Welcome to CCNA 1

Cisco CCNA 1 Introduction

The Cisco CCNA certification is the most well known computer networking certification in the industry. I recommend a Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching course of study. The Cisco Academy Curriculum in particular for anyone who wants to learn about computer networking. It is the best foundation for learning about network communication protocols, network addressing including IPv4 and IPv6, subnetting, routing, switching, VLANs and more!

I have taught the Cisco CCNA curriculum, as a Cisco Academy instructor for over 14 years. The Cisco Academy offers 4 courses that together map to the Cisco CCNA certification exam. The current exam is the 200-120 CCNA which has a stronger emphasis on IPv6. All of the students that sign up for a class through the college will be automatically enrolled in the Cisco Academy, and all Cisco Academy students will have access to online curriculum as well as the latest version of Packet Tracer. Packet Tracer is a program for creating simulated networked environments, complete with functioning routers, switches, and endpoint hosts.

Most of all, the Cisco Academy releases regular version updates to their CCNA Routing and Switching curriculum and the recently updated curriculum coincides with the new 200-125, CCNA Routing and Switching exam. The new curriculum covers new exam topics such as, IPv6, VTP, LLDP, eBGP, PPPoE, QoS, SNMPv3, NTP, DMVPN, SPAN, SDN, virtualization and Cloud computing.

CCNA 1 – Course Materials

As a Cisco Networking Academy student, all of the course materials are available through the Academy website learning management system. Including the complete text, the Packet Tracer network simulator, interactive activities, multiple choice exams, and plenty of labs with complete step-by-step instructions. If you prefer a paper copy of the text you can purchase it online from Cisco Press or Amazon. Make sure you order a current version of the text. Here is a link to the text
at Cisco Press and the ISBN number:

Introduction to Networks Companion Guide: Print ISBN: 978-1-58713-316-9, eBook: ISBN: 978-0-13347-544-9

Class Availability

• Where can I enroll in a class?
  I recommend looking for a Cisco Academy nearest you. That way, you take an in-person class, and get to work on physical equipment within the classroom environment. Finally, I teach the Cisco CCNA through Central Oregon Community College. The CCNA 1 class begins in the Fall quarter with CCNA2 and CCN3/4 following in the Winter and Spring respectively. Sign up for a class! You can even attend remotely online. Look for new student registration information at http://www.cocc.edu.
• Where can I do my labs?.
  Some labs are done in class, some labs are done at home using Packet Tracer, and some labs are done by remotely by connecting to the CIS Department Netlab+ server.
• I am an online student, and I can’t come to the lab?
  If you are an online student, I recommend that you login to Blackboard and attend class online using the Blackboard Collaborate video conference tool. The class is always available through video conference and each class is recorded for downloading or streaming at a later date.
• How do I turn in assignments?
  Students take exams online through the Cisco Netacad website and learning management system. Labwork and homework is turned in through Blackboard or the Netacad website.
• How are assignments graded?
  I grade on a point system. Every week you have the opportunity to
  earn points from chapter exams and chapter labs. At the end of the class there is a cumulative multiple choice final exam as well as a hands-on lab final.

Author: Dan

Dan teaches computer networking and security classes at Central Oregon Community College. View all posts by Dan