Take courses online, on your schedule to prepare for a new career in a technology field or brush up on your digital literacy skills
CISCO NetAcad Planned Outage: 8/22 – 8/26/24
Cisco Networking Academy will launch their new learning platform on August 26, 2024, bringing together the strengths and courses from NetAcad.com and SkillsForAll.com into one unified teaching and learning experience.
To bring the new platform online, both learning platforms will be down for 72 hours between August 22 – 25, 2024. Instructors and learners will not have access to either platform during this scheduled downtime.
The new learning platform will be hosted at NetAcad.com. After the downtime, SkillsForAll.com will begin redirecting to NetAcad.com.
To prepare, Users may take the following actions.
Actions to take prior to August 22, 2024:
1. Log in to Cisco Packet Tracer and check the option to stay logged in for 3 months. This will allow you to continue to use it during the 72 hours of downtime.
2. If you are also taking classes on NetAcad.com, please review this news article.
What to expect in the new experience:
1. The first time you log in, you will be prompted to change your password if you have not changed it on NetAcad.com or SkillsForAll.com after February 2024.
2. If you are enrolled in active SkillsForAll.com classes, your open classes will be available after you log in on the new NetAcad.com.
3. If you also have active classes on NetAcad.com prior to August 22, 2024, you will login and then select the Legacy NetAcad tab in the upper left of the screen to complete those classes.
4. If you need to change your email or other details in your profile, all changes must be made on your NetAcad.com profile page in the new experience.
5. Update any saved bookmarks as most URLs will be changing.
Frequently Asked Questions for Skills for All Users
What is convergence?
Convergence is our journey to bring our two learning platforms, NetAcad.com and SkillsForAll.com, together into a unified experience.
What will the new domain be at convergence?
The domain will be NetAcad.com. At convergence, the legacy NetAcad.com platform will be upgraded to a new experience with the modern look and feel you see on Skills for All today.
What will the converged experience look like?
It will look a lot like Skills for All! We’re continuing to build out new features and web pages, but it will be similar to what you use here today.
What will happen to Skills for All?
Our mission is inclusive access to education, so enabling skills for all will continue to be in our DNA! We will continue to offer free, self-paced courses, and now they will live on the new NetAcad.com domain along with many instructor-led offerings. The Skills for All platform was created by Cisco Networking Academy as a space to build out our new teaching and learning experience until we converge our two spaces into a unified experience.
What will happen to my Skills for All classes at convergence?
Your class history and open classes will continue to be available to you after convergence. Use your Skills for All credentials to log into the new NetAcad.com.
If I have open classes on NetAcad.com, will I continue to have access to them?
Yes, open classes you currently have in progress on NetAcad.com will be available to you by logging into the new NetAcad.com after convergence. At the time of convergence, some open classes may retain the legacy class experience look and feel, but you will access them through the new platform By clicking on the Legacy NetAcad tab in the upper left of your screen.
Will there be any platform downtime for the upgrade?
Yes, to do the convergence upgrade there will be 72 hours of planned downtime between August 22 and August 26 (depending on your time zone) that will impact both NetAcad.com and SkillsForAll.com.
What is Cisco Networking Academy?
Cisco Networking Academy is one of the longest-running, purpose-driven learning and digital skills programs in the world. They offer learners a place to get started – whether you’re curious about the field of tech, looking to build new skills, or ready to pursue a new career path. You get top-notch, practical curriculum from Cisco, the worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet, with options to learn at your own pace or through one of our 11,700 academies around the globe. Our courses are designed with the end in mind: the skills required for your success in a job role.
Howard County Library System and Cisco Networking Academy are partnering to offer a series of IT skill and career development classes. Take courses online, on your schedule, via HCLS Now!
The Cisco Networking Academy learning experience incorporates online class modules, interactive games and simulations, learning assessments, and other learning techniques. Prepare for a new career in a technology field or brush up on your digital literacy skills.
- Read the class descriptions below.
- Click on the class title link of your choice and then enter your email to enroll in one or more of these free, self-paced online courses.
- You will receive an email with instructions on how to create a Cisco Networking Academy account and access your course.
- Once you receive your account information, log in on the course’s information page (links included in description below) to find system requirements and additional information specific to each course.
Online Self-Paced Courses
Cisco Packet Tracer : Learn the basics of Cisco Packet Tracer software. This is a self-paced, online only course. Suitable for beginners. Please visit the Cisco Packet Tracer course page for more information, system requirements and additional resources. (Duration: 10 hours)
NOTE: This course requires the installation of additional free software. Before enrolling in this course, please make sure that your computer meets the system requirements to run this software. This software is not available on HCLS computers and you may not be able to complete all course work on an HCLS computer.
Cybersecurity Essentials : Develop an understanding of cybercrime, security principles, technologies, and procedures used to defend networks. This is a self-paced, intermediate level course. Introduction to Cybersecurity is recommended for beginners. Please visit the Cybersecurity Essentials course page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 30 hours)
Get Connected : Learn basic computer skills such as social media, Internet navigation & simple networking. This is a self-paced, online only class. Suitable for beginners. Please visit the Get Connected course page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 30 hours)
Introduction to Cybersecurity : This is an introductory course for those who want to learn the basics of cybersecurity. This is a self-paced, online only course. Suitable for beginners. Please visit the Introduction to Cybersecurity course page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 15 hours)
JavaScript Essentials 1 (JSE) : The JavaScript Essentials 1 course introduces the student to some universal computer programming concepts, such as data types, type casting, containers, comments, operators, conditional execution, loops, functions, errors, and exceptions. Please visit the JavaScript Essentials 1 (JSE) course page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 40 hours)
NDG Linux Unhatched : This course is an introduction to the popular operating system Linux. This is a self-paced, online only course. Suitable for beginners. Please visit the NDG Linux Unhatched course page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 8 hours)
PCAP: Programming Essentials In Python : Python is a multi-paradigm programming language used by startups and tech giants like Google, Facebook, Netflix, and more. With intuitive, readable syntax, Python is a great first programming language to learn. This course is a great place to start learning Python – no prior programming knowledge required. Please visit the PCAP: Programming Essentials in Python course page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 75 hours)
For more CISCO courses, click NetAcad
Howard County Library System partners with Cisco Networking Academy to offer use of this service to all HCLS customers. Cisco Networking Academy is a third party vendor. HCLS encourages customers to read the Cisco Networking Academy Terms of Use and Privacy Policy when registering for a class.
