Academic Catalog

APEL 120A: DC THEORY, NEC, INTRODUCTION TO CONDUIT BENDING, BASIC SWITCHING & WIRING METHODS

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2025
Units: 8
Hours: 84 lecture, 36 laboratory per quarter (120 total per quarter)
Prerequisite: Per California Code of Regulations, this course is limited to students admitted to the San Francisco Inside Wireman Electrical Program.
Advisory: Not open to students with credit in APEL 120.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: None
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • To become certified in CPR & First Aid
  • A student will start to learn the fundamentals of the Electrical Trade

Description

Orientation to the commercial/industrial electrical industry with an introduction to electrical theory, tools, materials, wiring methods, and job skills. Review of mathematics as applied in the electrical construction trades. Industry applications, hands-on labs. CPR, first aid, job orientation topics: sexual harassment and drug abuse.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Apply an understanding of basic electricity and Ohm's Law through series circuits.
  2. Demonstrate basic on-the-job skills regarding tools, materials, and safety.
  3. Identify the requirements, duties, the role of electricians, and the organizational structure of construction trades.
  4. Apply appropriate mathematical problem-solving related to electrical trades.

Course Content

  1. Basic electricity
    1. Electrical quantities and units of measure: voltage, current, resistance, and power
    2. Ohm's Law
    3. Series DC circuits and Kirchoff's Law
  2. Basic on-the-job skills
    1. Material identification
    2. Tool usage
    3. Proper tool maintenance and management
    4. On-the-job safety requirements
  3. Understanding your role as an apprentice
    1. Taking orders from a journeyman
    2. Understanding the role of a foreman
    3. Understanding the role of a general foreman
  4. Real world mathematical problem solving
    1. Manipulating Ohm's Law using algebraic functions
    2. Adding and subtracting fractions as applied to conduit bending and reading a tape measure
    3. Converting fractions to decimals and back as applied to conduit bending
  5. Introduction to basic electrical circuits
    1. Parts of an electrical circuit
    2. Basic circuit and switching logic
  6. Introduction to the National Electric Code

Lab Content

Students are introduced to safe work practices with the following equipment:

  1. Ladder setup and usage
  2. Drills and bandsaws
  3. Non-powered hand tools

Students are taught how to work safely with tools and materials on the following installations:

  1. Introduction to wiring methods and materials
  2. Basic switched circuits
  3. Installation of receptacles and GFCI-protected circuits
  4. Basic conduit bending using hand benders

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Lab with electrical tools, including audio-visual equipment (slide, video, and overhead projectors); hand benders; various hand tools; various power tools; lights, switches, 3-way and 4-way plugs.
2. When taught via Foothill Global Access, on-going access to computer with software and hardware capable of running video conferencing applications (e.g., Zoom).

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Results of quizzes and tests
Classroom and laboratory participation
Maintaining a daily student log of work activities
Results of hands-on laboratory tests

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture
Lab assignments
Group discussion
Demonstration

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

American Technical Publishers and NJATC. Conduit Bending and Fabrication. 2007.

Callanan, M.I., and B. Wusinich. Electrical Systems Based on the 2023 NEC. 2023.

Mazur, Glen, and Bill Weindorf. Printreading for Installing and Troubleshooting Electrical Systems. 2015.

Miller, Charles R.. Illustrated Guide to the National Electric Code Based on the 2023 NEC. 2023.

Miller, Charles R.. Ugly's Electrical References. 2023.

NJATC. DC Theory Textbook. 2010.

NJATC. Electrical Industry Boot Camp. 2009.

The textbooks listed are the standard texts used for this course. Although some may be older than 5 years, they are the most current books used when teaching this course. We will adopt the next edition of each as it is published.

Protech Skills Institute Learning Management System courses:

Electrical Theory 1: Direct Current Computer-Mediated Learning

Electrical Job Information 1 Computer-Mediated Learning

Introduction to Apprenticeship Computer-Mediated Learning

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Read Chapter 1 in the DC Theory textbook and complete Level 1, Lesson in the Direct Current CML course.
  2. Read Chapter 1 in the Conduit Bending and Fabrication textbook.
  3. Answer 20 multiple-choice questions about Article 90 in the National Electric Code.

Discipline(s)

Electricity