General Program Information
The Cisco Networking Academy Program curriculum concentrates on teaching students
to design, build, and maintain computer networks. The Cisco program emphasizes the
procedures for configuring routers which allow networks to communicate with each
other. This emphasis should be compared and contrasted with Microsoft and Novell
certification programs which train students to implement Microsoft or Novell based
networking software and set up the servers which provide services to the network
hosts.
The CCNA certification (Cisco Certified Network Associate) indicates a foundation
in and apprentice knowledge of networking for the small office/home office (SOHO)
market. CCNA certified professionals can install, configure, and operate LAN, WAN,
and dial access services for small networks (100 nodes or fewer), including but
not limited to use of these protocols: IP, IGRP, OSPF, RIP v1 and v2, Frame Relay,
VLSM, CIDR, NAT, PAT, DHCP, PPP, ISDN, VLANs, STP, VTP, Trunking, Ethernet, Access
Lists. The CCNA Program curriculum content may be broadly described as containing
an introduction to networking, router configuration, local area and wide area networking
components.
Certification paths:
640-821 Intro Exam: One of the two qualifying exams available to candidates pursuing
a two-exam option for CCNA. This exam tests content covered in the Introduction
to Cisco Networking Technologies (INTRO) course including topics on Network Types,
Network Media, Switching Fundamentals, TCP/IP, IP Addressing and Routing, WAN Technologies,
Operating and Configuring IOS Devices, and Managing Network Environments.
640-811 Interconnection Cisco Network Devices (ICND): One of the two qualifying
exams available to candidates pursuing a two-exam option for CCNA. The exam covers
topics on Extending Switched Networks with VLANS, Determining IP Routes, Managing
IP traffic with Access Lists, Establishing Point-to-Point connections, and Establishing
Frame Relay Connections.
640-801 CCNA: The qualifying exam available to candidates pursuing a single-exam
option for the Cisco Certified Network Associate CCNA certification. As the entry-level
certification of the Cisco Career Certifications Program, CCNA represents a strong
foundation and understanding of IP networking and troubleshooting. Semesters 1 through
4 of the Cisco CCNA program are targeted for instruction to high school, technical
school, and Community College students. CCNA instruction focuses on how to install,
configure, and operate simple-routed LAN, routed WAN, and switched LAN networks.
More information is available from http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/
or http://cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/
The Cisco Networking Academy Program at Mountain View College
The CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate) courses offered by approved Cisco
Networking Academy Programs include four, one semester courses, and they are titled
by Cisco as Cisco Semester 1, Cisco Semester 2, Cisco Semester 3 and Cisco Semester
4. At Mountain View, we offer the four Cisco courses in two cycles each year. One
cycle begins at the start of the Fall Semester and is completed at the end of the
following Spring semester. The second cycle begins at the start of the Spring semester
and ends at the end of the following summer semester. Both cycles are completed
within about a 10-month time period. Saturday cycles are also an option. Online
schedules and registration procedures are available at the Dallas County Community
College District home page at http://www.dcccd.edu.
Typical Schedule
Each Cisco course will be completed in one-half of a regular college semester. For
example, a Semester 1 course will begin the first week of Fall semester classes
and end 8 weeks later. The Semester 2 course will begin the ninth week of the semester
and end the week of final exams of the regular college semester. The Semester 3
and 4 courses are offered in a similar manner in the Spring semester. The scheduled
class times for day classes are typically from 800 AM until 1040 AM or from 1100
AM until 140 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. The scheduled
class times for night classes are typically from 530 PM until 810 PM.
Registration Requirements and Prerequisites
Students are expected to enroll for both courses at the beginning of each semester.
Semesters 1 and 2 must be completed before Semesters 3 and 4. A personal computer
at home, an email address and an Internet connection are required.
Basic knowledge
of computer software and hardware and binary and hexadecimal number systems is helpful.
Beginning Cisco students should be comfortable operating computers, navigating the
Internet, using various software applications and operating systems, fixing minor
software and hardware related computer problems, keeping their personal computer
system operational throughout the duration of the program and not inflicting excessive
damage on the college’s computers or other equipment through ignorance, carelessness
or abuse of the systems. The addressing schemes used in data transportation protocols
utilize binary, hexadecimal and decimal numbers. Cisco students entering the first
semester should be able to convert freely between all three number systems when
provided with a byte grouping of any number up to 6 bytes long. Some number conversion
techniques and applications are included in the curriculum
Registration Info
Cisco courses offered at MVC will typically be listed under Electronics Technology
or Computer Networking or both of the above headings in future class schedules,
and the course numbers and the section numbers are the same regardless of where
the courses are listed. There is a maximum of 15 slots available in each section.
Overloads are not possible because of equipment limitations and certification guidelines.
Early Registration is recommended.
MVC course titles for the Cisco courses are as follows:
Cisco Semester 1 is course number ITCC 1402.
Cisco Semester 2 is course number ITCC 1406.
Cisco Semester 3 is course number ITCC 1442.
Cisco Semester 4 is course number ITCC 1446.
Tuition, Fees and Book Costs
Each of the college Cisco courses is a 4-hour course. Currently, tuition and fees
for each 4-hour course are about $100 for a Dallas County resident and about $180
for an out of district student. Of course, tuition and fees are subject to change.
Expect books and required materials to cost between $50 and $100 total for the Semester
1 and 2 courses. A similar expenditure may be expected for the Semester 3 and 4
courses.
Please note:
Training only is provided. Certification testing is the responsibility of the individual.
For general and specific information about the Cisco Networking Academy and related
curriculum, please visit the following web sites.
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/779/edu/academy/
or http://www.cisco.com/edu/emea
Please contact Stan Fulton by email at SRF6570@dcccd.edu
for additional assistance.
|