What are some of the benefits that the Cisco Networking Academy program can
provide to schools and institutions of higher education?
The Cisco Networking Academy Program Market Report [PDF 95K] highlights the
application of the Cisco Networking Academy program to high schools,
technical schools, community colleges, and universities. The Cisco
Networking Academy program provides the opportunity to obtain two levels of
certification, Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) and Cisco
Certified Networking Professional (CCNP). Both certifications are designed
to meet employment standards for the networking industry.
What are the requirements to be a Regional Academy?
Please download the Regional Academy Requirements Factsheet [PDF 19K].
What are the requirements to be a Local Academy?
Please download the Local Academy Requirements Factsheet [PDF 20K]
What is the difference between a Regional Academy and a Local Academy?
Regional Academies have administrative responsibilities for managing ten
Local Academies; they designate a full-time employee to manage the
Networking Academy Program; and they attend Cisco training and in turn train
their Local Academy instructors. Regional Academies track the equipment
inventory of their Local Academies and answer curriculum questions or refer
them back to the Cisco Networking Academy team. They also deal directly with
the Cisco Networking Academy team.
Local Academies are responsible for having trained instructors who teach the
curriculum to students; these instructors supervise students as they design,
build, and maintain their school's network.
Can a Local Academy exist without a Regional Academy to support it?
No. Regional Academies provide many services to Local Academies such that
Locals cannot exist without a supporting Regional.
Why do Local Academies have to commit to four semesters of classes?
If they don't teach all four semesters, students won't learn all the skills
needed to properly support a TCP/IP Ethernet routed and switched network.
They also won't learn everything they need to be prepared to take the Cisco
Certified Networking Associate exam. Cisco wants to avoid offering
incomplete programs.
How are the Regional Academy instructors trained?
Regional Academy instructors are trained by Cisco. The first semester
training is eight days, the second semester training session lasts five
days, and the third and fourth semesters combined is six days.
Where is the training for the Regional Academy instructors held?
Current training sessions are held in Arizona, Minnesota, North Carolina,
California, Florida, and Wisconsin.
How are the Local Academy instructors/teachers trained?
Local Academy instructors/teachers are trained by their Regional Academy
trainers.
Who pays travel costs and expenses for the Regional Academy instruction?
The Regional Academy pays any travel costs and expenses for up to two
instructors from their Regional Academy to attend training. These costs are
passed on to the Local Academies.
May I see a sample of the curriculum?
A sample module of semester one as well as an outline of the four semesters
of curriculum are available on the Web site ( [url]www.cisco.com/edu[/url]).
Do Cisco people install new hardware/software for the Academy, free of
charge?
In the training that Cisco gives, Regional Academies are shown how to set up
the equipment that is part of the next semester curriculum. The instructors
are shown everything they need to install for that upcoming semester. Cisco
also provides phone assistance in setting up the lab to Regional Academies
who have attended training. Regionals in turn provide assistance to their
Local Academies.
May we receive a list of the other pilot schools so we can contact them and
see how they have made use of the materials and with what success?
Yes. Contact your local Cisco education account manager.
Are there any prerequisites for the Cisco Networking Academy curriculum,
either for the students or for the Regional or Local Academy instructors?
The curriculum assumes no prior knowledge of computers or networks. An
eighth grade reading and math proficiency is expected, as well as a desire
to learn the curriculum.
What is the status of getting the Networking Academy curriculum approved by
State Education Organizations?
Each state has different requirements for curriculum approval. Cisco is not
currently engaged in any efforts on its own to gain statewide certification
of the curriculum, but we are interested in working with a champion or
champions in each state to help us achieve appropriate approval(s).
Are the four courses aimed at being three credits each, and are they
sequential in nature; in other words, is the first course the prerequisite
for the second, which in turn is the prerequisite for the third, and so on?
They are prerequisite based and are sequential. The courses are designed to
be taught one hour a day, five days a week, but the setup can be changed to
accommodate block class scheduling.
Are the courses designed to contain any particular number of students per
section?
Cisco's only requirement is that there be no more than three students per
computer. The optimum is 20 students, but it's possible to have 30, and some
even have 35.
Are the students expected to print manuals from the Web, or do they purchase
manuals separately?
You wouldn't want to print this curriculum from the Web, since so much of it
is interactive with quicktime movies and animation. The materials that are
on line are presently meeting teachers' and students' needs.
What kind of controls are there on course materials?
The Regional Academy has no way of controlling what a student does with the
materials after they leave school property.
Are the materials copyrighted?
The curriculum is copyrighted. Course materials and handouts are treated
like any other type of curriculum would be treated.
Is there any maximum on the number of sections of a Cisco course we can
offer?
No. You can offer it as many times as you want, And if you decide that you
need a second lab, you may purchase or lease one.
Can we use part of a Cisco course in some existing course that we already
offer, such as a concepts course of some kind?
If it's to give an overview to solicit student interest, it's possible.
Cisco doesn't want schools to say "We're going to take your curriculum and
put it into already existing curriculum and call that the class." From an
interest standpoint, it's fine to give some basic overview material, but it
can't replace the need to teach the entire curriculum.
Can the Regional Academy use the materials for training its administrative
or IS staff, or are the Cisco courses for academic use only?
It can't be the only use of the curriculum, but having IS staff that are
trained using the same curriculum is ideal. Staff members familiar with the
curriculum could act as mentors to the students.
Are there any restrictions on the use of Cisco courses as a standalone
"certificate" vs. being part of the requirements for a two-year degree
program (which would have additional requirements, of course)?
