Question About Timeframe for Part-Time A+ Students

[Joe Lacaria]

Hi all,

I work for a nonprofit, and we have started offering the A+ Core 1 course via the CertMaster Learn online self-paced training. All of our students are adults who work full time, so their time for studying is limited. Does anyone have any thoughts about how to manage this type of delivery method to keep the students on track and what timeline we should expect for students to complete the course?

Any insights or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Joe

 

[Jarrel]

I'd say, spread it across a few weeks or months, depending on how many chapters you'd like them to finish per week.
With CertMaster Learn, there's tracking on it so you can see the students' progress.

 

[Lee McWhorter]

From my experience, it will vary how long someone can complete a self-paced course given their own situation. The best thing to do is to make sure they are making steady progress. Whether through check ins, or the back end of the reporting functions, focus on those who are not making progress and may fall off.

 

[Fanuel]

I'd say, spread it across a few weeks or months, depending on how many chapters you'd like them to finish per week.
With CertMaster Learn, there's tracking on it so you can see the students' progress.

Jarrel i agree with you, Certmaster keep track of all students activities and finally you get a report.

 

[Steve Linthicum]

This has been a challenging question and one that raises a side issue. That is should the A+ certification be structured in a two-exam format? As we all know, this is the only CompTIA certification that requires passing two exams in order to become certified. That made sense, back in the day when one of the exams focused on hardware and the other exam focused on software. Those days are, IMHO, history. The broadening of the certification in promoting content that includes customer service certainly makes sense, but a continued focus on antiquated hardware remains a concern. I question the usefulness for example of the content of Sub-Domain 1.1 of the current 220-1001 exam titled "Given a scenario, install and configure laptop hardware and components." If you have the opportunity to recently fix or replace some of the laptop parts and pieces listed in this sub-domain other than perhaps RAM or a storage component, I'd be surprised. Hopefully, the new exam objectives for the 220-1101 exam will bring us to the modern computer repair realities (put the hardware in the e-waste pile).

Thoughts?

 

[Lee McWhorter]

Despite the Core I and II name change, they are still imho the 'hardware' and 'software' exams. It would be nice if just one exam to speed up certification for students, but it also could be two individual certs as well which would be interesting to see. I doubt it'll actually go to one exam for a number of reasons, but would be nice.

 

[ra18747307]

Hi all,

I work for a nonprofit, and we have started offering the A+ Core 1 course via the CertMaster Learn online self-paced training. All of our students are adults who work full time, so their time for studying is limited. Does anyone have any thoughts about how to manage this type of delivery method to keep the students on track and what timeline we should expect for students to complete the course?

Any insights or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Joe

INHO the key to Core 1 is having a variety of old and new parts. Simply looking at pictures does not provide the touchy-feely needed to understand. A couple of optional sessions to tear apart and rebuild a computer does a lot. I teach high school, and they are good at reading the materials, but cannot relate what they read to the real-world situations. Perhaps you could create a couple "projects" such as install a hard drive in a laptop so they get the experience of reading the tech docs and following the procedures.

 

[Fanuel]

I would love if A+ could have only one exam for one to be certified.​

 

[Lee McWhorter]

Simply looking at pictures does not provide the touchy-feely needed to understand.

Completely agree!

 

[Edna Chimpeni]

This has been a challenging question and one that raises a side issue. That is should the A+ certification be structured in a two-exam format? As we all know, this is the only CompTIA certification that requires passing two exams in order to become certified. That made sense, back in the day when one of the exams focused on hardware and the other exam focused on software. Those days are, IMHO, history. The broadening of the certification in promoting content that includes customer service certainly makes sense, but a continued focus on antiquated hardware remains a concern. I question the usefulness for example of the content of Sub-Domain 1.1 of the current 220-1001 exam titled "Given a scenario, install and configure laptop hardware and components." If you have the opportunity to recently fix or replace some of the laptop parts and pieces listed in this sub-domain other than perhaps RAM or a storage component, I'd be surprised. Hopefully, the new exam objectives for the 220-1101 exam will bring us to the modern computer repair realities (put the hardware in the e-waste pile).

