Policy Report – IT Living Lab

The Living Lab serves the students by giving them opportunities to have hands on experience in networking, security, and many other CIT departments. Every year new students gets to know about the work that the Living Lab provides. It is important to acknowledge them about policies and the procedures in the lab while they use the computer systems. There are many new policies that needs to be created as the changes in the computer lab are constantly happening. It can be on the updates, workstations, unwanted software, room access by card swipe, or monitoring the traffic on the computer by checking the network. Having The Living Lab’s own administrator level users will provide much easier detail to the staff, teachers, TA’s and be helpful for the students too.

Project Student: Dhaval Joshi

Testimonials

The Living Lab was a great opportunity to gain different technical experience in the IT field. The projects were all challenging and simulated a real-world environment to deliver upon. Nick Barnett

Living Lab gave me a chance to experience working with real-world projects, not just books and notes like other classes. In addition, I got to learn new techniques (terminate network cables, set up switches and hubs), new software (ManageEngine EventLog Analyzer), and experience a corporate environment. Finally, Living Lab gave me a chance to work on my problem-solving skills as well as self-sufficiency, because I had to do a lot of research on my own to solve any issue that came up. Anh Pham

Before Living Lab, I had no work experience related to my IT career. I am grateful to my teachers for their support and encouragement on my projects. I experienced projects hands-on and improved my soft and technical skills. I learned how to work independently and also with a team as needed. I recommend students learn by direct practice and experience the Living Lab. It will introduce you to your prospective career! Ibrahim Issakha Doude

The Living Lab has provided a great learning environment to improve my technical skills, build my ability to work in a team, and establish my communication skills. Lindsay Hamstra

As a non-traditional student who has 25 years experience in the working world, I value Living Lab because it teaches soft skills in addition to furthering our understanding of technology. The projects we work on are computer based, but the most important lessons are work ethic, initiative, self-sufficiency, dealing with work-related frustrations, teamwork, and time management. Vicky Smith

I have definitely determined that this class could be just like a real life IT position. You never know how long a project might take, even a simple task. I’ve had some tasks take only a couple of hours, and I worked on one project for 36 hours straight. But I feel that Living Lab is helping to prepare me for what will come in the professional world. Eugene Gephart

Living Lab is a great class to gain experience that you can apply to the real world. The small class means there is more one-on-one time with the lab instructor. The Living Lab also lets you get your hands dirty with hardware and not just focus on exams and homework. I can apply what I learned in other classes to real-world scenarios. My favorite thing about Living Lab is that I can put everything that I achieve in class on my resume, which puts me ahead of the curve with potential employers. Bhaumik Yashesh Pandya

The Living Lab experience has helped me better understand my abilities and what I need to work on. I worked with others in a team and also learned to lead others when my project needed help. In a previous IT job, I did similar tasks to those in the Living Lab, and it shows just how good an experience this can be to help others be better prepared when they graduate. Justin Tanner Andrew

My time in Living Lab was really beneficial because the software we learned about is used in the real world. I learned additional skills, such as being disciplined on arrival time, trying different methods to solve problems, and asking help from peers. I really enjoyed working with Snort, and using it to solve problems will help me with future projects. I look forward to what the future holds after adding this class to my resume! Mohammed S. Iftikhar

Throughout this class, I have learned a great deal of information. It gave me an idea of how how the IT world runs and prepared us for it. Abdulrahman Jassem M. Alzaman