Competency Test for CIS 120A

Identify the following computer sizes along with suitability and limitations to applications:
- PDA
- Notebook/Laptop
- Desktop
- Minicomputer/Midrange computer
- Mainframe computer
- Supercomputer
Identify the following application software and explain how they increase personal productivity:
- Word processing
- Electronic spreadsheets
- Presentation management
- Database management
- Email
- Image editing
- Personal finance
- Groupware
- Web authoring
Explain how the following hardware work:
- Input
  - Keyboard
  - Pointing devices
  - Voice/audio
  - Scanners (image, OCR and bar code)
  - OMR
- Output
  - Monitors (CRT, LCD, Plasma)
  - Printers
  - Audio
  - Quality (Resolution, Dot-Pitch)
- Processing
  - Motherboard
  - Memory (RAM, ROM, BIOS, CMOS, Registers, Pipelining)
  - CPU(ALU and Control)
  - IC
  - Clock Speed
  - Ports (serial, parallel, USB and Firewire)
  - Cards (NIC, sound, video and modem)
  - Binary concept, bits and bytes, ASCII and EBCDIC
- Storage
  - Hard disk
  - Floppy
  - Zip disk
  - Thumb/Flash drive
  - Removable hard drive
  - CD ( CD-R and CD-RW)
  - DVD (DVD-R and DVD-RW)
  - Tape
  - Storage measurements (Kilo, Mega and Giga)
Explain how the following system software work:
- Language Translation
- Utilities
- Operating Systems
  - Types: PC-base and client/server
  - Booting
  - Kernel
  - Interfaces: GUI and command line
  - Program Management: Multitasking, Multiprocessing and Fault tolerant
  - Memory Management: Virtual Memory and Paging/Swapping
  - Job Management: Buffers, Spooling and Queues
  - Device Management: Drivers and Plug and Play
Explain how the following are used for systems design and implementation:
- Stages in systems development life cycle
- Prototyping
- Stages in software development
- Commonly used programming languages and related applications
- Computer professionals
  - Data entry operator
  - Computer operator
  - Computer programmer
  - Systems analyst
  - Network administrator
  - Database administrator
  - Management information systems (MIS) director
  - Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Networking
- Understand the purpose of network login procedures
- Definition of local area network (LAN) versus wide area network (WAN)
- Define a network interface card (NIC) and how one is used on a LAN
- Define a modem and how one is used on a WAN
- Explain how the modem uses analog signaling to transmit binary data
- Define broadband versus baseband transmissions
- Define a router/gateway and how used at home or in a small office or home office (SOHO) on a LAN
- Explain principles of a peer-to-peer network versus those of a file server/client server network
- Identify characteristics of coaxial, unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and fiber optic cabling
- Identify characteristics of wireless data transmission
- Address security and what software or hardware firewalls do to protect networks
Computers and their impact on society
- Identify common types of computer-based crimes
- Identify common computer-based security and privacy issues and be able to explain how people can protect themselves. Topics should include Spyware, Adware, Spam and Virus protection
- Students should be able to use the Internet or local retail store to identify the components of a personal computer that meets their needs and fits into their budget
Computer industry and careers
- Identify the name, educational preparation and salary ranges of at least five computer-related careers
Identify how the following computers applications are used in business:
- Transaction Processing Systems (Order Entry, Billing, Accounts Receivable, Account Payable, General Ledger, Payroll, Inventory Control)
- Management Information Systems: people, decision making and reporting
- Decision Support Systems
- Expert Systems
- Disaster Recovery
History of data processing
- Identify pre-1940 computer-like devices & their inventors
- Identify post-1940 computer generations by date and hardware/software innovations
Perform the following personal computer skills:
- Basic Windows techniques (size, move, cascade, tile, open, close, restores)
- Basic mouse operations (click, double-click, right-click, drag and drop)
- Install and uninstall software
- File Management: create folders, delete files, rename files, copy and move files from one folder to another folder and/or another disk
- Find lost files on disk using operating systems search feature
- Use an Internet browser and search sites to find Web pages and to download files
- Send email and attachments
- Customize desktop with shortcuts, etc.
- Use operating system tools to scan disk for errors and defragment disk
- Format disk
Perform the following word processing skills:
- Change page margins and orientation
- Turn Ruler on and off
- Change tabs and indentation
- Change font
- Change horizontal alignment
- Correct errors using backspace and delete keys
- Select (highlight) a word, sentence, paragraph and entire document
- Copy or Cut text and Paste selected text into new location within the same document or within another document
- Create a bulleted list
- Save a document to a specific destination under a specific name and using different file format (rich text format, Word format, Works format, etc.)
- Open a file from a specific source
- Print an open file to a designated printer
Perform the following electronic spreadsheets skills:
- General spreadsheet techniques which includes proper formatting of labels and numbers (could also include conditional formatting) along with cell width adjustments
- Move, copy and delete cells
- Use arithmetic operators (+ - * /) along with sum, max, min, count, and avg functions. Students should understand and be able to use the computational order of precedence as well as parentheses in complex formulas
- Create, open, save, print content and print formula view of worksheet data
- Produce pie, bar and line charts using worksheet data
Perform the following database management skills:
- Understand database management system (DBMS) capabilities
- Create and open a relational database
- Create a file/table structure definition using a variety of data types and a primary key that integrate data between two or more relational tables
- Create a query that utilizes simple, compound or wildcard-based criteria that integrate data from two or more relational database tables
- Create a data entry form for input into a database table using a wizard
- Create a report from a database table or query results using a wizard
- Print a table, query results and report
- Understand byte, field, record and file (table) relationships
Create error-free computer programs with code for the following: (These skills can be demonstrated in any high level language. Note: HTML, XHTML and XML are not high level programming languages)
- Variables and their declarations
- Looping structure (Do While)
- Selection structure (Select, IF or Case structure)
- Sequence structure
- Basic calculations (+, -, * and /) and operators (>, >=, =, not =, < and <=)
- Using a text editor to enter code
- High-level vs. binary code and the function of the compiler or interpreter
- Executing and testing program code
- Syntax vs. logical errors and debugging

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MUSKEGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
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Muskegon, MI 49442
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