To provide an opportunity for students to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to service microcomputer hardware and supported peripherals, build a computer from parts, and prepare for a successful result on the CompTIA A+ PC Hardware exam.

Upon conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

Follows and builds on Intro to PC Hardware. Course also deals with software considerations such as BIOS and Operating systems necessary to understand how PC’s work with a tie-in to the A+ certification.

Students are expected to be present and punctual for all scheduled classes and labs.

The student is responsible for understanding the procedure for dropping a class. If you fail to attend classes but do not follow the procedure for dropping the class, you may receive a failing grade. (Classes can be dropped until April 13). If you wish to withdraw from the college (i.e., drop all your classes), that date is May 4. Failure to properly withdraw from classes can have a detrimental effect on your grade point average and your future educational goals.

Grading Rationale:

In this class, students will be evaluated according to performance in the following categories:

The breakout for grades is as follows:

Grade achievement levels are as follows:

Grade Range

A > 94% A- >90% B+ > 87% B > 84%
B- > 80% C+ > 77% C > 74% C- > 70%
D+ > 67% D > 64% D- > 60% F 0-59%

Class schedule by week

Pagers and cell phones will be turned off or set to vibrate mode during class. Please show courtesy to the class by restricting conversation to in-class topics, and raise your hand to gain attention when asking a question or raising a point of discussion.

The college experience is founded on the concepts of honesty and integrity. Dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college are regarded as particularly serious offenses. Cases of dishonesty will be handled by levying certain penalties. However, in flagrant cases, the penalty may be dismissal from the college after proper due process proceedings.

Be sure to include your name and the course name and section on all work to be turned in.

All assignments are to be turned in on the due date. Late work may be accepted at the instructor’s discretion.

Communication skills, both oral and written, are a widely recognized issue in the field of information technology. Many proficient technicians have limited skills in communicating with coworkers and end users. Our goal is to address these issues by having each student provide a written research paper, and an oral presentation in class. See the attached document, "Guidelines for Papers and Presentations" for topic ideas and general format rules.

Guidelines for Papers and Presentations

Papers

Success in your career will depend greatly on your written and oral communication skills. Our school recognizes the need for students to develop proficiency in these skills, and requires all students to submit a research paper and provide an oral presentation in each class in this department.

See the list of suggested topics below. You will base your presentation on your research paper topic.

All works and illustrations used in your paper must be cited; this means crediting the source where you found the information you used to support your work. If you fail to give credit for copyrighted information you present as your own work, that constitutes plagiarism, and will be penalized by a zero for the project.

Presentations

Length 10 to 15 minutes. Rehearse and time your presentation
Visual Aids Use of slideshows and the whiteboard are strongly encouraged
Handouts Acceptable if of lasting value –create something students can use later

You took care of these in your paper. List your sources in your presentation, or offer to share them with the class.

When you have finished your presentation, remember to ask the courtesy question: "Are there any questions?"