Thoughts?

This should really be looked into, looking at the objectives some content are similar. If combining the exams into one cannot work, it could be good to split them into two certifications, one for Hard ware, one for Software.

 

[Fanuel]

This should really be looked into, looking at the objectives some content are similar. If combining the exams into one cannot work, it could be good to split them into two certifications, one for Hard ware, one for Software.

100% in support of this idea @ Edna

 

[Rick Butler]

I'm a little late to the thread, so here comes another one of my mega posts...

All of our students are adults who work full time, so their time for studying is limited ... what timeline we should expect...

When I see this, we are asking for a time frame for something where we don't have a commitment from the student on time. I'm not sure you can set a time based on that - so it may be that you have to set the timeline yourself and encourage students to meet that.

From my experience, it will vary how long someone can complete a self-paced course given their own situation. The best thing to do is to make sure they are making steady progress. Whether through check ins, or the back end of the reporting functions, focus on those who are not making progress and may fall off.

This is key.

That is should the A+ certification be structured in a two-exam format? As we all know, this is the only CompTIA certification that requires passing two exams in order to become certified. That made sense, back in the day when one of the exams focused on hardware and the other exam focused on software.

With A+, we are dealing with students who are at that 6m-18m level and the body of knowledge covered in the A+ (given the 30% overlap between the two), to me, is very daunting for that experience level. I think it would remain better as a two test battery. I think if you try to make it one test, it might be too overwhelming.

Simply looking at pictures does not provide the touchy-feely needed to understand ... but [they] cannot relate what they read to the real-world situations. Perhaps you could create a couple "projects" such as install a hard drive in a laptop so they get the experience of reading the tech docs and following the procedures.

I totally agree - the real hands on aspect of training always is better than simulations and show-and-tell picture styles. With more schools wanting to do more with less, it becomes incumbent on them to integrate that hands on - BUT - it's also more expensive and time consuming, which is why many organizations elect to not do it.

This should really be looked into, looking at the objectives some content are similar. If combining the exams into one cannot work, it could be good to split them into two certifications, one for Hard ware, one for Software.

Not sure I agree on this point. A+ has the virtue of being a long running certification with worldwide recognition for IT professionals in that sub-two year space. I remember Microsoft doing something like this when trying to make the MCITP out of the MCSA, from the MCSE materials. Needless to say, that effort didn't work out for Redmond. People were saying, "what the heck is this 'mcitp' thing?" and interest waned. I predict the same thing if CompTIA split the A+ and made two new certs.

Well, that's that...lol



/r

 

[Lee McWhorter]

here comes another one of my mega posts...

You should get an achievement for longest post...

 

[Steve Linthicum]

Hands-on needs to be relevant. In high school, my favorite class was auto shop. Today as I gaze under the hood of my plug-in hybrid vehicle, I know the best thing I can do is close the hood as quickly as possible. Back in a time, before the turn of the century, like gas stations, there were computer repair stores on every corner. Today, aside from the "geek squad" locations at Best Buy stores, they hardly exist. While admittedly fond of those memories of dealing with a limited number of IRQs and IO addressing issues, the day I open up a computer to repair it is not in the near future. Maybe what we should be teaching is the when and how to replace modularized electronic components in our cars. Not how to repair the components.

 

[Lee McWhorter]

Hands-on needs to be relevant. In high school, my favorite class was auto shop. Today as I gaze under the hood of my plug-in hybrid vehicle, I know the best thing I can do is close the hood as quickly as possible. Back in a time, before the turn of the century, like gas stations, there were computer repair stores on every corner. Today, aside from the "geek squad" locations at Best Buy stores, they hardly exist. While admittedly fond of those memories of dealing with a limited number of IRQs and IO addressing issues, the day I open up a computer to repair it is not in the near future. Maybe what we should be teaching is the when and how to replace modularized electronic components in our cars. Not how to repair the components.

Agree. While we do have students tear down /rebuild a PC and build a network cable we don't focus on repair labs at all beyond that - mainly focusing on configuration and troubleshooting labs for the A+ part of our course. I don't see a lot of our grads going into repair for sure.