CCNA - CCNA tough course

Author

CCNA tough course

confuse

2004-05-20, 1:32 pm

Hello, everyone:

I have been overwhelmed by this CCNA course. I have been studying online materials and taking online exams from cisco site. I have been staying up late until 2:00AM for this course. It is interesting.

However, the only thing I dont like is that the instructor just read his presentations out but he did not explain and he went so fast. the only thing he explained before was the subnetting. He gave us some Cisco Labs to do in class.

Let me ask those of you who took CCNA course.
Were your instrutor like this or your instuctor would explain more????
How are your instructors???? I mean if we just do our reading and taking exams ourselves. Then why do we need our instuctor for???? This is getting like independent study.

I was expecting more from the instructor. According to our instructor, he said he got the teacher of the year award. I just feel his style of teaching does not fit into my expectation. Am I complaining too much???

Last night we were just reading online materials ourselves in class because we need to catch up our online exams while the instuctor did his own thing. It was boring class. Were your class like this?

I am just trying to get some feedback from you guys.

Tell me something to make me feel better.

Thank you

forbesl

2004-05-20, 1:50 pm

quote:
Originally posted by confuse
According to our instructor, he said he got the teacher of the year award.

Sounds to me like your instructor needs to give that award back.

The problem with a lot of these "awards" is that they aren't based on performance or success as a true "molder of minds". They are based upon how good the individual looks on paper.

I have a big problem with academia in general and with professors, associate professors, teachers, etc. who have never worked in the "real world" and have lived a sheltered existence within academic society. Many of them teach because they can't or don't know how to perform on the outside.

The U.S. has a lot of problems with teachers who don't even know the subject they teach, but because of teacher's unions, they can't be fired or reassigned to a less demanding position.

A study came out recently (I can't remember where I saw it) that indicated people with a major in education score consistently lower on exams than those with a major in math or economics.

Makes me wonder....

Don't get me wrong, we NEED teachers; however we need QUALIFIED teachers who know what they are doing.

azimuth40

2004-05-20, 1:55 pm

I assume that you are talking about the cisco academy.

Instructors for the academy are mostly (maybe 80 percent) facilitators. They do not get much presentation leeway to deviate from the curriculum and it is stressed that they are to keep you on course. If they launch into their own lectures then you tend to move off schedule. However, that does not mean that they can not make the material interesting or that they are supposed to just read.

If you have a problem then ask detailed questions and the instructor is supposed to clear up the problem areas. Last fall the curriculum did not even match the tests and Cisco had to go back and give many students partial credits. That was the cross over period between 607 and 801

confuse

2004-05-21, 12:16 pm

Hello,

You both have your points.

I was not the only one complaining about this instuctor. Forbes is right. Some of these awards may not be based on performance and success or just based on how long this instructor is in the teaching field. I am not sure what it based on. However, If you dont have the real world experience, how could you teach your students, I wonder???

Perhaps a teacher is just a teacher and just teach class materials?????

There has to be someone who can teach and can do the work in real life. I cannot assume that teachers who teach computers course cannot do the computer work. I think this may be a wrong assumption.

Then is it good to just have a teacher who can only teach or someone who can do the work but cannot teach???? it is hard to find people who can do both.

I was thinking to teach as a part time teacher in the future. I have been in the IT field quite a long time and I love to show people what I learn even at work when people pick up what I show them, I feel happy. Does it mean that if I teach because I am not good at what I do in the computer world. No, I dont think so. I like to show others what I learn.

Yes, azimuth40 I am in the Cisco Academy.
I do understand being a teacher is not a
easy job since you need to prepare for your classes, marking papers and activate exams for students and to see what are students up to etc.

Are you telling me that the presentation my instructor gave us was from Cisco Academy?? Maybe it was. I dont think he would compose all these presentations himself. However, as a student where I am now, I rather to have a teacher to tell me what is the real world like, what would some of the problems you would run into and how would you deal with it. Something that is out of the textbook.

I had the network+ course few months again. This instructor seemed to have real work life experience and he did tell us what the real world like. He showed us how to make cables and show us how to configure DHCP,
how to configure routers and explained the RIP and IGRP on the board and subnetting but he did not cover the whole network+ curuilum. I felt his class was preparing me to this Cisco class which I am in now since I understand better.

