Course Syllabus: CompTIA A+

Transcription

1 Course Syllabus: CompTIA A+ Instructor: Shawn Decker Phone: Office: (740) Course Material: Supplemental Material Course #: Hours: TestOut PC Pro 5.1 -CompTIA A+ Certification Exams and TestOut online resources - (an access key will be provided to you) you will do labs and other exercises using this online resource. CompTIA Certifications: NT8500B 85 hours (80 classroom, 5 testing) Meeting Days & Times: Tuesday & Thursday 5:30pm 9:30pm Location Room 1007 Course Prerequisites WorkKeys pretesting High School Diploma or GED Course Materials Notebook and pen for note taking Personal Laptop (optional) Course Description Explore a broad range of hardware and software technologies to prepare for an entry-level computer service technician position. First, learn computer technology, networking, security, and customer service. The second part of the class focuses on practical application and gives the student tools and troubleshooting techniques. The goal of the class is to provide the training that will result in the participants receiving the knowledge and skills needed to pass the CompTIA A+ Essentials test and IT Technician test (Exams and )

2 Course Objectives The course objectives include: Preparing students for post-program success, both in the work force and in their educational pursuits. Preparing students to process information using higher order thinking skills and to engage in sound decision-making. Providing a rich learning environment utilizing research-based methods of instruction, stateof-the-art technology, and current resources and materials. Maintaining high expectations for all students regardless of educational needs and providing support necessary for achievement. Providing a challenging, worthwhile curriculum based on current industry/academic expectations. Specifically and upon successful completion of the course CompTIA A+ Certification, the students will be able to: o Understand the different personal computer components o Understand laptop and portable devices o Demonstrate an understanding of the various functions of an operating systems o Fix and maintain printers and scanners o Network computers with each other o Establish security guidelines in computing o Identify and describe the safety and environmental issues in IT o Demonstrate strong communication and professionalism Grading Evaluation of student performance is based upon pupil performance objectives relating to course competencies study. The number of competencies mastered and the degree of mastery is translated into appropriate grades consistent with the C-TEC Board of Education policy on grading guidelines, practices, and procedures. In the process of evaluation, instructors obtain several grades for each student within the time frame of the program/course. These grades may include, but are not limited to, performance on tests, quizzes, homework, assignments, special research projects, classroom participation, lab competency mastery and/or improvement and the demonstration of positive employability traits. Projects This course will use hardware, software, and library projects which are designed to give you an opportunity to apply what you are learning and to research particular aspects of networks and networking more deeply than class time alone would allow. 2

3 Getting Help If you have questions or need to have something explained there are lots of ways to get help. Here are some options, in no particular order: Stop by and see Program Coordinator Send your question via to Program Coordinator or course instructor Quizzes and Exams There will be quiz at the end of each chapter for this class and a Final Exam. Students passing the CompTIA A+ Certification Exam within 1 week of the course ending date will receive a grade of 100% on the final exam. Participation/Attendance It is expected each student to participate in class discussion and to engage your fellow students along with the instructor in the activity of learning. Among other things this means that each student will have completed any reading, exercises, projects, etc. that are due. Additional means of measurement is the component of taking attendance at the start of class. Assignments will be turned-in at the start of class on the day they are due. Acceptance any assignment (exercise or project) for partial credit up to one week after the due date. They will be marked down according to how late they are but they will always count for credit. One week or more after the due date for any particular assignment I will not accept it any longer for credit. I am happy to correct work that is older than one week but you won't receive any credit for it. The breakdown for how your grade will be determined is as follows: Quizzes % Projects/Labs % Homework Assignments % Participation/Attendance % Final Exam/Certification % Students must maintain a 70% GPA. Final grades will be assigned based upon the student's accumulated points. Letter grades will be assigned using the following scale: Grading Scale % - A 80-89% - B 70-79% - C 60-69% - D 59% or below F Credentialing CompTIA A+ Essentials Test and IT Technician Test ( and ). CompTIA Website 3

