Before students begin working in a functioning support center, they should have a working knowledge of the Macintosh operating system, how it functions, and some insight into common problems that could arise. Through the use of Mac OS troubleshooting and support exercises, students can obtain these essential skills in small groups or independently. Various troubleshooting scenarios provide the impetus for teams to apply simple problem-solving skills through self-directed practice. To be signed off in each area, students must be able to (1) define potential problems someone might have in this area and (2) explain a solution for each.
Basic OS skills include:
Installing Mac OS X
The desktop
System Preferences
Classic
Printing and peripherals
Each lesson contains the following:
Student Guides: These feature background information on a specific topic.
Student Exercises: These apply knowledge gained through the Student Guides and previous experience with the Mac operating system.
Skills Assessment Quiz: Each quiz evaluates the student's comprehension of content as it applies to simple troubleshooting issues.
Lessons also include additional resources, such as presentation slides, Student Worksheets, Answer Keys, and Step-by-Steps.
Unit objectives
At the completion of the unit, students will be able to:
Understand how the Macintosh operating system works
Learn to identify and modify OS X components
Identify software issues using various diagnostic tools and troubleshooting techniques
Apply fixes to simple troubleshooting issues
Time required
12 hours, 30 minutes
Implementing the lessons
Students work at their own pace to achieve skills. Teachers facilitate.
1
Identify known competencies.
Assess prior knowledge by using the essentials skills checklist with each student.
Ask simple questions or have student demonstrate skills.
Students can also take the lesson assessment quiz as a pre-test.
2
Pair students (or place them in small groups) with others needing to obtain same skills.
3
Set up practice scenarios and equipment.
4
Demonstrate hardware used within the topic and how the software works.
5
Have students read and discuss the Student Guides and Student Exercises.
6
Work with student pairs/groups to answer questions and probe for understanding.
7
Administer the assessment quiz when students feel they are ready.
You might choose to concentrate on a "topic of the day" where they hold a class discussion of a skill set before students begin individual group work. The Student Guide can be a springboard for discussion or ask student groups to each become experts on a topic to share.
All students work on the same topic at the same time. Teachers direct.
1
Discuss lesson topic using the Student Guide and any accompanying slides.
Note: You might decide to have students read the Student Guide as homework and you could create a worksheet that asks students to identify key points within the text. You might also choose to ask student groups to each become experts on a topic to share.
2
Demonstrate hardware used within the topic and how the software works.
3
Introduce the practice exercises.
4
Break students into pairs or small groups for hands-on practice of exercises.
5
Administer the assessment quiz at the completion of all exercises within the lesson.