People who want to go into the training business are welcome to apply to be
a Cisco Training Partner. Cisco's training group wants to add training
partners. But Cisco doesn't want the academies to become competitors with
local training partners by teaching accelerated courses. This curriculum has
been specifically designed and task analyzed for delivery in an academic,
semester environment; Cisco wouldn't want someone to try to re-engineer that
setup into a five-day-per-week, eight-hour-per-day workshop. The courses in
the training partner environment are specifically geared toward that.
What is the name of the Cisco certification that students who complete the
four Cisco courses and pass the certification exam earn?
Cisco Certified Networking Associate.
How do we keep our grades and tests safe from students who are working on
maintaining our network?
The Networking Academy tests are to be kept on a separate Zip cartridge and
inserted in the Cisco Micro Webserver only on test day, and then removed.
Also, it is assumed that any secure data within the school is kept on a
computer that has security installed on it, such as user ID and password
protection.
Do students do any wire pulling in this class?
Yes, students pull wire in the lab and within the school if union and
insurance issues allow it. The students should get as much experience in
this area as possible.
I am a high school student and I want this curriculum offered at my school;
how can I get one started?
To get an academy started in your school, talk to your school's computer
teacher, IS manager, principal, or vice-principal. Direct them to the Web
site ( [url]www.cisco.com/edu[/url]) to get more information and to fill out the form to
apply to become a Cisco Networking Academy.
I am a post-high school student and want to take these classes; how can I?
Call your local community colleges (computer science, career training,
computer networking departments) to see if they are a Cisco Networking
Academy. If not, tell them they should be one and direct them to the Web
Thurgood Marshall Academic High School
Thurgood Marshall Academic High School (TMAHS) was established in 1994 in
the economically underdeveloped southeast corner of San Francisco. Focusing
on a math, science, and engineering curriculum, the magnet school gives
students a rigorous course of academic study with an abundance of college-
prep math, science, and English classes plus three semesters of computer and
technology electives.
The Cisco Networking Academy curriculum has been integrated into one of
three areas for concentrated study selected by all TMAHS students after they
reach their junior year. Juniors take Cisco I and II, and seniors complete
the program with Cisco III and IV, supplemented by projects and courses in
related engineering disciplines. "This is above and beyond what we normally
do, but we thought this was an incredible opportunity for the kids," says
Frezzo.
According to Jai Gosine, another Academy teacher at TMAHS, "Certification is
the biggest benefit" for the school's nearly 70 Cisco Networking Academy
students, who are spread among three classes. "Potential employers of
students who earn their Cisco Certified Networking Associate status will
feel comfortable hiring them," he says, "because they'll know these students
have acquired a set of practical, valuable skills."
The Academy is also project-based, with students addressing challenges drawn
from the real world of networking - and finding solutions that work, not
only in theory but in the model networks built and tested in the lab.
"A lot of people use these clichés, but they're really true," says Frezzo,
"The old style of teaching was 'the sage on the stage.' Now we're trying to
be the 'guide on the side,' helping in counseling and problem solving.
Senior Ricky Jackson notes, "The lessons aren't based on homework or tests
so much. We do more hands-on work."
The project-based learning format helps truly instill skills that otherwise
might be forgotten soon after the final exam, Jai Gosine explains. "A
student's level of learning is determined by the form of assessment. In our
case, it's not how much they can regurgitate, but how much they can do."
Adds Frezzo: "Projects provide the ultimate in performance assessments. Was
the job complete? Did the network work, with no excuses?"
For Jenica Lee, a TMAHS senior with tentative plans to pursue computer
science in college, the interactive, project-based format of the Academy
helps students develop into problem solvers. "I think you learn more,
because you encounter problems and have to work through them to figure out
the solution," Lee observes. "It's also more fun."
The pride is evident in Ricky Jackson's voice as he describes how during
their first full semester in the Academy he and 23 fellow team members
"wired the San Jose Convention Center for the California Community Colleges
in Education Foundation Technology Conference. Die-hard students on the
project began early on a Sunday, working eight hours with teachers and Cisco
mentors to provide state-of-the-art high-speed Internet access to vendor
booths and seminar rooms.
"Vendors, presenters, and the Foundation found it to be an invaluable
service," remarked David Springett, the foundation's president. "Cisco's
partnership with the high school students demonstrated how private
industry's active involvement in education can advance students' skills and
future prospects."
"In the advanced courses, the spirit of the curriculum is to make the
network self sustaining and apprentice students to the school district,"
Gosine says. "There's no way school districts have enough money to hire the
expertise they're going to need to maintain stable networks. This is a way
to accomplish that goal. It's a win for everyone involved."
Academy students also will be applying their skills in local middle and
elementary schools, which "makes the vision of 'Internet everywhere' more
attainable," Frezzo says.
Cisco Academy Recent News
Cisco Kids: High School Networking Classes Pay off
Shanley Rhodes, InfoWorld Electric
Like many high school graduates about to embark on a four-year college
education, 18-year-old Tameca Smith spent last summer earning money for the
coming year's expenses. But unlike other recent graduates, Smith was not
flipping burgers or watching over the pool. Instead, she was helping train
high-school teachers from across southeastern North Carolina about the basic
principles of networking. (1998)
Time Warner Announces First Corporate Sponsorship of Cisco Systems'
Networking Academy Program
Company Press Release, Business Wire
Time Warner Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. have signed a groundbreaking
agreement to establish programs at 10 New York City public high schools that
will teach students to design, build and maintain computer networks, leading
to high-paying jobs in the private sector. (9/28/98)