Integrating LabSim Into Your IT Curriculum BEST PRACTICES TableofContents Introduction.........................................................................................................................................3 UsingLabSimatHomeorSchool..........................................................................................................4 IdeasforLabSimIntegration................................................................................................................4 LabSimHandsonLabs.........................................................................................................................5 VideosandStudyGuides......................................................................................................................6 QuizzesandExams...............................................................................................................................7 TextbookorNot...................................................................................................................................7 LearningStyles.....................................................................................................................................8 ClassTime............................................................................................................................................8 Homework...........................................................................................................................................9 Reporting.............................................................................................................................................9 Certification.......................................................................................................................................10 Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them. Introduction WelcometotheLabSimcommunity! LabSimITtrainingcoursesofferinstructorsmanyflexibleoptionsforcurriculumintegration.This documentisdesignedtoshowyou—theinstructor—someofthewaysLabSimcansupportyouingiving yourstudentstheITskillsandknowledgetheyneed.PleasenotethatLabSimcoursesaredesignedtobe workedthroughfromstarttofinish,andskippingsectionswillcausestudentstomissinformationthey mayneedtoknowforalab,video,orexamlaterinthecourse. TheimplementationofLabSimintoyourcurriculumishighlyflexible,andnotallinstructorsuseLabSim inthesameway.SomeuseLabSimtrainingintheclassroom;othersassignLabSimsectionsas homework.Somebasestudents’gradeontheirscoresrecordedthroughLabSimtracking;othersuse LabSim’sbuiltinreportingtomeasureprogressandthenbasestudents’gradeonotherachievements. LabSimcoursesaredesignedtosupportyouinthewaysyouworkbestasaninstructor. ThisdocumentincludesideasandsuggestionsfrominstructorsandanadministratorusingLabSimat15 differentacademicinstitutions.Theirexperienceswillhelpyouformulateyourownplansfor successfullyincorporatingLabSiminyourteaching.Institutionswhoseinstructorshavebeenquotedin thisdocumentinclude: DeVryUniversity ErwinTechnicalCenter HendersonCommunityCollege KingCareerCenter MiddleburgHighSchool MoultrieTechnicalCollege NewJerseyCareerCenter PennFosterCareerSchool RichmondSeniorHighSchool SantaFeCollege SchoolcraftCollege SouthernHillsCareerandTechnicalCenter WallaWallaHighSchool WestchesterCommunityCollege WestLACollege CampusesNationwide Tampa,Florida Henderson,Kentucky Anchorage,Alaska Middleburg,Florida Moultrie,Georgia Millville,NewJersey Scranton,Pennsylvania Rockingham,NorthCarolina Gainesville,Florida Livonia,Michigan Georgetown,Ohio WallaWalla,Washington Valhalla,NewYork CulverCity,California TestOutalsoencouragesyoutoviewourLabSimvideotutorials(www.TestOut.com/tutorials/)and findhelpfulinformation regardingLabSimInstructor Tools(www.TestOut.com/tools/). Also, pleasecontact ourtechnicalsupportstaff(www.TestOut.com/support/)ifyoueverhavequestions aboutsetting up yourinstructoraccount,studentaccounts,and/oraccessing coursecontent. Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them. UsingLabSimatHomeorSchool BecauseLabSim is an online course,allowstudentstoworkonLabSimatschoolorat home. GiveStudentstheOption “Studentslikeitsomuchthattheydoalloftheirworkathome.Wegivethemtheoptionofstayingin thelaborbeingathome,andtheywanttodoitathome.”–BillMassey,Instructor,DeVryUniversity ContinueLearningatHomeafterSchool “Ibelievelearningdoesn’tjusthappenfrom10to11AMwhilestudentsareintheclassroom.LabSim helpslearningcontinuewhenstudentsarehome.Sometimesastudentwillaskme,‘CanIdothisat home?’‘Ofcourse!’AndsinceLabSimisnowonlineinsteadofonlyonCD,it’sahugehelptostudents. Theycanlearnanytimetheywant.”–WilliamSchlick,Professor,SchoolcraftCollege FullyHomebasedLearning “Ihaveastudentwho’shomebound.Hedoesn’tcometoschool,butIstillhavetoprovideworkforhim. Now,he’ssetupdoingLabSimfromhome.”–BrianBurch,Teacher,RichmondSeniorHighSchool IdeasforLabSimIntegration LabSimcanbeincorporatedintoaninstructor’scurriculuminmanyways.Someinstructorsuseitalone; othersuseitinconjunctionwithatextbook.Someuseitduringclasstimeandothersashomework. UseTestOut PC ProwithCiscoNetworkingAcademy “IteachCiscoNetworkingAcademyhere.ThisismysecondyearwithCiscoNetworkingAcademy,so we’reteachingfirstyearCisco,whichcovers CompTIA's A+Essentials.IuseLabSimtoteachit.– CharlesThompson, Teacher,MiddleburgHighSchool WorkThroughCourseSequentially—FromStarttoFinish “ThestudentsworktheirwaythroughLabSimfromtoptobottom.Forawholequarter,theyuseLabSim prettymucheveryclass.”–AlanSaylor,Instructor,MoultrieTechnicalCollege SupplementSelfpacedTrainingwithClassLectures,Notetaking “LabSimis online,andthestudentsworkattheirownpaceduring designatedclasstimetoviewand reviewvideos,readfactsheets,andcompletehandsonlabsimulations.Studentsusethecomponentsof LabSimsequentiallyandalsokeepajournal,takenotesonclasslectures,andcompletethepractice examsincludedinLabSim.”–BrianBurch,Teacher,Richmond SeniorHighSchool Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them. UseLabSiminComputerClassroomandasHomework “Asastudent,my CompTIAA+coursesweretaughtinamodifiedcomputerlabenvironment.Wehad lotsofcomponentstoworkonphysicallyinthecomputerclassroom,andLabSimsupplementedour learning.Inclass,LabSim’svirtuallabsandinstructionalvideoswereusedmostoften,butthe instructoralso assignedadditionalcourseworktailoredtowardtheLabSimquizzesandexams.” –AllenLuck,Graduate andSystemsAdministrator,SantaFeCollege RepeatLabSimSectionsasNeeded “WithLabSimtraining,allstudentshavetheirownaccountandcanworkonLabSimsectionsand assignmentsattheirownpace.TheclassgenerallykeepsonthesamepacethroughtheLabSimtraining, thoughsomestudentsmaytakelongerthanotherstomastertheconcepts.Inthatcase,theycanrepeat theLabSimsectionsasmanytimesastheyneed.”–GingerRing,Teacher,SouthernHillsCareerand TechnicalCenter WorkThroughLabSimCompletely,ThenAddPhysicalComputerWork “Intheintroductorytechnologyclasses,studentsworkthroughtheentirePC ProLabSimonline labsandthensupplementtheirlearningwithphysicalcomputerlabworkandlogic.Thestudentsalso delvedeeperintoelectronics,thenaddnetworkingwithLabSim.Inthemoreadvancedclasses,theycan pickthetopicstheywanttogointosuchasCompTIA Network+. - DennisDeBroeck,Teacher,WallaWallaHigh School BuildSyllabusAroundLabSimwithSpecificAssignmentsofLabSimVideos,Labs,Exams “We’vebuiltourentiresyllabusaroundLabSimforboththeonlineandtheoncampusclasses.Each week,Iassignaspecificassignmentthatincludeswhichvideostowatch,whichonlinelabstodo,which practiceexamstotake.Asaresult,wefeelthatbetweentheLabSimmaterialsandtheonlinecourse portal,ourstudentshaveaveryrobustonlineenvironmentthatoffersacomprehensiveandintegrated onlineexperience.”