He did not have any power point slide persentation but he wrote everything on the board as he explained things. he was very good in explaining it to us. When we did not understand, he found a different way to show us and teach us. his explaination was excellent.

If you asked me, did he cover the area of network+ or did he prepare me for the network+ exam. My answer is NO because he did not cover the network+ cirruclum, I had to study and read the book in order to get better understand. That was why I was so fussy about networking. Would I say he is a bad teacher?? No, I think he was off track because he was preparing us for the Cisco course. Maybe he just need a little help in teaching but defintely he had the work experince. He was good in explainating things and showed us how to make cables, router configuration, and looked at patch panel and looked at switches, configure DHCP.
The class length was short only 10 sundays classes but I lovedthat course.

I ended up to read my network+ book to see what exactly would be in networking. That's why I have not taken my network+ exam yet since some I did not understand and plus I am in Cisco course now, I want to concentrate this course first. I will find my time to take network+ exam later.

Thank your for your response

azimuth40

2004-05-21, 1:34 pm

quote:
Originally posted by confuse

Are you telling me that the presentation my instructor gave us was from Cisco Academy?? Maybe it was. I dont think he would compose all these presentations himself. However, as a student where I am now, I rather to have a teacher to tell me what is the real world like, what would some of the problems you would run into and how would you deal with it. Something that is out of the textbook.

I had the network+ course few months again. This instructor seemed to have real work life experience and he did tell us what the real world like. He showed us how to make cables and show us how to configure DHCP, how to configure routers and explained the RIP and IGRP on the board and subnetting but he did not cover the whole network+ curuilum. I felt his class was preparing me to this Cisco class which I am in now since I understand better.

Thank your for your response

On your Cisco question, I think that you already know the answer. If he had to read it then he did not write it.

Yes Cisco has prepared lesson plans and material. So does Microsoft, it is called MIC but it is not nearly as strict as Cisco. That is because there is no log onto Cisco corporate and do it our way component.

Seriously though the Academy is quite controlled and you are not allowed to change anything legally. You probably could get through the academy with no instructor at all if the style of writing used by Cisco is easy for you. You just google the things that you don't understand or search the Cisco site for additional info.

Network+ on the other hand is general networking. The instructor hat to have a wider background in networking. Just because you finish the academy does not mean that you can walk in and pass the Network+ as there are still a few gaps. It is not a hard test just different, I don't remember studying for it at all but I had practical experience with all the objectives.

The academy is based on a world where other products do not exist so a few holes are left. Then again many will tell you that the academy does not prepare you to pass the CCNA either. People that fail the test tend to be very upset over this.

confuse

2004-05-21, 4:43 pm

Some people said if you get through the Cisco course, network+ exam would be easier since Cisco seems to be overlap network+ materials.

Well, but then again it probably all depends on individual. I find Cisco is step further than network+. If I need to take the network + exam, I would have to discard what I learn from cisco and just concentrate what network+ said. For example, FTP port in network+ was 21 only but then in Cisco FTP port is 20 and 21. Like the devices in network+ layer is different than devices in Cisco layer since a device in layer 1 can be in layer 2 and layer 3 whereas layer 1 in network+ is just in layer 1. Am I clear about this?

Cisco's online materials seem understandabel to me so far. Of course, it would be much helpful if the instructor could explain better. It is truth you dont need a instructor for the cisco adcamy but it is helpful to have one if the one is helpful.

Can people just join the online Cisco Adcamy without real instuctor???????

smrkdown

2004-05-21, 8:44 pm

Is it imperative that you join the Cisco Academy? Speaking from my own experience and preference, self-studying with a few books and a few routers and switches is the best way to go. It's cheaper, quicker, more efficient and more personal in my opinion.

ciscopagina

2004-05-25, 12:03 pm

hey, i know a place to go...

maybe you can look for help from fellow-cisco netacad students at netacad forums.

nice little forumsite, completely for cisco netacad. not a answersite, just a forum!

you can find it at http://www.netacadforums.tk

it is free and you may find people who can solve your problems and answer your questions or give you the support you need...

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