Catalog Course Description This course provides students with hands-on practical experience in installing computer software, operating systems, and troubleshooting.
Prerequisite Basic computer skills (CIS 130 or equivalent background). You should be familiar with fundamental computer concepts such as accessing the Internet, opening files, saving files to a specific storage device or folder, and printing the contents of a file.
Textbook You are advised to bring your textbook to each class meeting, as your instructor may refer to material in the textbook during lectures.
CompTIA A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining, and Troubleshooting, sixth edition, by Jean Andrews. Bundled with LabConnection Online Printed Access Card for A+ Guide to Software, sixth edition. ISBN-10: 1-2859-3722-8; ISBN-13: 978-1-2859-3722-9. Note: earlier editions of the textbook are not compatible with the course; only the sixth edition covers CompTIA's A+ 2012 examinations.
This textbook may be available in different bindings and / or with different ISBNs. Please consult with your instructor should you wish to buy such a variation on the textbook.
Software Students enrolled in CIS courses at Jefferson State may obtain various Microsoft software free-of-charge through the MSDN Academic Alliance; be looking for an e-mail message in your Pipeline account with your login information. Among the software titles provided are Virtual PC and recent versions of Windows, enabling you to create virtual machines with which to practice the troubleshooting techniques covered in the textbook.
The LabConnection Web site requires a Web browser capable of displaying pages with Flash content.
Course Content In this course students will become familiar with using, installing, and troubleshooting various aspects of the Windows operating system, applications, networks, security, and mobile devices. The majority of class time will be dedicated to lectures on the course material; any remaining time at the end of a lecture will be available for work on laboratory assignments designed to reinforce the material for that chapter.
Quizzes For each chapter, you will complete a quiz on Blackboard consisting of fifteen questions that range from using correct terminology to applying software support techniques to solve specific problems. These quizzes will be timed; you must submit your responses within a certain time of starting the quiz. There are no opportunities to make up missed quizzes.
LabConnection Assignments The LabConnection Web site contains at least one laboratory assignment for each chapter. These assignments present a virtual environment that will walk you through the process of installing, configuring, or troubleshooting some aspect of software. At the end of each exercise, you will be presented with a series of questions based on the task you completed. Your performance of the task and your answers to the questions will be equally weighted in your score on each assignment; in your overall grade for the semester, each score will be scaled to ten points. You have up to three attempts on each laboratory assignment; the Web site will keep your highest score.
The class code for this section of CIS 268 is 268-15373. You will not be able to access these assignments without purchasing a LabConnection code, either bundled with the textbook or by itself.
No late assignment submissions are accepted; however, there are six extra laboratory assignments that will allow you to recover points missed on earlier assignments.
Examinations After roughly every three to four chapters, you will be given an examination that tests your knowledge of software support vocabulary as well as your ability to apply troubleshooting techniques to specific problems. The questions on these examinations will be similar to those from the quizzes, but their contents may not be identical.
In the event of an excused absence, you may make up one exam provided that the make-up occurs within one week of the scheduled exam date. If logistics prevent the scheduling of a make-up within one week, your instructor may choose to substitute your final exam grade in place of that exam grade. If you miss more than one examination, you must contact your instructor to determine if, and how, you will be able to recover the points for the other missed examination(s).
Grades Refer to the following table for the contribution of each course item to your grade.
| Item | Number / Points | Total Pts. |
|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 10 @ 15 pts. each | 150 |
| Labs | 31 @ 10 pts. each (6 bonus) | 250 |
| Exams | 2 @ 180 pts. each (3 chapters) | 360 |
| Final Exam | 240 points (4 chapters) | 240 |
| Total Points | 1000 | |
Grade Availability Quiz scores are available immediately upon completion. Assignment grades should be available immediately in the LabConnection Web site but are only periodically migrated to Blackboard. Examination scores are available at the deadline to complete each examination. If you have completed a quiz, assignment, or examination for which the grade should be visible, but the grade appears blank in the My Grades tool or on the LabConnection Web site, contact your instructor immediately; do not wait until the end of the semester.