COURSE GUIDE
CompTIA A+
Eight-week block
107 / Core 1 · Mondays | 108 / Core 2 · Wednesdays
Both meet 5:45–8:45 PM, America/Chicago, during the same eight weeks.
Block dates: January 11–March 3, 2027. Weekly work ends Sunday, March 7. Monday meetings include January 18 and February 15; any college holiday closures require instructor-approved make-up meetings.
Course structure
Each course has 24 scheduled contact hours, eight opening quizzes, sixteen labs and eight MeasureUP practice assignments. Courses have separate submissions and grades; neither course requires the other to be completed first.
107 develops hardware, mobile, networking, virtualization, cloud and diagnostic skills. 108 develops OS administration, security, software troubleshooting and professional operations skills.
Plan for 6–9 hours of preparation and independent practice per course each week. Credit hours, prerequisites, institutional policies and the first Monday require college approval.
Required resources
Cengage, CompTIA A+ Guide to IT Technical Support, 12th edition. ISBN 9798214409665. Licensed chapter PowerPoints, NETLAB+ access and MeasureUP for both cores are required.
107 and 108 are course identifiers. Certification preparation uses Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202); verify provider products match this series before purchasing or assigning.
Every class meeting
- 5:45–6:00 Opening reading quiz
- 6:00–7:00 In-class lab 1
- 7:00–7:10 Break
- 7:10–8:10 In-class lab 2
- 8:10–8:45 Closing lecture and debrief
Read the chapters and assigned slides before class. Complete one MeasureUP practice of at least 45 questions per course per week by Sunday 11:59 PM America/Chicago. Submit the question count, result summary and a remediation note for three weak concepts.
Reserve and complete associated NETLAB exercises. In-class lab prompts are original assignments; NETLAB equivalents must be approved against the installed catalog.
Assessment — applied independently to each course
| Component | Weight | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Opening quizzes | 15% | Eight short quizzes on prepared reading; original prompts in each module. |
| Labs, weeks 1–7 | 40% | Fourteen lab reports, equally weighted. |
| Weekly MeasureUP | 15% | Eight practices, ≥45 questions each; completion and remediation. |
| Week 8 practical | 20% | Two independent practical labs, equally weighted. |
| Documentation & professionalism | 10% | One weekly reflection / handoff, equally weighted. |
A 90–100 · B 80–89.99 · C 70–79.99 · D 60–69.99 · F below 60. Proposed college grading scheme; instructor must align to institution policy.
Lab rubric
Correct procedure and result 40%; diagnostic reasoning and evidence 30%; safety, permissions and data handling 20%; professional documentation 10%. Include baseline, hypothesis, procedure, output, verification and reflection. Use only authorized lab environments.
Quiz and practice rubric
Quiz prompts are scored equally for technical accuracy and reasoning. MeasureUP: 50% verified completion of at least 45 questions, 25% evidence of results, 25% a specific remediation plan. Practice scores inform readiness; they do not guarantee certification.
Participation and support
Report absences promptly; arrange an equivalent supervised lab and quiz with the instructor. Due-date changes, accommodations, accessibility services, academic integrity, late-work and withdrawal rules must follow the college's published policies. Cite outside help and explain your own work; never submit certification exam dumps.
Source verification: Cengage textbook listing · NDG public legacy lab catalog. Exact chapter titles and licensed resources await instructor materials.