Academic Catalog

APSC 111: JOB INFORMATION, SAFETY, TEST INSTRUMENTS, STRUCTURED CABLING, FIBER OPTICS

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2026
Units: 4
Hours: 40 lecture, 40 laboratory per quarter (80 total per quarter)
Prerequisite: Per California Code of Regulations, this course is limited to students admitted to the Northern CA Sound & Communication JATC Apprenticeship Program.
Advisory: Not open to students with credit in APRT 130.
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

  • A successful student will be able to create accurate as-builts.
  • A successful student will be able to identify specific industry hand/motorized tools.

Description

Introduction to the sound and communication industry. Students are exposed to the basic tools of the trade, test instruments, proper care and safety of tools, use of fastening devices, and how to tie basic knots. This course will cover the TIA/EIA standards and students apply codeology to cabling systems, connectors, twisted pair cables, and connecting hardware. This course also includes a fiber optic overview of different optical cables, connectors, and connection joints. This course teaches students how to properly install, test, and certify fiber optical cables.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Recognize the industry's importance in construction
  2. Identify specific industry hand-motorized tools
  3. Identify safety hazards for construction sites
  4. Discuss fundamentals of fiber optics

Course Content

  1. Industry orientation
    1. History of sound and communication
    2. Heritage and the Union
  2. Hand tools
    1. Electric tools
    2. Motorized tools
  3. Communications and general safety
    1. On the job safety
    2. Cal OSHA and Federal OSHA
  4. Fiber optics
    1. Fundamentals of fiber optics
    2. Connections
    3. Installation practices of fiber optics

Lab Content

Work individually and in teams on basic tools of the trade, test instruments, and tool safety. Included will be the installation of sound and/or communication devices using shielded, twisted pair cables, SC, ST, and index matching gel fiber optic connectors. Equipment safety and safe handling practices are reviewed and applied.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Audio-visual equipment to include laptop, video projector, and screen
2. Laboratory with test instruments and hands-on projects
3. Computers with internet access
4. When taught as a hybrid section, on-going access to computer with email software and hardware; email address

Method(s) of Evaluation

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

Results of quizzes and tests
Classroom and laboratory project participation
Online discussion participation

Method(s) of Instruction

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

Lab assignment
Group discussion
Demonstration

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Electrical Training Alliance (etA). Structured Cabling, 2nd ed.. 2020.

Fiber Optic Association (FOA). FOA Reference Guide to Fiber Optics, 2nd ed.. 2020.

These are the standard Sound & Communications textbooks/workbooks used for this course. Although older than five years, they are the most current books used when teaching this course. We will adopt the next edition of each text, as it is published.

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

  1. Reading assignments:
    1. Structured Cabling textbook and Fiber Optics textbook, including need for structured cabling (chapter 1), standards (chapter 2), cables and connectors (chapter 3), and structured cabling and performance (chapter 4)
  2. Writing assignments:
    1. NEC cable ratings - describe why fiber optic cables rated and listed for use
  3. Other assignments:
    1. Online videos - videos (created by the JATC) accessed online include tool types and how they are used, workplace of an electrical worker (hazards), electric shock, and fastening devices
    2. LadderSafetyTraining.org - ladder safety training (step ladder-extension ladder), students view online videos, take assessments, and earn a certificate from the laddersafetytraining.org website

Discipline(s)

Telecommunication Technology