44293 Howard

This is a three semester-hour credit-for-exam course designed to help you pass at least one Microsoft or other vendor's professional certification exam. You may choose the exam you wish to take, and the course will provide you with a supported self-study opportunity to prepare for the exam. The test you choose to take need not necessarily be a Microsoft exam. If you have not already done so, please read the introductory material by clicking here.

CONCEPT: This is a supported self-study credit-for-exam workshop. If you pass a certification exam during the period of the course, you'll be awarded an "A, A-, or B+" depending on when you take the exam. See the grading table below. You will as well of course receive three credit hours. (You can quit coming as soon as you pass an exam, even if it is the first week!) You'll receive guidance on selecting which is the most appropriate Microsoft or other vendor's certification exam for you to take, and will be guided in selecting study materials. I'll be available for coaching. (I have multiple Microsoft certifications.) You should have taken "Small Systems Technology" in order to succeed in this workshop if you choose to take a networking exam, but it can be done successfully if you have good Windows 2008, Vista, or Windows 7 or 8 pre-knowledge.

PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; 2.5 overall GPA; M&IS 24053 ("C" or above); M&IS 24065 ("D" or above). To do well, you need to have a fundamental understanding of Windows 2008, Vista, or Windows 7 or 8 and very good study habits.

COURSE MATERIALS: There are 16 of us in the course, and each person will select a Microsoft or other exam for which to study. Click on this overview link for a one-page graphic summary of the Microsoft exams and certifications from which you can choose. Click here for the list of suggested materials. After you have selected your "target" exam, you may also want to purchase inexpensive (~$49) exam simulation software that I'll show you in class. Also, you might also want to go to an on-line bookstore and buy study materials appropriate to your particular exam. Many of the study materials are also available free on Safari.

TEST FEES: You will be taking the certification exam at a Pearson Vue testing center or, in certain circumstances, on-line. KSU is not authorized to administer these exams. There is an $83 student discounted fee for each Microsoft test you take, whether you pass or fail. Fees are higher for non-Microsoft exams. Kent's Center for Information Systems will reimburse your $83 certification exam fee for the first five of you in this section who pass an exam and apply for this benefit. Click here and navigate to the certification reimbursement form for information on how to apply. If you choose to pursue a VMware VCA certification, that will be acceptable for the course requirements, but CIS will not reimburse the $120 exam fee because this is an unproctored exam.

CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR: I'm very responsive to e-mail -- ghoward@kent.edu . Don't hesitate to call me if you need something in a hurry. My cell is 304.242.0715.

ATTENDANCE: Attendance is absolutely required the first three days of class: August 31, September 2, and September 7. I will be in class September 9 for an optional help session. After that we will do everything electronically. It's imperative that you show up on the first day.

TEXT: Varies -- we'll discuss in class on the first day. If you have not yet done so, click here for text suggestions.

WHY MICROSOFT CERTIFICATION ? There is high demand in the employment marketplace for people who possess formal industry skills certifications. You earn certifications by passing a test or a series of tests that prove the depth of your conceptual and practical knowledge. The most important of these as you begin your certification efforts are the MCTS ("Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist"), and the MCSD ("Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer.") Passing even only one of many of the exams gives you an edge in the job market and earns you MCTS status or a substantial start on MCSD status. 

DELIVERABLES: There are no papers, projects, homeworks, or tests except for the certification exam itself.

GRADING: Success on the certification exams requires very focused study over a short period of time. You are not likely to pass if you study a few hours per week spread out over the whole 15 weeks. Because of the need for focused study, and because you will have far fewer other responsibilities early in the semester, the grading system is set up to provide strong incentives for taking your certification exam in the first five weeks of the term. As the table shows, no exam attempted means a "C-," unless you can show extreme financial hardship associated with the cost of the exam.

REGISTERING FOR THE EXAM: Exams are given through Pearson Vue corporation, the testing contractor to Microsoft. Prometric corporation is no longer giving these exams. To begin the registration process, you must have a "Microsoft Account." Go to www.microsoft.com/certification and establish your account. In filling out your account profile, be sure to indicate that your "Job Function" is "Student." Just to the right of the Job Function dropdown, click on "Get verified."  Follow the directions there and use one of the five possible methods to verify that you are a student at an academic institution. If they give you a verification code, be sure to write it down. Once your academic status has been verified and you are ready to register for an exam, return to www.microsoft.com/certification, click on the "Register for an exam" link, and follow the directions from there. (You can not use Certiport unless you are taking an MTA exam.) You will have the option of taking the exam at home if you are able to successfully install the proctoring software. If your academic status has been successfully verified, this site will automatically give you the discounted price. (If the price comes up as $150, you have not gotten the discount and need to try again to get your academic status verified.) You'll have to provide a credit card number to pay for the exam at the time of registration. If you will be going to a testing center, register at least a week and a half in advance of your test date to reduce the chance that you will get closed out. If you will take a proctored exam at home, and your system compatibility has already been validated, you can register for an exam on-line and probably take it within 15 minutes of registration.

UNIVERSITY BOILERPLATE

The Following Policies apply to everyone in this course.  

A.   Those attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisites risk being deregistered from the course.  

B.   Registration: You have the responsibility to ensure that you are properly enrolled in courses. You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Student Tools on FlashLine) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this course and section. Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Sunday, September 13 to correct the error. If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in courses for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any course in which you are not properly registered.

C.   Academic Honesty: Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.   In addition, it is considered to be cheating when one cooperates with another in any such misrepresentation.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses may result in dismissal from the University.

D.   Withdrawal: For Fall 2015 the course withdrawal deadline for full tuition credit is Sunday, November 8.

E.   Students with Disabilities: University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit http://www.kent.edu/sas/ for more information on registration procedures).

F.   GRADUATION INFORMATION FOR SENIORS:  It is your responsibility to apply for graduation before the set deadline. If you apply after the deadline you will be assessed a $200 late fee. Please see your academic advisor as soon as possible if you are uncertain as to your progress toward graduation. The graduation application deadlines are follows:

May Graduation: Apply before September 15^th
August Graduation: Apply before December 15^th
December Graduation: Apply before March 15^th.

To apply for graduation complete the following steps:

1. Log onto your Flashline account.  
2. Click on the Student Tools tab
3.  Look in the Graduation Planning Tool Box
4.  Click on Application for Graduation.

If an error message appears, you must contact your advisor.