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Summarize the IT industry certifications and communication skills required by technicians.
Assessment Strategies
by completing the assigned lab exercise(s)
by participating in the class session
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you identify IT industry certifications
you describe the A+ Certification
you explain the relationship between communication and troubleshooting
you describe good communication skills and professional behavior
you explain ethics and legal aspects of working with computer technology
you describe level-one and level-two technician responsibilities
you describe proper professional behavior with a customer
you can describe the call center environment
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Summarize the safe lab procedures and the basics of preventative maintenance.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by participating in the class discussion
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you explain the purpose of safe working conditions and procedures
you identify safety procedures and potential hazards for users and technicians
you can identify safety procedures to protect the environment from contamination
you can identify hardware tools and their purpose
you can identify organizational tools and their purpose
you can demonstrate the proper tool use
you can explain the purpose of preventive maintenance
you can identify the steps of the troubleshooting process
you can describe the process of gathering data from the customer and computer
you can evaluate a problem and implement the solution
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Identify the main components of a PC.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you can identify the main components of a computer
you can convert a binary number to a decimal number
you can distinguish between bits and bytes
you can differentiate hexadecimal from decimal numbers
you can evaluate and select appropriate computer case styles
you can create a computer workspace and select appropriate tools
you can identify environmental and safety concerns involved in working with computers
you can formulate a troubleshooting plan
you can describe situations requiring replacement of computer components
you can describe hardware configurations for task-specific computers
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Summarize the basic electrical concepts and safety issues as they apply to the PC.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you are able to evaluate an appropriate power supply for your system and motherboard
you are able to install or replace a power supply
you are able to troubleshoot power supply problems and determine whether the problem lies with the power supply, its connections to the system, or whether the problem is external
you are able to test resistance and voltage using a multimeter
you are able to identify the form factor of a power supply
you are able to identify the different devices available for protecting power supply from over or under voltage.
you are able to calculate the amount of power needed for a system
you enter into class discussions about installing a motherboard
you offer questions or comments during class about installing a motherboard
you attend class regularly
you arrive for class on time
you listen attentively during class
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Install and summarize the various motherboard types, form factors and processor installations.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you are able to choose an appropriate motherboard for an upgrade
you are able to identify, remove and install a motherboard
you are able to upgrade a computer's BIOS to support a new functions.
you enter into class discussions about how to upgrade and troubleshoot memory
you are able to interpret BIOS error signals and messages.
you are able to identify a failing processor
you are able to determine and analyze processor specifications
you are able to safely remove and install a processor
you are able to install a cooling system for a processor
you are able to differentiate among the socket types for Intel and AMD processors
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Explain memory types and installation troubleshooting.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you are able to discuss how memory works in a computer
you are able to identify different memory form factors
you are able to discuss and compare DRAM technologies
you are able to select the appropriate memory modules for upgrading a PC
you are able to properly install memory modules
you are able to troubleshoot memory problems
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Analyze Bus types and system resources.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you are able to identify and describe the two main bus structures found in the computer
you can discuss bus architectures in terms of their performance and use
you can identify the types of system resources and how they are used
you can evaluate and compare motherboards in terms of their supported bus structures and expansion slots
you can select an expansion card compatible with a motherboard's expansion buses and slots
you are able to install an expansion card
you are able troubleshoot expansion card problems
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Summarize the components and characteristics of hard drives and how they work.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you are able to compare hard drives in terms of industry standard ratings
you are able to identify recent hard drive standards
you are able to distinguish unique installation considerations for different hard drive technologies
you are able to choose an appropriate hard drive and interface for an existing computer
you are able to install, partition, and format a hard drive
you are able to use system utilities to review the status of a hard drive
you are able to troubleshoot a faulty hard drive
you are able to describe the different types of RAID systems
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Explain popular removable storage technologies.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you are able to identify different types of optical drives
