IT Essentials 7.

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Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated 16 July 2019

Q. What are the main features of the Cisco Networking Academy® IT Essentials 7 curriculum?
A. This course covers the fundamentals of computer and mobile devices hardware and software as well as advanced
concepts. Students who complete this course will be able to describe the internal components of a computer,
assemble a computer system, install an operating system, and troubleshoot using system tools and diagnostic
software. Students will also be able to configure devices to connect to the Internet and Cloud services.

New topics in this version include:

● Windows 10 and Chrome OS

● RADIUS and TACACS
● DoS, DDOS and Rainbow table
● Remote access technologies
● Cloud-based network controllers and Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN)
● DHCP reservations and IPv6 link-local addresses
● QR scanners, VR headsets and signature pads
● 3D printers and plastic filament
● Virtual desktop, NIC, applications and streaming/cloud-based applications
Assessments include chapter, checkpoint, practice final, and practice certification exams. Diagnostic feedback is
available for all assessments to support learning and remediation.

IT Essentials 7 is available on the Cisco Networking Academy website, netacad.com.

Q. What features and benefits does the Networking Academy website offer?
A. Features and benefits available in the Cisco Networking Academy learning environment include:

● Cloud based environment so learning material can be accessed anytime.

● Curriculum can be accessed on mobile devices for convenience
● New and improved user interface experience
◦ Easy to use, intuitive navigation
◦ Improved search, bookmarking and navigation
● Course management flexibility for instructors
◦ Ability to add course content, including videos, documents, and links
◦ Ability to add assignments
◦ Ability to modify, add, and reorder quizzes
◦ Ability to reorder course chapters
● Communication and collaboration tools, including groups, discussion threads, and course calendar with automatic
notifications

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Q. What features and benefits does the curriculum offer?
A. Course features and benefits include the following:
● Students develop working knowledge of how computers operate and how to assemble them.
● Students gain confidence in working with the components of desktop and laptop computers by learning the
proper procedures for hardware and software installations, upgrades, and troubleshooting.
● Learning materials and labs feature new and updated relevant topics including the Microsoft Windows operating
system, mobile platform delivery capabilities, client side virtualization, and expanded networking and
troubleshooting information.
● Hands-on labs help students develop critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills.
● Cisco® Packet Tracer simulation-based learning activities promote the exploration of networking and network
security concepts and allow students to experiment with network behavior.
● Online assessments provide immediate feedback to support the evaluation of knowledge and acquired skills.

Q. Will IT Essentials 7.0 help students prepare for the new CompTIA A+ certification?
A. Yes, IT Essentials version 7.0 aligns with the two new CompTIA A+ exams Core1 (220-1001) and Core2 (220-1002)

Q. How many assessments are included in IT Essentials 7.0?

A. IT Essentials 7 contains the following assessments:
● 1 pre-test
● 14 chapter exams
● 1 mid-term practice exan and one mid-term final exam (Chapters 1-9)
● 1 practice final exam and one final exal (Chapters 10-14)
● 1 comprehensive practice final and one final exam (Chapters 1-14)
● 2 hands-on skills assessment, one for chapters 1-9 and one for chapters 10-14
● 5 checkpoin exams
● 2 Certification Practice Exams, one for A+ Core1 and one for A+ Core2
● In total, the course includes more than 1,000 questions to measure student’s content mastery.

Q. Will ITE7 incorporate any mechanism to prevent exam cheating?

A. Yes, ITE 7 will incorporate for the first time and for all exams the concepts of dynamic forms. Items are dynamically pulled
from a pool of items thus students will receive a different exam. Sections may contain more items than are actually
delivered during testing to aid in maintaining exam integrity and validity and making even more difficult for students to
cheat. Because final exams are summative assessments, items will be statistically balanced but continue to be dynamic.

Q. What are the equipment requirements?

A. The complete equipment list can be found in the Equipment Lists by Curriculum folder. To access this folder, sign
into netacad.com, from the menu select Resources > Marketing and Program Resources > Equipment
Information, then from the first paragraph click Equipment Lists by Curriculum to access the IT Essentials
equipment list.

Q. Do the IT Essentials 7 labs support remote access through NDG’s NETLAB+ solution?
A. The new ITE lab topology is compatible with the NETLAB+ solution and enabled for remote operation. Most of the ITE
7 labs will be able to be completed utilizing NETLAB+ when they become available, expected in Oct/Nov 2019. To
learn more, visit the NETLAB+ Cisco Networking Academy support site.

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Q. What are the prerequisites for this course?
A. There are no prerequisites.

Q. Is instructor training required to teach ITE 7 for current ITE 6 instructors?

A. Instructor training is not required for current ITE version 6 instructors. However, we do recommend that instructors
become familiar with the instructor resources available. To access these resources, sign into netacad.com select
Resources > Course Resources > IT Essentials, and select your language to open the IT Essentials resources
folder.

