Technical standards outline the skills and expectations required for students to successfully enter, progress through, and complete the program. They ensure clarity and consistency for students, faculty, staff, administration, and disability services. These standards apply equally to all students.
If you require accommodations to fully participate in the program, please contact the Office of Disability Services to confidentially discuss your needs. Technical standards can be met with or without accommodations, and the examples provided are not all encompassing.
Technical Standard, Definition and Examples
Undertake effective research to build on professional expertise and inform decision making. Evaluate the effectiveness of a variety of specific technical or professional interventions. Accurately follow course syllabi, directions for assignments, laboratories, or other course activities. Exercise sound judgment with the benefit of this information and knowledge/skills.
Examples:
- Reading assignment instructions and creating or modifying a spreadsheet using common software such as Microsoft Excel to achieve assignment outcomes.
- Reading a computer program requirements document or soliciting program requirement information from an instructor and using that information to inform the design of a computer program that achieves the objectives.
Sufficient motor skills to perform physical activities related to common information technology occupations including technical support, computer programming, network administration, data analysis. Fine and gross motor skills may be required along with functional use of the senses of touch and vision to enable students to work with physical computer and networking equipment.
Examples:
- Using common computer input devices including a keyboard, computer mouse, touch screen, and similar devices
- Installing and removing electronic computer components including memory cards, hardware expansion boards, peripherals, and cables.
- Moving computer hardware that could weigh 1 - 50 pounds.
Tactile skills may be required to work with computer input devices as well as other information technology hardware such as peripherals and networking equipment.
Examples:
- Align, orient, and insert network cables in corresponding ports on network or computer equipment.
Understand and interpret audio alerts issued by information technology hardware such as a computer or network device.
Examples:
- Listening to and interpreting "beep code" error messages issued by malfunctioning computer or network hardware.
- Reviewing best practices for telephone technical support troubleshooting lab scenarios.
Viewing information output from a wide variety of computer programs displayed on a computer screen or remote terminal. Viewing content in an online lab environment.
Examples:
- Using an online lab computer or network simulation environment.
- Viewing supplemental streaming video content from: the learning management platform, textbook publishers and related 3rd party platforms, and video streaming services such as the YouTube™ platform.
Communicate with clarity and precision using appropriate information technology terminology and concepts. Efficient, effective, accurate and timely communication using a range of communication media as appropriate to the purpose and audience, for example in-person meetings, telephone, letters/memos, email, web-conferencing. Comprehension and understanding of spoken and written language with fluency. Understand non-verbal information and cues in interpersonal encounters.
Examples:
- Reading an email and writing an appropriate response via email.
- Reading a document in a common file format, such as Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF and writing a response using appropriate productivity software such as Microsoft Word.
- Utilizing an online communication system such as the forum post or chat feature in the College's Learning Management system (Moodle).
- Interacting in face-to-face or virtual conversations with fellow students, instructors, and work-based learning employers.
Ability to nurture mature, sensitive, and effective relationships. Ability to adapt to changing environments and work-related challenges. Establish rapport with instructors and classmates. Work cooperatively and with honesty and integrity with peers and faculty. Emotional health and maturity to enable meaningful interactions with classmates and instructors. Development of conflict resolution skills/ability to negotiate conflicting attitudes and opinions.
Examples:
- Active listening, teamwork, responsibility, dependability, leadership, motivation, flexibility, patience, and empathy.
- Work with classmates on a group assignment or major project.
- Respectfully engage with an instructor to learn from and improve performance based on feedback from submitted assignments and exams.
Prompt attention to and completion of all responsibilities attendant to the occupation. Integrate constructive criticism received from both on-campus and off-campus learning settings. Effectively handle stress by using appropriate College student services resources, and by developing supportive relationships with instructors.
Examples:
- Complete and submit assignments, exams, and other course activities by the specified deadline or due date.
- Anticipate when you will not be able to meet a course or assignment objective and proactively contact those involved to effectively address the situation.
- Effectively plan and manage your schedule so that you budget sufficient time to complete course work.
We are committed to ensuring all students have the support they need to succeed in this program. If you have a documented disability, reasonable accommodations will be provided unless they fundamentally alter essential training requirements, create undue hardship, or pose a safety risk to you or others.
Disability Services Statement
If you have a documented disability and need accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Office (Ward Hall Building; 252-638-1454) as soon as possible—ideally before classes or field experiences begin. You are also encouraged to inform your instructor as needed so we can best support your learning.