If by "all that other classroom instruction" you include safety stuff like what to do if you run out of air or your BCD starts self-inflating, then Yes, you definitely need to know it. I should point out that since you last had that material some best-practices have changed.I should have mentioned this in my initial post, I'm definitely planning on getting my own computer. So I guess the edited question is, if I have a computer and know how to use it, is there any reason why I need to know / remember all that other classroom instruction?