ProCert Labs Rating:
IC3 (Certiport IC3)
Pros:
This course offers wonderful interactive video training and excellent
multimedia-based labs.
Cons:
This course does not include course prerequisites.
Essay:
This
course is designed to prepare you to better understand computer hardware,
software, typical applications, and how to function well on the Internet, as
well as prepare you to take and pass the IC3 certification exams.
The
course offers lab exercises or simulations to give you as much practice as you
desire. The main menu is intuitive making navigation very easy and painless.
The course offers an accurate glossary and index, both being key instructional
design pieces.
The
lab exercises effectively simulate a real computer screen experience, giving
you the opportunity to virtually accomplish key tasks and learn valuable skills
for the IC3 exams and for real-world computer work.
This
course does not provide you with a list of prerequisites skills that you should
have prior to taking this course. IC3 courses provide instruction for a variety
of different types of students, depending on your level of experience and skill
base. Some IC3 courses are better suited for students that are quite
comfortable and familiar with computer hardware, software, applications, and
the Internet. To avoid confusion as to the depth and breadth of understanding
expected of you in any particular IC3 course, the use of course prerequisites
is recommended.
The
enthusiasm of the video instructor is contagious. Listening to her as she works
through a variety of tasks and lists key concepts and ideas is an effective and
engaging way to learn.
This
course provides you with a sound foundation of skills and knowledge to help you
become IC3 certified. The video interaction and lab simulations make is
especially engaging and interesting.
Network+
Pros:
The primary benefit of this course is that it will successfully prepare
students for the Network+ exam. The combination of the instructor's style of
teaching, the instructor's knowledge of the content, and the ability to review
and replay segments of the instruction over is the greatest benefit to any
student using this course.
Cons:
There
are two negative factors of this course. This course fails to list both the
pre-requisites for the course and the exam objectives for the Network+
certification exam.
Essay:
This
Network+ course consists of four CDs designed to prepare individuals to pass
the Network+ certification exam.
This
course performs well in the instructional design and exam objective correlation
sections. This course contain a pretest and a postest, a great index, and well
designed instruction. This course also meets close to 100 percent of the exam
objectives for the Network+ exam.
This
course contains many outstanding elements. Both the content and the CBT
interface are designed well. The instructor makes the topics easy to follow and
understand. The instructor creates a relaxed and informative learning
environment that adds to a positive learning environment. The navigational
features of the CBT interface are intuitive and create a sense of easy when
accessing information. The labs are written exercises in the same format as the
Network+ exam which will help prepare students for the certification exam. The
pretest and posttest help students determine their knowledge level and
preparedness for the exam. The questions on these tests are also written in the
same format as the Network+ exam. All of these features greatly benefit the
student and will prepare them to successfully pass the Network+ certification
exam.
The
shortcomings of this course are the absence of a list of pre-requisites and
certificaton objectives. Pre-requisites help students determine their own
ability and need to take the course. The certification objectives help guide
the learner to content that is more geared to the certification exam than to
content that is considered extra information in the course.
This
course consists of 4 CDs. Each CD is considered a session. Each session is led
by a knowledgeable instructor who provides many examples and demonstrations to
enhance the learning environment. This course is much like sitting in a
classroom with an instructor. The CBT interface is easy to use and allows you
to access the content quickly. The interface provides an index that tracks your
progress through each topic allowing you to skip around the content, rewind the
content, and replay any video clip. The content flows very well. Each topic
builds on the previous information and gradually builds from a beginners's
level to an intermediate level. The navigational features on the CBT interface
are also easy to use and self-explanatory.
This
Network+ course delivers the required certification information in a well
taught and organized manner. This course would be a great assest to any student
preparing for the Network+ certification. This course is as close to a
classroom environment as a CBT can get.
This
course would be improved by adding the Network+ exam objectives and correlating
the objectives to the topics or heading in the course. This would guide the
student in their preparation for the exam.
I
would highly recommend this course because it provides most of the information
necessary to pass the Network+ certification exam in a well thoughtout and very
informative manner.
I
would not recommend this course because it does not provide the Network+ exam
objectives to the student.
I
would supplement this course with more practice exam questions.
This
course does not contain any pre-requisites with the course description. Consider
adding a brief list to the back of each CD case cover.
Consider
modifying the interface in the labs so that it is easier to determine if the
student provided the correct answer or not. For me, the small
"Incorrect" and the color it appeared in made it more difficult to
determine if I had given the correct response. When I gave an incorrect
response, I thought the CBT had frozen up on me because I didn't see anything
different in the interface that caught my attention.
