This syllabus outlines a 3 credit hour course in PC Repair and Configuration offered at Kishwaukee College in the fall of 2011. The course will meet Monday through Friday from 12:50-2:10pm in room A-267. Students will learn to install, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot and repair desktop and laptop computers, and manage printers. Coursework includes quizzes, assignments, labs, and tests. A grade of C or higher is required to pass.

1. KISHWAUKEE COLLEGE SYLLABUS
Fall 2011
PC Repair and Configuration: CIS142 (3 hours)
Lecture/Lab: A-267
Time: 12:50 P.M. - 2:10 P.M. M-F
Dates: 08/23/2011 - 12/21/2011
Instructor Information
Instructor: Stephanie Wascher
Office: KEC Building, Room 115
Email: swascher@kecprograms.us
Phone: 815/825-2000 x 115
KEC Office: 815/825-2000 x121
Room A-267 815/825-2086 x6071
Office By appointment
hours:
Course Description
Prerequisite: None. This course will teach basic PC repair and help prepare students for
the Comp-TIA A+ Essentials certification exam. It will teach the skills necessary to
install, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot and repair both desktop and laptop computers
and manage printers. It will include topics on professionalism, communication with
users, safety and preventative maintenance. Two hours lecture/discussion and two
hours lab a week. Co-offered as ELE 142. Credit may not be received if prior credit
earned in ELE 142 or equivalent.
EXPECTED LEARNER OUTCOMES
Identify basic terms, concepts, and functions of system modules
Demonstrate the ability to add and remove field replaceable modules
Identify and configure IRQs, DMAs. and I/O addresses
Identify common ports, connectors, and cabling
Install and configure IDE/EIDE devices
Install and configure peripherals including driver installation
Identify and configure BIOS settings
Demonstrate an ability to troubleshoot problems in system modules
Identify, describe, and use safety procedures related to PC maintenance and repair
Identify common CPU chips, RAM chips, and motherboards
Backup and restore data from a hard drive
Identify basic printer components and processes
Perform basic printer maintenance
TEXT
Andrews, Jean A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC. 7th edition Boston,
Massachusetts: Course Technology, Cengage Learning, 2010.

2. REQUIRED STUDENT MATERIALS
Any additional materials required will be provided in class by the KEC.
BREAKDOWN OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS
22 Quizzes/In-class assignments @ 20 points each 440 points
22 Chapter Question Assignments @ 15 points each 330 points
22 Lab Projects @ 15 points each 330 points
4 Tests @ 100 points each 400 points
4 Hands-on Troubleshooting labs @ 25 points each 200 points
Total 1600 points
FINAL GRADE DETERMINATION
A = 90 - 100% 1440 points or
B = 80 - 89.9% more
C = 70 - 79.9% 1280 - 1439 points
D = 60 - 69.9% 1120 - 1279 points
F = below 960 - 1119 points
60% less than 959 points
Grade reports will not be mailed out. Please check KishSOS, My Student Info, under Academic
Profile, Grades, for grade reports.
MAKE-UP POLICY
Assignments are to be turned in on time. Assignments which are not turned in on time
will not be accepted unless individual arrangements are made in advance with the
instructor. Depending upon the individual assignment, you may be required to turn in a
printout and/or a digital copy. No assignments will be accepted after the solutions have
been provided to the class.
Tests are to be taken at the day and time scheduled. Failure to take a test at the
scheduled time may result in a grade of 0 for that test. In the case of an excusable
absence or a genuine emergency, the instructor must be contacted as soon as possible,
preferably before the scheduled test, to reschedule the makeup of that test in the
Learning Skills Center on the day the student returns to campus.
LEARNING SKILLS CENTER (A-300)
Tutoring and testing is available to all Kishwaukee students free of charge. Students
must present their Kishwaukee College student ID when using any Learning Skills
Center services. No appointment is necessary for assistance in English. For more
information on the Learning Skills Center go to
www.kishwaukeecollege.edu/learning_skills_center. The Writing Center (A-306) answers
your writing-related questions regardless of the class or assignment. No appointment is
necessary, and students can get help individually or in small groups. Also available are
workshop opportunities for any size group.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY
A “W” will not be given as a final grade. The student is responsible for officially withdrawing

