Buenas practicas

Best Practices*

Ideas to help you when
Implementing Best Practices in the
Cisco Network Academy Program

Submitted by
Sharon J. Bolster, Ph.D. and Marilynn D. Henley, Ph. D.

*This handout is a draft. Please make suggestions and comments to sbolster@cybconnect.com or mhenley@cybconnect.com.

Best Practices Introduction

Best Practices have always been an important component in theCNAP. Short explanations were included in the old Teachers’ Guide 1.50 and are now included in the preface for each semester. The following quote comes from the preface of Semester 1 version 2.1:

A list of Academy Best Teaching Practices has been compiled. It is imperative that you use a wide variety of these Best Practices to present the Cisco Networking Academy Curriculum; thesepractices have been demonstrated to be successful with a wide variety of learners. The Best Practices include Challenges, Design Activities, Graphical Organizers, Group Work, Journals, Kinesthetic Activities, Lab Exams, Mini-Lectures, Online Study, Oral Exams, Portfolios, Presentations, Rubrics, Study Guides, Troubleshooting, and Web Research…Note that lecture (and PowerPoint or other such leader-ledpresentations) comprises just a tiny fraction of how Cisco intends the curriculum to be presented. The subject matter, our goals for our graduates, and good pedagogy all dictate that a mixture of these Best Practices be used. Especially important are the hands-on labs and lab exams, project-based learning (challenges), and troubleshooting. For example, all Academies are required to have theirstudents build simple LANs, use multimeters and cable test meters, terminate Cat 5 Cabling, and perform a Structured Cabling Project as part of their first semester skill-building.

Feedback from instructor trainees indicates that the greater use of Best Practices means better comprehension of the concepts. The Best Practices provide a variety of opportunities to learn as explained through thefollowing:

• “See” the processes through kinesthetic activities;
• Apply the processes through labs, challenges, troubleshooting, presentations, etc.;
• Obtain the knowledge through online study, mini-lectures, and discussion;
• Think about the processes and concepts through study guides, reflection, portfolios, and journals;
• Organize the components and ideas through graphicalorganizers, presentations, and study guides; and
• Discuss ideas and concepts with others through group work.

This handout contains additional information to assist you in understanding and applying the Best Practices. The handout has three components.

The first component has a short explanation of Bloom’s Taxonomy as it is applied to CNAP.

The second component is a chart that demonstratesthe main and secondary purposes of each Best Practice as well as the class structure generally used during implementation.

The third component is an expanded explanation of most of the Best Practices. Each explanation has a description, a brief statement of research, some implementation ideas and a rubric for assessing the quality of the trainee/student work.

• The following Best Practicesare included:
• Challenges
• Graphic Organizers
• Group Work
• Journals
• Kinesthetic Activities
• Lab Exams/Activities
• Mini-Lecture
• Portfolios
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Presentations
• Reflection
• Rubrics
• Troubleshooting/problem solving

It is important that the CATC and Regional Academy instructors use and understand the Best Practices, as they are the linkto the Local Academy instructors who work directly with students. The students will have a more effective educational opportunity if Best Practices are used to assist their learning.

The handout is a draft and a beginning of the support that will be offered regarding Best Practices. Any suggestions or comments are welcome.

6/00 Educational Cyberconnections Inc.
Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s...