–MarcusButler,Instructor,WestLACollege LabSimHandsonLabs LabSimlabsreinforceandofferpracticeoftheconceptsstudentsaretaughtintheLabSimvideosand factsheets.InstructorsrelyonthehandsonlabsinLabSimtogivestudentsreallifeexperiencesthat preparethemtoperformthesametasksonphysicalequipmentintheirfuturecareer.Students’success inLabSimlabsisanindicatoroftheirreadinessforcertification. RequireCompletionofLabSimSectionsBeforeWorkingwithPhysicalEquipment “StudentshavetocompleteLabSimmodules1–3beforetheycantouchtheschool’srealequipment.” EricIsaac,Instructor,ErwinTechnicalCenter Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them. RequireMasteryofLabSimLabsBeforeMovingOn “Studentsmustachieve100%onthelabsbeforetheymoveontothenextassignment.Whiletheywork towardsthis100%,LabSimprovidesinstantfeedbackontheirlabresultsthatpointsthemtowardsthe coursecontentforremediationonthetopic.”DennisDeBroeck,Teacher,WallaWallaHighSchool “Idon’tgivestudentsafinalgradeonalabuntilthey’vemastereditwitha100%score.Theyhavetoget the100%withinatimeframe,buttheycanrepeatitasmanytimesasnecessarytomasterthe concepts.”–CharlesThompson,Teacher,MiddleburgHighSchool CompleteTwotoFourLabsperWeek “Studentscomplete2–4handsonlabsperweek.Iftheyfeelliketheyneedtoredoalabmultipletimes tounderstandit,theycanwhenevertheywant.”–KellyAdamsWard,Instructor,DeVryUniversity Don’tRushThroughLabs “Itisn’tinstudents’bestinteresttorushthroughthecourses.Theyactuallyhavetoworkthroughthe labssotheyreallyknowwhatthey’redoing.”–KimberlyConley,ChiefInformationOfficerandInstructor, HendersonCommunityCollege VideosandStudyGuides LabSimvideosofferexpertinstructionanddemonstrationsandcanbeviewedbystudentsasmanytimes astheyneed—athomewhenclasstimeisover—togaincompleteunderstanding.Visualpresentationof thematerialhelpsmanystudentsgainunderstandingthattheystruggletofindthroughreadingalone. WatchVideos,StudyFactSheets,TietheLabstotheReading “ThestudentswatchtheLabSimvideos,printoutandreadtheLabSimfactsheets,andtiethe activities—thehandsonlabs—tothereading.”–CharlesThompson,Teacher,MiddleburgHighSchool UseFactSheetstoStudyforFinalExam “IusedthefactsheetsandnotesbecauseIfoundinformationtherethatIhadoverlooked,andittold mewhatsectiontheinformationwascoveredin.ItremindedmewhatIwentover—arefresherthat helpedmestudyforthefinalpracticeexam.”–AllenLuck,GraduateandSystemsAdministrator,Santa FeCollege UseFactSheetstoStudyforCertificationExam “Whenstudentshavedemonstratedtheirproficiency,Iordercertificationexamvouchersforthem.I havestudentsinmyclassroomeveryThursdayafterschool,preparingforthecertificationexamthe nextday.Weleaveat7:00AM,takeournotebooksfullofLabSimfactsheets,andstudytogetheruntil testtime.”–CharlesThompson,Teacher,MiddleburgHighSchool Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them. QuizzesandExams EachLabSimcourseincludessectionquizzes,unitexams,andafinalexam.Someinstructorsrecorda gradeonstudents’quizscores,andothersassignquizzesforstudentstoevaluatetheirownprogress. ManyinstructorsusetheLabSimexamsastheircourseexams,whileothersincorporateLabSimexam questionsintotheexamstheywritethemselves. ImplementLabSimExamQuestionsIntoYourFinalExam “IhaveimplementedtheLabSimexamquestionsintomyfinalexams.MystudentsmayviewtheLabSim videos,dothelabs,andretakethepracticeexamsasmanytimesastheyneedinordertopreparefor thefinal,andtheymayretakethefinalasmanytimesastheyneedtogetthegradetheywant.Before usingLabSim,studentswouldtakemyfinaloverandoveragainandnotgetbetter.WithLabSim,they getthematerial.”–WilliamSchlick,Professor,SchoolcraftCollege UseLabSimUnitExamQuestionstoPrepareforLabSimFinalExam “IusedthepracticeexamsattheendofeachsectioninLabSimtoprepareforthefinalLabSimexam.” –AllenLuck,GraduateandSystemsAdministrator,SantaFeCollege TextbookorNot WhilemostinstructorsagreethatLabSimisacompletecourseonitsown,someinstructorsstillliketo provideanadditionaltextbooktosupplementthelearninginLabSim. TextbookUnnecessary “Inthepast,IusedstandardtextbookstosupplementLabSimtraininginmyclasses.Ifoundthebooks completelyunnecessarybecauseLabSimistotallyselfsupporting.”