab Sim
Are you and your students in need of a solution that provides the practical hands-on experience they will need to succeed in the IT industry or attain certification?
If you have heard it once, you have heard it a thousand times. Industry demands that students entering the IT work force need practical, hands-on experience. Students need to prove their knowledge of technology, and an IT curriculum must go beyond the concepts. In addition, major IT vendors including the likes of Microsoft, Cisco, and Novell are now testing IT students and professionals by incorporating product simulations into their certification exams. This means that in addition to traditional multiple-choice questions, certification candidates are required to perform actual computing tasks as they would in a real-world environment.
As a solution to allow hands-on experience, Course Technology offers the unique LabSim™ product. Developed by TestOut, a pioneer in developing applied multimedia and simulation technologies for learning environments, LabSim allows students to simulate an operating system and network configuration on a home computer without the need of additional hardware or software.
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What is LabSim |
Open Simulations
Open simulations are critical to the learning process. They model a real system and let students perform the same tasks they can perform on the real system. Open simulations let students explore alternate solutions for completing a task, and view the consequences of specific actions. Students learn through trial and error instead of being guided through specific steps. In addition, feedback at the conclusion of each simulation exercise alerting the user to what was completed correctly and what was not.
Demonstrations
Demonstrations are designed to teach students how to perform certain tasks using clearly defined steps. They are powerful instructional tools when combined with open simulations.
Expert Opinion Scenarios
These scenarios require you to think through a difficult computing or administration problem. They are designed to help students improve their troubleshooting skills.
"It is like taking an interactive learning lab at home, without the expensive setup costs"
Multimedia Tools
Video, audio, animations, and illustrative graphics are used to present complex topics and tasks in an instructional and visual manner.
Technical Glossary
The glossary allows instant access to hundreds of technical terms and definitions, all in a searchable database.
Bookmarks and Notepad
Bookmarks allow students to quickly reference areas of study they wish to revisit. A convenient notepad lets them record notes or questions for later review.
LabSim products are currently available for popular Microsoft MCSE/MCSA courses, Network+, and A+ Core Hardware and OS Technologies. CD-based stand-alone versions allow for installation onto any PC. It is like taking an interactive learning lab at home, without the expensive setup costs. Site license versions are also available for lab environments and include an Administration Tool, specifically designed with the instructor in mind.
LabSim is a teaching tool that provides essential training and skill mastery that only experience can teach, in a safe, manageable environment.
