During my time at Oregon State University, one of the most beneficial classes I took was Data Analyses Using Excel with Carla Mandell. The class was extremely hands-on and focused on actually practicing Excel skills rather than only listening to lectures. We used an interactive program that guided us step-by-step through assignments while still allowing us to work at our own pace. This made the learning process feel much more engaging and less overwhelming. The course was also directly connected to skills I will need in construction management, which increased my motivation to learn and apply the material. Professor Mandell and her TA’s were also very supportive and helped students navigate shortcuts, formulas, and differences between Microsoft and Apple platforms, which made the environment feel approachable and effective.
On the other hand, I took a very similar Excel class during my freshman year at Linn-Benton Community College that I did not find beneficial in the slightest. Although the class covered important material nearly identical to the one above, the structure and delivery made learning much more difficult. The professor mainly lectured rather than walking students through the material interactively, and there was very little connection with students. Since I used an Apple computer, it was frustrating that most demonstrations and instructions only applied to Microsoft platforms only and I was left to google my way out of problems I ran into. The remote assignments were also much more difficult than what we practiced in class, and the directions often felt unclear or incomplete. Instead of building confidence, the course made Excel feel intimidating and stressful.
Based on this comparison, I think training effectiveness depends heavily on engagement, support, and practical application. Research on training and development shows that learners are more successful when training is relevant to their goals, provides opportunities for practice, and includes clear feedback and instructor support. The Oregon State class created a positive learning environment where students felt comfortable asking questions and practicing skills repeatedly. In contrast, the lack of clarity and connection in the other class negatively affected motivation and learning outcomes and reduced morale overall. Even though both courses taught the same general subject, the teaching style and learning environment made a huge difference in how effective the training was for me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
During my time at Oregon State University, one of the most beneficial classes I took was Data Analyses Using Excel with Carla Mandell. The class was extremely hands-on and focused on actually practicing Excel skills rather than only listening to lectures. We used an interactive program that guided us step-by-step through assignments while still allowing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13\/revisions\/14"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/marleyholborow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}