4 Course Policies Disruptive Behavior Disruptive behavior of any type is NOT permitted and may result in dismissal from the program. Sleeping during class, tardiness to class, excessive talking during class, use of cell phones in class, inappropriate Internet usage, and disrespectful behavior are examples of disruptive behavior. Plagiarism Submitting plagiarized work for an academic requirement is considered academic misconduct. Plagiarism is the representation of another s work or ideas as one s own; it includes the unacknowledged word-for-word use and/or paraphrasing of another person s work, and/or inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person s ideas. Diversity - It is the responsibility of the instructor and the students to foster and maintain a harmonious, non-threatening and non-discriminating environment in the classroom. Therefore, all individuals are to be respected as equal and contributing partners of our society. Attendance: Must maintain at least 90% rate of attendance. You are required to attend all classes. However, you may miss up to 2 classes and still pass the course. Any other absences must be approved by the program supervisor. 4

5 CompTIA A+: Course Sequence This course prepares students for the PC Pro exam and CompTIA s Exam and Exam Module 1 Computing Overview This module introduces the students to the PC Pro and the basic skills a student should have before taking this course, and the content of the PC Pro course. Students will learn how to use the simulator to complete the lab exercises. This module also provides an overview of the basic elements and functions of computer hardware and operating systems. Module 2 PC Technician This module examines the roles of the PC technician: protection and safety of users and computers, acting in a professional manner, maintaining computer systems, troubleshooting systems, and utilizing Windows tools and utilities to view configuration information and manage computers. Module 3 System Components In this module students will learn concepts about the components that make up computer systems. Students will explore the basics of cases, form factors, power supplies, motherboards, PC expansion buses, processors, memory, BIOS, video, and cooling devices. Module 4 Peripheral Devices This module teaches the students about the following peripheral devices: IO interfaces, USB devices, IEEE 1394-based products, display devices, and sound devices. Students will also receive guidelines for installing devices. Module 5 Storage This module discusses concepts about the storage of digital data. Students will become familiar with storage devices, storage device interfaces, optical media, and file systems. They will also learn details about managing files, using RAID arrays, and optimizing hard disk performance. Module 6 Networking This module examines the fundamentals of networking. Student will learn of the components that make up a network. They will learn about network addressing, networking media (cabling), IP configuration settings, wireless networks, Infrared (IrDA) and Bluetooth. Module 7 Printing In this module students will learn concepts about selecting, installing, configuring, and managing printers. They will learn about different types of printers, printer languages, and the components that make up network printing. Module 8 Mobile Devices This module discusses portable computing devices. Topics covered include classifications for portable devices, components in a notebook system, PC cards, batteries, and power management. 5

6 Module 9 Windows System Management This module discusses basic concepts of system management which include installing and managing applications, updating Windows and non-microsoft software, protecting a system through backups, managing virtual memory, handling system errors, and providing system recovery for a system that does not work properly. Module 10 System Implementation This module discusses the elements of pre-installation, installation, and post installation of the Windows Operating Systems. Module 11 File Management This module examines the location of system files, file extensions and file attributes, and the commands to manage files. Students will also learn how to configure NTFS permissions, change file ownership, share a file, and work with offline files. Module 12 Security In this module students will learn the basics of securing a computer system. Concepts covered include; protecting against malware and social engineering attacks, authenticating to validate a user, configuring BIOS security, utilizing encryption technologies, physically securing computer systems, and employing firewalls. Module 13 Troubleshooting This module discusses troubleshooting of hardware devices, operating systems, networks, notebooks, and printer devices. Module 14 Capstone Exercises This module contains 2 exercises that allow the students to practice all the skills they have acquired during this course. Practice Exams In Practice Exams students will have the opportunity to test themselves and verify that they understand the concepts and are ready to take the certification exam. The practice exams are divided into three separate areas and will contain examples of the types of questions that a student will find on the actual exam: PC Pro Certification Practice Exams CompTIA Practice Exams CompTIA Practice Exams 6