VII. DROPPING THE CLASS

It is the STUDENT’S responsibility to complete the necessary forms to withdraw from the class. A grade of “Incomplete” at the end of the semester is not an option. All students that are enrolled at the end of the semester must be given a grade.
Students who discontinue attendance but do not officially withdraw will receive an "F" as the grade for the class.

VIII. ASSIGNMENTS

The assignments for this course can be broken in the following groups:

1.    In-class reading/Tests: Most of the material for this course is available online at the Cisco Network Academy website. The materials should be read before the beginning of class. Students are responsible for all the terms and concepts in the modules that we cover. Log in to your Cisco Student Account to access this material. http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/index.html

2.    Lab Assignments: During the course, labs will be used to guide students through the practical application of concepts learned in the chapter content and provide an opportunity to learn skills for configuring Cisco routers and switches. Lab assignments will be provided in the assignments section of each chapter on Blackboard or placing lab documents in the trays in the classroom. Once a lab assignment is completed it should be submitted using Blackboard. Assignments are considered completed when the questions on the lab assignment are answered and a copy of the configuration has been submitted. Lab assignments may be completed on routers and switches located in E-207 or using netlabs. At least 25% of lab assignments must be completed using equipment installed in E-207.

Important Note:

    The Cuyamaca College Cisco Networking Academy is equipped with access servers that allow students to access the laboratory equipment from home via the Internet.
This means that students can cable equipment at the end of a class and continue to work on the labs from a remote location. In order to best accommodate the use
of the lab equipment, the following policy will be applied in the laboratory:

• Students present in the classroom have first priority for access to network equipment during class hours.
• During class hours the lab equipment wiring will be pulled on any equipment that is not in use by a student present in the classroom.
• When finished with a lab assignment, please delete router/switch configurations, disconnect equipment cabling, and power-off the equipment, including PCs, that you used for the lab assignment prior to leaving the lab.
• Students may wire equipment for use at home during the last hour of class.

3.    Study Guides: During the course, study guides will be provided to assist students with identifying key information in the reading assignment.  These study guides are not graded but are highly recommended. The study guides will be useful for studying for chapter exams, the comprehensive final, and CCNA Security Certification exams.
Note: Handwritten study material, including the study guide, will be allowed as reference material during chapter exams.  The Comprehensive Online Final exam must be taken in the classroom with no notes or reference material available.

4.    Journal Entry: The journal is a private communication between the student and the instructor. Students are responsible for contacting the instructor once a week via the Blackboard Journal. The journal entry does not have to be extensive. The journal entry should at a minimum provide a list of the week's assignment progress. The journal is how you inform the instructor of extended absences. It can also be used to ask the instructor questions or request assistance. The journal can be used to provide feedback to the instructor about the course.

IX. EVALUATION AND GRADING

Evaluation in this course is designed to give students a maximum feedback of their progress and to work as a tool to reinforce concepts.

Orientation Exam

An orientation exam is provided to help ensure students are familiar with the course syllabus. Participation in this exam is required for every student each semester. The exam is provided on Blackboard.  The grade for this exam is not included as part of the final grade but it is a required component for the course.  This exam must be successfully completed with a score of 100% before any exams will be activated or any assignments graded.

Chapter exams

Each Chapter Exam will be activated only after the student has completed the assignments for the chapter. Chapter exams will be taken in the classroom. Handwritten study material, including the study guide, will be allowed as reference material during chapter exams.  Neither Textbooks nor the Internet are considered authorized reference material.

Final Exams

The Comprehensive Final Skills-based Exam is a practical exam covering the skills learned during the course and may include skills covered as part of the prerequisites for taking this course. The exam is taken in the classroom using installed routers, switches, computers and other equipment provided by the instructor. Students may use material designed as a professional reference material to assist them during the skills exam. Examples of authorized references are: "CCNA Portable Command Guide"; "Cisco IOS in a nutshell". Neither textbooks nor the Internet are considered authorized reference material.  It is the discretion of the instructor of record for the course to determine whether a specific reference item will be authorized for use during the Comprehensive Final Skills-based Exam.

The Comprehensive Online Final Exam is a multiple-choice exam that covers the entire semester of course material. The Comprehensive Final Exam is taken in the classroom on one of the school's computers without access to any reference material. Students will be allowed blank paper and a pen.

The student must obtain a passing score on both the Comprehensive Skills and Online Final Exams to pass the course. The online and skills-based final exams must be taken by the student to complete the course. All exams must be taken in the classroom. Students must have a passing score (60%) on both the Skills-based Final Exam and Online Comprehensive Final Exam in order to pass the class regardless of cumulative grade total.

• Copying and/or printing of any test will result in your being dropped from the class. 
  
  ·Printing of the curriculum is not allowed. 
  
  ·You must pass the skills-based and comprehensive online final exams to pass the class.

Grades will be assigned as follows: 

X. STUDENTS RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

The Cisco instructors want to see our students succeed. We have used our experience teaching the OEOE classes to write the following rules to benefit the success of our students.

1. Students are responsible for managing their progress through the course. 
To ensure successful completion of the course, please follow the rules listed below concerning submitting assignments and taking chapter exams. 

Note: Arrangements can be made to deviate from the rules by submitting a written request with justification and getting written approval by the course instructor.

2. You should regularly review the assignment schedule and recommended progress schedule to be sure you do not fall behind during the semester.  We have noticed that students who fall further than 1(one) chapter behind the recommended pace have unnecessary stress completing the course.  If you find yourself falling behind the recommended pace please contact your instructor for assistance and/or guidance.

3. Only 5 total lab/packet tracer assignments will be graded by the instructor each week.

Students who have submitted a written notification of accelerated completion at the beginning of the semester will be provided, in writing, the maximum number of assignments that will be accepted each week for grading.

Note: Managing assignment completion is especially critical at the end of the semester. Mismanagement could cause completed assignments not to get graded. 
Students progressing at an accelerated pace will be provided an accelerated assignment schedule.
Submit assignments early and often.

4. Courses with study guides:  Up to 2 (two) study guides will be graded for each student per week

5. All Assignments must be submitted no later than the end of week 15 of the semester.
No assignments will be accepted after week 15. 

Note: no more than 5 assignments that are submitted during week 15 will be graded.

6. Only 1 chapter exam will be activated for each student per week. 
You are allowed to take each chapter exam once. Chapter exams will be activated a maximum of 2 times.  Make sure when you request that an exam be activated you will be able to complete the exam during the period requested.

Students who plan to progress through the curriculum at an accelerated pace will be informed, in writing, the maximum number of exams that will be allowed to be activated each week. 

Note: Students progressing at an accelerated pace will be provided an accelerated assignment schedule.

7. Students are responsible to ensure all chapter exams are completed by the end of week 15. Note: remember, only one chapter exam will be activated each week including week 15.

8. If you have to be absent for more than one (1) week please notify the instructor via the Journal. Please remember, Packet Tracer assignments can still be submitted during periods when you are unable to attend class.

9. Registration in this class implies your interest in learning the knowledge content and skills covered by the course. Prior to performing the assigned skill activities, completing the reading assignment is necessary. Assistance is available in the lab and the classroom by instructors and tutors to help clarify technical concepts you have read in the reading assignments or experienced during the skills assignments. To ensure you benefit from an instructor’s/tutor’s assistance you may be asked relative questions from the reading assignment. Since reading is an important part of your learning experience you may be directed to reread sections of the curriculum prior to receiving further assistance

XI. IMPORTANT DATES

Changes to this syllabus may occur anytime during the semester.  Notification of changes will be provided via Blackboard announcements