–WilliamSchlick,Professor, SchoolcraftCollege PrintLabSimStudyGuidesorReadThemOnline “Studentsdon’tneedatextbookbecauseLabSimincludesstudyguides.Studentscanprintthemor studythemonline.Mycourseisstructuredaroundhandsonexperience.”–EricIsaac,Instructor,Erwin TechnicalCenter LabSimNotOutofDate “IuseLabSiminsteadofatextbecauseLabSimdoesn’tgooutofdateasquickly.”–CharlesThompson, Teacher,MiddleburgHighSchool Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them. OneLabSimAssignmentwithOneTextbookChapterWeekly “MyonlinestudentsdooneLabSimassignmenteachweek,aswellasreadachapteraweekina textbook.It’sarigorousschedule,andmystudentsdoalotofwork.”–RobertAlbano,Instructor, WestchesterCommunityCollege FirstReadinText,ThenWorkinLabSimonSameSubject “Ifwe’rereadingaboutprocessorsinthetextbook,IassignthesectioninLabSimaboutprocessorsas well.ThenthestudentsputontheirheadphonesandworkinLabSimontheirown.”–GingerRing, Teacher,SouthernHillsCareerandTechnicalCenter LearningStyles Studentslearnindifferentways,sothedifferentteachingmethodsinLabSim—videos,studyguides, handsonlabs,quizzes,andexams—areusefultoreinforceeverythingthatistaught.Useallcomponents ofLabSimforgreatestsuccess. MeetStudents’DifferentLearningNeedswithLabSim’sDifferentTeachingMethods “ThebeautyofLabSimisthatitlendsitselfinmanydifferentwaystomeetstudents’needsbecausenot everyonelearnsthesameway.Somestudentsstrugglelearningfromwrittenmaterialsbutspendhours withthevideos,soItellthemtousethewrittenlessonsinconjunctionwiththevideos.Orifthey’reina labandgetsnagged,usethewrittenexplanationtogetthroughit.”–WilliamSchlick,Professor, SchoolcraftCollege ReinforceLearningfromTextswithLabSimVideos,Labs “Somelearnbetterlisteningtoaudio;somelikemorehandsonlearningormorevariety.LabSimhelps addressthat.Mystudentsdon’tliketoread—acrosstheboard—sothedifferentteachingmethodsin LabSimreinforcewhatIrequirethestudentstoreadinatextbook.”–GingerRing,Teacher,Southern HillsCareerandTechnicalCenter ClassTime ManyinstructorsassignLabSimsections,videos,orhandsonlabsduringclasstime,andmostuse LabSiminconjunctionwiththeirownlecturesanddemonstrations. DemonstrateonPhysicalEquipment,FollowUpwithLabSimAssignments “IsimulatewhatIcanintheclassroomforrealworldpractice.Forexample,Imayteachaboutpower suppliesanddemonstratedifferentconnectorsandhookingupmachines.I’llturnthemachinesonand showthetestequipment,thenassignthesectionsinLabSimthatcoverthesamething.”–Charles Thompson,teacher,MiddleburgHighSchool Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them. OfferWeeklyBreakoutSessionstoReinforceLessonsLearnedinLabSim “NJCCoffersanopenclassschedulewithgeneroushoursMondaythroughSaturday,andinstructor oversightandassistanceisavailabletostudentsduringallschoolhours.Themajorityofstudentsspend anaverageof20hourseachweekworkingontheircourses.Eachcourseincludesweeklybreakout sessionswheretheinstructorreinforcesthelessonslearnedthroughtheLabSimonlinelabs.”–Carol Chapman,Director,NewJerseyCareerCenter ConnectPersonallywithStudentsbyCreatingYourOwnLectures “IcreatemyownPowerPointpresentationstoincorporatemypersonalityintothecourseandconnect morepersonallywiththestudents.”–WilliamSchlick,Professor,SchoolcraftCollege Homework BecausestudentscanaccesstheirLabSimcourseatschoolandathome,LabSimsectionscanbeassigned ashomework.Or,instructorsincorporateLabSimintootherhomeworkassignmentsorcreatecompletely differenthomeworkassignments. WeeklyHomeworkAssignmentIncludesReading,LabSimTraining,Research,andWriting “Igiveaweeklyassignmentthathasthreesections:Procedure,Reflection,andResearch.Inthe Proceduresection,instructionstellthestudentsexactlywhatsectionsofLabSimtocomplete—videos, demonstrations,andlabsimulations.IntheReflectionsection,studentsarticulatewhattheylearned fromtheLabSimcomponents.Lastly,intheResearchsection,studentschooseanytopiccoveredinthe LabSimsections,researchthesubjectonline,andwriteashortsummaryoftheirfindings.When studentscompletetheassignment,theyuploadittoBlackboard.”