3. from the class according to procedures described in the college catalog. Any student that does
not officially withdraw from the class will receive a letter grade. The last date for withdrawal
for this course can be found at “MY CLASS SCHEDULE” on KishSOS.
CLASS CANCELLATIONS
Class cancellations due to inclement weather will be announced on local radio stations or
posted on the College Web site: www.kishwaukeecollege.edu. Students may also call the College
at (815) 825-2086. Class cancellations due to instructor absence will be posted on the
classroom door and posted at www.kishwaukeecollege.edu/class_cancellations. Room changes
will be announced in advance whenever possible and posted on the classroom door.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES/SAFETY
Yellow and red Emergency Information Flip Charts are located in each classroom. These are
quick reference sheets with telephone numbers to reach emergency assistance and a brief
description of the correct actions to take in the event of a tornado, fire or other emergency on
campus.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSFER DEGREE STUDENTS
As part of the assessment program, students intending to graduate with an A.A., A.E.S, A.F.A., or
A.S. are required to submit a Degree Portfolio. Information on the degree portfolio can be found
at www.kishwaukeecollege.edu/portfolio.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Academic honesty is essential in a college community. In order to evaluate student work, faculty
must be able to trust that the work is original with a student and not the work of someone else.
Plagiarism, cheating, or other dishonest actions will not be tolerated, and the penalties for such
actions are at the discretion of the instructor. A complete explanation of the policy and
procedures surrounding academic honesty are outlined in the Kishwaukee College Catalog.
COPYRIGHT
As a Kishwaukee College Student, you may have software made available to you by the college
for course use. Please understand that copyright law may prohibit copying these materials.
Violation of copyright laws can lead to prosecution for a criminal offense.
ASSISTIVE RESOURCES CENTER/DISABILITY SERVICES
Any student having a documented disability or special learning need and wanting to request
accommodations, should contact the Coordinator in A 317 or at (815) 825-2086
Ext 3960, (815) 825-9106 (TTY), or send an email to awilson@kishwaukeecollege.edu. The
student’s disability must impact their ability to participate in the educational environment and
be documented by an appropriate professional prior to accommodations
being approved.
STUDENT E-MAIL
Your Kishwaukee College e-mail account will be the only way to receive official notices from the
college. If you choose to forward your e-mail to another account, please be advised that all
communication from and within the college will use your Kishwaukee student e-mail. When
communicating with instructors or employees of the college, you are required to use your
Kishwaukee e-mail address.

4. TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1 8/23 Introducing Hardware Chapter 1
Week 2 8/29 Introducing Operating Systems; PC Repair Chapters 2 & 3
Fundamentals
Week 3 9/5 Form Factors & Power Supplies; Motherboards Chapters 4 & 5
Week 4 9/12 Motherboards; Processors Chapters 5 & 6
Week 5 9/19 Upgrading Memory Chapter 7
Week 6 9/26 Hard Drives Chapter 8
Week 7 10/3 Installing & Supporting I/O Devices Chapter 9
Week 8 10/10 Multimedia Devices & Mass Storage Chapter 10
Week 9 10/17 PC Maintenance and Troubleshooting Strategies Chapter 11
Week 10 10/24 Installing Windows; Maintaining Windows Chapters 12 & 13
Week 11 10/31 Optimizing Windows; Tools for Solving Windows Chapter 14 & 15
Problems
Week 12 11/7 Fixing Windows Problems Chapter 16
Week 13 11/14 Networking Essentials; Networking Practices Chapter 17 & 18
Week 14 11/21 Security Essentials Chapter 19
Week 15 11/28 Security Practices; Supporting Notebooks Chapter 20 & 21
Week 16 12/5 Supporting Printers Chapter 22
Week 17 12/12 Debug Labs/Handouts
Week 18 12/19 Certification Review & Practice