Q. Is an Instructor Fast Track training option available?

A. Yes, an Instructor Fast Track option is available for IT Essentials 7 through Instructor Training Centers. New
instructors with prior subject matter knowledge are eligible for this option if they meet one or more of the following
criteria:
● Hold a current, valid CompTIA A+ certification
● Formal evidence of industry experience
● Formal evidence of having taught two classes in the subject area

Q. What instructor resources are available?

A. Instructor resources include the following:
● Release notes highlighting updates from ITE 6.0 and new content in ITE 7
● Instructor PowerPoint presentations
● Instructor labs and Packet Tracer activities instructions source files
● Student labs and Packet Tracer activities instructions source files
● Skills assessment with answer key

Q. Where can I find the Instructor planning guides?

A. For ITE 6.0, the planning guides were combined with the instructor PowerPoint presentations, and these are called
“Instructor Materials”

Q. Where can I find the student and instructor lab manuals and activities PDF files?
A. For ITE 6.0, we provide all the student and instructor source files in an editable format. Academies and instructors
can use them to create any necessary file or manual for their class according to their requirements.

Q. How can I create my PDF if I don’t have MS Word to view the source files?
A. The source files are provided in Microsoft Word format but there are many free Office Suites that can be used to
open the files and even convert them to PDF. Some examples are Libre Office and Open Office.

Q. Is there a downloadable option for ITE 7?

A. Yes, there is a downloadable version of the ITE 7 course, but you will first need to create a class to access it. The
link can be found in the Instructor Home page file by clicking the Course Downloadable option. You will be
prompted to complete a survey and agree with the course downloadable requirements.

Q. Where can I find information on how to use Packet Tracer?

A. Packet Tracer resources are available in the Packet Tracer resources folder. To access this folder, sign into
netacad.com, select Resources > Packet Tracer and scroll to the bottom of the page to open the resources folder.

Q. Will IT Essentials 7 be translated?

A. Yes, Cisco plans to translate the IT Essentials 7 course into French, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese
and Spanish. Translated curricula in these languages will be released in the Nov 2019 -Mar 2020 timeframe.
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Q. When will the Cisco Press books be available?
A. The Cisco Press books will be available shortly after the release of the course, as noted in the below table.

Cisco Press Book ISBN Number Availability

IT Essentials Course Booklet, v7 Print only: ISBN 9780135612163 Nov 2019

IT Essentials Lab Manual, v7 Print only: ISBN 9780135645376 Dec 2019 / Jan 2020

IT Essentials Companion Guide v7 Print: ISBN 9780135612033 Dec 2019 / Jan 2020
eBook: ISBN

Q. When will the IT Essentials 6 English language course be retired?

All academies are encouraged to migrate to IT Essentials 7 as soon as possible to take advantage of the updated
course content and align with the new CompTIA A+ certification. The end-of-life dates for version 6 in English is as
follows:

Course Language Last Class Start Date

IT Essentials 6 English July 31, 2020

Q. When will the IT Essentials 6 translated language courses be retired?

A. All academies are encouraged to migrate to IT Essentials v6 as soon as possible to take advantage of the updated
course content and align with the new CompTIA A+ certification.

The ITE 6 end-of-life dates for translated languages will be announced when each language is released.

Q. Will the Virtual Desktop and Virtual Laptop simulations tools be available in IT Essentials 7?
A. The Virtual Laptop and Virtual Desktop were standalone tools designed to supplement classroom learning and
provide an interactive "hands-on" experience in learning environments with limited physical equipment more than 10
years ago, unfortunately they no longer represent correctly existing hardware or provide proper simulation to prepare
students for real job scenarios. Both tools as well as support for them has been discontinued.

Q. What revisions have been made to the CompTIA A+ certification exams?

A. For changes on the CompTIA A+ exams please visit their website

Q. What are the recommended browsers for IT Essentials 7?

A. It performance is best with the two most recent versions of the following browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome,
and Internet Explorer.

Q. Are certificates of completion and letters of merit available for IT Essentials 7?

A. Yes, ITE 7 offers a certificate of completion that can be signed by the instructor and a letter of merit signed by Cisco
CEO Chuck Robbins but please consider that the requirements to obtain them differ. The requirements are:

• Certificate of completion: it’s available to all students who successfully approve the course and marked as
complete by the instructor in the grade book.
• Letter of merit: to become eligible to receive the letter, the student must successfully approve the course, be
marked as complete by the instructor in the grade book and score 75 percent or higher on the final exam.

Instructors can print and sign certificates for students by clicking the “Course Details” icon for the course on the
Teach tab and clicking “Get all Letters and Certificates” button on the right side.

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www.netacad.com