Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Organisational requirementsmay include:
maintenance procedures
OHS procedures
security procedures.
External hardware components may include:
Bluetooth device
fax
modem
keyboard
laptop
mobile phone
monitor
mouse
multimedia kit
PC
personal digital assistant (PDA), such as palmtop
printer
scanner
speaker
tape cartridge
universal serial bus (USB) device
wi-fi router.
Internal hardware components may include:
cabling
central processing unit (CPU)
memory chip
motherboard
network interface card
sound card
video display card.
Power-management settings after a period of non-use may include:
automatic power off
hibernation settings
monitor power-saver settings.
Application software may include:
databases
email
internet browsers
spreadsheets
system browsers
word processing.
Computer platforms may include:
Macintosh
PC
operating systems used on each.
Third-party utilities may include:
backing up data
diagnostic tools
disk scanning
partitioning and defragmenting
recovery.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
use an operating system in a variety of scenarios and across functions, including:
scheduling, loading, initiating, and supervising the execution of programs
allocating storage
initiating and controlling input and output operations
handling errors
identify and install suitable hardware components
install and upgrade application software.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
use of PC
use of hardware components
OHS standards and organisational policy and procedures
use of operating system currently used in industry
software configuration guides
documents detailing operating system control panel and configuration data
appropriate learning and assessment support when required.
Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of concepts and procedures related to configuring operating systems and application software to different hardware platforms
direct observation of candidate:
setting up, configuring and optimising operating system,
setting up input and output devices and checking functionality
setting up and configuring hardware components.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.