First Day of Class in My ITCC112 - Advanced Technology and Project Management

I began my studies at University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) Obrero Branch as a Master of Information Technology student on August 31, 2024, a Saturday. I was both nervous and happy on the first day of school as I walked into my ITCC112 Advanced Technology and Project Management course. It brought me back of my memories during college undergraduate years, after working for a few years in the company. except from being aware that this was a completely different kind of learning experience.

We started the session a little bit later than planned because the graduate students' orientation delaying our class schedule.

Introducing one by one to the facilitator and classmates was the first part of the class. We were requested to provide a brief introduction that included our names, degrees, ages, the schools from which we had graduated, and our current jobs. It was on that part that I have known an information about my classmates’ professions and experiences, either employed by IT companies or in the teaching field. The introductions were fascinating because of their range of experiences and relationship to technology. I began to think about my own profession after learning about their occupations and different career choices.

When it is my turn to walk, I introduced myself, excited to be a part of a class filled with professionals who share common passion to become a better IT professional. I realized how comforting it is that we all share the objectives of improving our knowledge and abilities, regardless of whether we were using them in IT profession, IT companies or as a teacher for an institution.

Our facilitator gave a few more introductions before getting things going. He gave a brief history and made his introduction. We were all immediately at ease about the knowledge he would be sharing with us on project management because of his extensive experience in this subject and his years of experience as a facilitator. He also gives us a reminder that this is a graduate school where knowledge and information are not spoon-fed but researching and working hard.

Next, our facilitator inquired about our past experiences and knowledge about project management. While some of my classmates were more knowledgeable with the fundamentals, others have led IT projects in the past. I also provided my little experience, which was primarily gained from project assistance in past roles during in my college years and during in my work.

After the orientation was over, we headed to our classroom and officially started the class. Despite the late start, everyone was still excited and ready to learn, and the atmosphere was positive and enthusiastic.

As part of instructor’s teaching plan, he introduced the school’s VMG. The university's mission, vision, and goals were covered in brief by the facilitator because we had already learned about it in detailed them during our orientation. I felt happy to be a part of this campus when our facilitator emphasized USeP's goal to become a premier research institution not just in the Philippines but internationally. After learning that we are pushing for innovation and producing graduates who are globally competitive, I felt driven to perform well in the program.

We then discussed about the schedule of our class. Our face-to-face meetings would take place every Saturday from 10 AM to 12 PM, according to our facilitator but we will be conducting online class on the latter part of the semester since it was for the consultation and making the project. He also made a joke about wanting to see our "handsome faces" each week, so in this reason, we are going to meet weekly.

This class schedule of the course was so great because it provided us with a regular schedule. We would be able to participate in discussions and fully engage with the lessons if we met in person once a week, which is always more beneficial in my way of learning.

Our facilitator gave a brief introduction to the subject, ITCC112 - Advanced Technology and Project Management. He highlighted that this course would focus more on research and case studies rather than a regular classroom where information is spoon-fed. This approach encouraged us to be more independent in our learning, diving deeper into real-world problems and developing our critical thinking skills.

His emphasis on research about the industry we are working made me realize that we would be challenged to explore and apply what we learned in practical, real-world contexts, which got me excited for the unique learning experience ahead.

The facilitator gave us an overview of the final project we would be working on this semester towards the end of the class. Based on what I understood of the project, it would include creating appropriate project management plans for each of our industries we are working and documenting them. In my situation, I would be concentrating on my line of work and using project management concepts to enhance procedures and results.

We would also be expected to regularly blog about our progress. This blogging component would act as a means of keeping track of our achievements and provide a reflective area for tracking the implementation of project management practices and their effect on the output. The project was both interesting and demanding because of its practical, hands-on approach, which integrated documentation, research, and practical implementation.

What I came to realize on my first day of ITCC112, I've come to understand that this course is about applying information in practical applications rather than only listening to my college instructors and professors. I was forced to think outside the box by the facilitator's emphasis on independent learning, case studies, and research. The idea of recording my field of work and applying project management techniques to enhance it seems appropriate and helpful, and the blogging aspect offers a fun method to monitor and evaluate my development.

My attitude toward studying has already changed as a result of this course; I no longer expect to be spoon-fed knowledge. I'm looking forward for the upcoming weeks because I know that this experience will broaden my knowledge and help me develop into an effective project manager. It's obvious that this is the beginning of an exciting and demanding adventure that will influence my career in the IT industry.

 1

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2nd Day of Class - Reflection