you are able to identify different types of flash memory devices
you are able to evaluate removable storage device in terms of its technology, interface, and capacity
you are able to choose an appropriate technology and device for removable storage
you are able to install an optical drive
you are able to troubleshoot a failing storage device
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Evaluate and compare current I/O interface technologies.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you are able to identify I/O ports and connectors
you are able evaluate and compare current I/O interface technologies
you are able to identify different types of I/O devices
you are able to discuss and compare technologies used by popular devices
you are able to install and configure common I/O devices
you are able to troubleshoot problems with I/O devices
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Explain the purpose and functions of an operating system.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you are able to explain the purpose of an operating system
you are able to describe characteristics of modern operating systems
you are able to explain operating system concepts
you are able to determine minimum hardware requirements and compatibility with the operating system
you are able to install the operating system using default settings
you are able to identify the boot sequence files and registry files
you are able to describe how to manipulate operating system files
you are able to compare and contrast a default installation and a custom installation
you are able to create, view, and manage disks, directories, and files
you are able to identify procedures and utilities used to optimize the performance of operating systems
you are able to describe preventive maintenance procedures for operating systems
you are able to troubleshoot operating systems
you are able to explain client-side virtualization
you are able to explore common tools and applets of the Windows GUI
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Evaluate and compare different types of portable systems.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you will be to identify and describe laptop components
you will be able to evaluate and compare different types of portable systems
you will be a able to maintain and manage a laptop
you will be able to upgrade a laptop's hard drive or memory
you will be able to describe laptop display components
you can describe how to configure laptop power settings
you can identify common preventive maintenance techniques for laptops and portable devices
you can describe wireless communication methods for laptops and portable devices
you can describe how to troubleshoot a laptop
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Identify different printers and their key components and functions.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignments
Criteria
you can identify different printers and their key components
you can install and configure a printer
you can clean and maintain a printer
you can identify the processes of printing in laser printers
you can share a printer in the operating system
you can connect to a network printer
you can describe how to install and update the device driver
you can describe printer to computer interfaces
you can identify and apply common preventive maintenance techniques for printers and scanners
you can troubleshoot printers
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Evaluate and compare types of networks, protocols, network transmission media and hardware.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignment(s)
Criteria
you can evaluate and compare types of network protocols, topologies, and architectures
you can identify different types of transmission media
you can configure a computer for a connection to a network or the internet
you can evaluate network connectivity devices
you can explain the principles of networking
you can explain peer-to-peer networks
you can explain client/server networks
you can describe basic networking concepts and technologies
you can explain bandwidth and data transmission
you can describe IP addressing
you can describe DHCP
you can describe the physical components of a network
you can identify Ethernet standards
you can define the OSI and TCP/IP models
you can define VoIP, and power line technologies
you can define current broadband technologies
you can do basic troubleshooting of a network
you are able to connect a computer to a wired network and a wireless network
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Evaluate security threats and techniques for security.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignment(s)
Criteria
you can explain why security is important
you can describe security threats
you can define viruses, worms, and Trojans
you can define adware, spyware, and grayware
you can identify security procedures
you can explain what is required in a basic local security policy
you can explain web security, denial of service, social engineering, TCP/IP attacks
you can explain data wiping, hard drive destruction and recycling
you can outline security requirements based on customer needs
you can describe and compare firewall types
you can describe protection against malicious software
you can explain data backup procedures, access to backups, and secure physical backup media
you can identify common problems and solutions
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Disassemble and assemble a computer using best practice procedures.
Assessment Strategies
by completing lab exercise(s)
by attaining a 70% or better on unit test
by participating in class discussion
by completing out of class assignment(s)
Criteria
you can explain safe lab procedures and tool use
you are able to remove all the components from inside a computer case
you are able to install all the components into a computer using best practices
you are able to install and attach external components of the computer using best practices
you are able to boot the computer and verify a successful boot
you enter into class discussions about approaches to troubleshooting problem