Cisco Networking Courses

AIM Institute offers a variety of Cisco Networking Academy® courses to help your school deliver cutting-edge network technology courses to your students.  Cisco's "Discovery" and "Exploration" Networking Courses (equivalent to 280 hours of instruction) provide students with a basic foundation in networking.  While these two strands of curriculum both offer challenging content, the "Discovery" series is written for high school delivery and "Exploration" is more suited for post-secondary institutions.  Students who successfully complete all four semesters of either course are eligible to take Cisco's certification exam to earn the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA®) certification.

CCNA Discovery

CCNA Discovery is primarily designed for Cisco Networking Academy® students who are looking for career-oriented, IT-skills instruction or a quick path to job entry and career exploration. The curriculum is composed of four courses:

• Networking for Home and Small Businesses 
• Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP 
• Introducing Routing and Switching in the Enterprise 
• Designing and Supporting Computer Networks
  

Networking for Home and Small Businesses is the first course and has no prerequisites. It is a prerequisite for the other three courses. The courses should be taken sequentially. 

The CCNA Discovery curriculum prepares students for two different Cisco certification exams. After completing the first two courses (Networking for Home and Small Businesses and Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP), a student has the option to take the CCENT™ (Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician) exam. CCENT certifies the practical skills required for entry-level IT positions. In addition, this certification demonstrates a student’s aptitude and competence to work in an environment that features Cisco networking devices and software. CCENT certification is an optional first step toward earning the Cisco CCNA industry-standard certification for networking careers. After completing all four CCNA Discovery courses, students will be prepared to take the CCNA certification exam. 

• Network Fundamentals
• Routing Protocols and Concepts
• LAN Switching and Wireless
• Accessing the WAN

Network Fundamentals is the first course and it has no prerequisites. It is a prerequisite for the other three courses.  Routing Protocols and Concepts is the preferred second course in the sequence, but variations are possible depending on your institution's need. LAN Switching and Wireless can be taught before Routing Protocols and Concepts, or concurrently. Network Fundamentals, Routing Protocols and Concepts, and LAN Switching and Wireless are all prerequisites for Accessing the WAN.   After completing all four challenging CCNA Exploration courses, students will be prepared to take the CCNA certification exam. 

PC Hardware and Software Support Courses 

AIM Institute offers a variety of Cisco Networking Academy® courses to help your school deliver the latest courses in PC repair technologies. Cisco's "IT Essentials" Courses provide students with a solid background in PC repair, PC troubleshooting, and software installation skills.  Students who successfully complete these one-semester courses are eligible to take CompTIA's "A+" industry-recognized certification exam.

• Build a computer, install motherboard, floppy and hard drives, CD-ROM, video card
• Laptop configuration, connectivity, and maintenance
• Computer system security, local policy development, wireless systems
• Installing and managing Windows operating systems
• Adding peripherals and multimedia capabilities
• Knowledge of local-area network architecture, networking protocols, and TCP/IP utilities
• Connecting the computer to a local area network and to the Internet
• Know basic administrative tasks with Windows 2000, XP
• Provides preparation for CompTIA A+ certification exam
• Computer ethics, professional communication, information privacy

• IT Field Technician (220-602)
• Remote Support Technician (220-603)
• Bench Technician (220-604)