This honors dual credit course provides students with a hands-on introduction to operating systems and related concepts. Includes hardware, software, file systems, directory structures, files and attributes, text editors, applications, and maintenance. Compares and contrasts GUI and command line interfaces in a variety of current operating systems. Students successfully completing this course will have the opportunity to sit for COMPTIA’s IT Fundamentals exam. Students will need to earn a 650 out of 900 possible to earn a passing score.

To be enrolled in this dual credit course, students must meet dual credit prerequisites and complete dual credit requirements. Upon successful completion of this dual credit course, student may receive college/university credit for NET 105 Course at Harper College.

This honors course provides students with experience installing, configuring, upgrading, diagnosing, troubleshooting, and networking recent and current personal computer operating systems. Students will install/troubleshoot Windows 10 as well as Ubuntu, MacOS, Apple iOS and Android OS systems. Student’s’ successfully completing this course will have the opportunity to sit for the first of two exams for CompTIA’s A+ certification.

To be enrolled in this dual credit course, students must meet dual credit course prerequisites and complete dual credit requirements. Upon successful completions of this dual credit course, students may receive college/university credit for NET 112 Course at Harper College. Prerequisite: Course #60740

This honors course provides students with experience installing, configuring, maintaining, upgrading, diagnosing, troubleshooting, and networking recent and current personal computer hardware. In addition, students will work with Home Routers and Wireless Access Points. Students successfully completing this course will have the opportunity to sit for the one of two exams required for CompTIA A+ certification.  Students who expect to move into Technology related fields, as well as those who just want to know how computers work will benefit from this course. 

To be enrolled in this dual credit course, students must meet dual credit course prerequisites and complete dual credit requirements. Upon successful completions of this dual credit course, students may receive college/university credit for NET 111 Course at Harper College. Prerequisite: Course #60740

Provides students with a comprehensive introduction to local area networks. Includes the OSI model, media, topologies, protocols, network maintenance, upgrades, troubleshooting and current network operating systems. Students will work with the Cisco Introduction to Networking and Routing and Switching Basics Courses made available thru Cisco’s Network Academy curriculum.  The content includes labs and simulations using their Packet Tracer software.

Provides students with a detailed examination of Internet addressing and protocols. Includes IP addressing, routing, IP, ICMP, ARP, TCP, UDP, DHCP, DNS, HTTP, FTP and SMTP. Uses protocol analyzer to monitor and examine network traffic. Students will have the opportunity to work with industrial routers and switches in our classroom. 

Students completing the networking course will have the opportunity to take the CompTIA Network+ exam. Students must earn a 720 score out of 900 possible to receive a pass score. The exam is a vendor neutral exam that covers the following domains: Network Architecture, Network Operations, Network Security, Troubleshooting, and Industry Standards, Cloud and wireless Issues, Practices and Network Theory

To be enrolled in this dual credit course, students must meet dual credit course prerequisites and complete dual credit requirements. Upon successful completions of this dual credit course, students may receive college/university credit for NET 121 Course at Harper College. Prerequisite: Course #60740, 66800 and 66740

Students participating in the Networking and Advanced Networking courses will participate in a Cyber Security competition called Cyber Patriot.  This challenges students to find security flaws in three virtual images (Windows 10 AND a Linux OS (Ubuntu or Debian AND Windows 2019 Server) along with a Cisco Packet Tracer environment which challenges students networking skills.  District 214 teams have consistently finished in the top 10 in the State of Illinois and Top 100 Nationally. This includes a Top 100 finish by Rolling Meadows in 2020-21 school year.

To find out more - https://www.uscyberpatriot.org/

Building on principles learned in previous classes this class will provide students with comprehensive hand-on overview of network security, including authentication, encryption, digital certificates, perimeter topologies, remote access, cryptography, and operational security.  Students will attempt to solve industry problems and challenges related to networks and cybersecurity.

Students completing the course will have the opportunity to take the CompTIA Security+ exam.  The district will provide the student with one opportunity to take the certification exam. CompTIA Security+ certification covers network security, compliance and operation security, threats, and vulnerabilities as well as application, data and host security. Also included are access control, identity management, and cryptography.   Students completing the CompTIA Security+ exam must earn a 750 score out of a possible 900 pts.

To be enrolled in this dual credit course, students must meet dual credit course prerequisites and complete dual credit requirements. Upon successful completions of this dual credit course, students may receive college/university credit for LAN 153 Course at Moraine Valley Community College. Prerequisite: Course #60740, 66800, 66740 and 66810

What is CompTIA A+® Certification?

CompTIA A+ certification is an international industry credential that validates the knowledge of computer service technicians. 

• A+ is comprehensive and vendor-neutral - A+ certified professionals have mastered the technologies found in today’s extensive and varied IT environments, from mobile to traditional devices and operating systems. They can confidently handle the most challenging technology problems more efficiently
• A+ validates foundational skills - A+ establishes best practices in troubleshooting, networking, and security across a variety of devices to set the stage for IT careers. The certification also matches professional tech skills with communication skills.
• A+ is trusted by employers - As businesses and governments worldwide continue to adopt mobile and cloud technology, they trust A+ certified professionals to keep their devices running and organizations working smoothly.
• A+ is globally recognized and accredited - CompTIA A+ is compliant with ISO 17024 standards and is approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to meet directive 8140/8570.01-M requirements.
• A+ is industry supported - A+ is developed and maintained by leading IT experts. Content for the exams stems from a combination of industry-wide survey feedback and contributions from our team of subject matter experts.

CompTIA A+ certification validates the latest skills needed by today’s computer support professionals. CompTIA A+ confirms a technician's ability to perform tasks such as installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance, and basic networking. The exams also cover domains such as security, safety, and environmental issues and communication and professionalism.

A+ Test Format

Students must pass both the 1001 and 1002 exams in order to become certified. 1001 focuses on troubleshooting computer hardware, networking, printers, and mobile devices.  The 1002 exam’s focus is on operating systems, security, and troubleshooting. The exam consists of 80 questions and 2-5 hands-on simulations.  The student has 90 minutes to complete the exam. Students need to score 675 or higher on the 1001 exam and 700 or better on the 1002 exam. For more information about the exams, Click Here!

We do accept computer donations. Most systems that can be taken apart or used for parts are accepted. Systems that are 2.5 Ghz or faster are accepted. Anything older is too outdated for the class. CRT monitors are not accepted as they take up too much space and now cost us to recycle. For more information please contact the instructor for your school.