–RobertAlbano,Instructor, WestchesterCommunityCollege Reporting TheLabSimadministrativebackendhelpsstudentsmonitortheirownprogress,andinstructorscanview thesamereports,generatedautomaticallyeverytimeastudentworksinthecourse. UseTrackingtoKnowWhenOneonOneHelpIsNeeded “LabSimkeepstrackofhowstudentsaredoinginthelabsandwhatotherfeaturesthey’veused,soIcan givemoreoneononehelpwhenstudentsneedit.”–KellyAdamsWard,Instructor,DeVryUniversity “LabSimreallygivesusalloftheinformationweneedtoknowabouteverystudenttoevaluatewhether they’rereally‘gettingit,’andhowproductivetheyarebeingduringtheirclasstime,whilemonitoring thepaceatwhichstudentsaremovingalong.Itwouldbenearlyimpossibletotrackstudentprogressso closelywithouttheadministrativetoolsLabSimprovides.”–CarolChapman,Director,NewJerseyCareer Center Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them. UseTrackingtoEliminateSubjectivityinGrading “LabSim’sbuiltinreportingalsocameinhandyoncewhenaparentcontactedme,angryabouther son’sgrade.TheprintoutfromLabSimreportingsavedme!Ishowedherexactlywhatworkhehaddone andwhathisscoreshadbeen.BecauseLabSimkeepsrecordsasyougo,there’snosubjectivityinmy grading.”–BrianBurch,Teacher,RichmondSeniorHighSchool KnowHowMuchTimeYourStudentsSpendinLabSim “Irequiremystudentstoworkthroughtheentiremodule—theonlinelabs,quizzes,andthe supplementalinstructionalvideos,andLabSimenablesmetotrack,evaluate,andscoreeverylab exerciseandscenario.Fora3credithourclass,studentsspendapproximately45hoursintheLabSim software.”–KimberlyConley,ChiefInformationOfficerandInstructor,HendersonCommunityCollege Certification LabSimtrainingcoursesaredesignedtoteachcriticalITskillsaswellastopreparestudentstopass certificationexams.ITcertificationswillhelpstudentsfindemploymentandadvancetheircareersafter schoolingisover.Findingwaystoencourageyourstudentstocertifywillbeagreatservicetothem. RequireCertificationforPassingGrade “GettingCompTIA A+certifiedisworth60%ofstudents’grade.Iftheydon’tcertify,theyfail thecourse.” –Eric Isaac,Instructor,ErwinTechnicalCenter UseSchoolFundstoPurchaseExamVouchersforStudents “AssoonasstudentsdemonstratetheirreadinessforcertificationbycompletingallLabSimactivities andquizzesandthenscoringatleast90%ontheLabSimpracticeexamontwoconsecutiveattempts, theschoolpurchasesexamvouchersforthem.”–CharlesThompson,Teacher,MiddleburgHighSchool OffertoCountCertifyinginPlaceofTakingaFinal “Myinstructordidn’trequirestudentstogetcertifiedatthecourse’scompletion,butheofferedto countthecertificationexamasthestudents’final.Inthatcase,whynotcertify?”–AllenLuck,Graduate andSystemsAdministrator,SantaFeCollege LetCertifiedStudentsSetanExample “Ihadastudent—asenior—finallytaketheplungethisyearandcertifyinCompTIA's A+.He’sjustlike alltheotherkids,butsincehecertified,everyonelooksuptohim,andhehasencouragedothersto certify.Ithas becomeaninhousecompetition.Thestudentsdrilleachotherandhelpeachother.” –Charles Thompson,Teacher,MiddleburgHighSchool Copyright © 2015 TestOut Corporation. CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and related trademarks and trade names are the trademarks of CompTIA. Microsoft, MCITP, MSCA, MCTS, and Windows are the trademarks of Microsoft. Cisco and CCNA are the trademarks of Cisco. (ISC)2 and SSCP are the trademarks of (ISC)2. TestOut has no affiliation with any of these companies and the products and services advertised herein are not endorsed by any of them.