Assessor Resource

ICAWEB424A
Evaluate and select a web hosting service

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: May 2024


This unit applies to information technology (IT) personnel who take responsibility for comparing and evaluating internet service provider (ISP) services.

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to evaluate and select an appropriate hosting service for current and future business needs.

You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)

Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.



Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

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:

assess client needs and select ISP that meets the current and future needs of the business

evaluate web hosting service:

ensure price meets client’s budgetary requirements

ensure security systems and technical requirements of the business are met

monitor the performance of the ISP during on and off peak times.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure access to:

hosting plans, prices and service agreements

use of current technology underpinning the ISP and services offered

business plan outlining future directions for the business

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:

direct observation of candidate:

evaluating web-hosting services

benchmarking and testing ISP

verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of:

user requirements

criteria for selecting an ISP

review of reports prepared by candidate showing the results of ISP testing.

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.

Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assingnment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)

Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

analytical skills to:

determine appropriate pricing and services plan for the business

evaluate and compare web-hosting services

communications skills to:

establish client requirements

negotiate escalation procedures and performance standards with ISP

numeracy skills to assess pricing plans

planning skills to identify future business needs

technical skills to assess security systems and technical requirements.

Required knowledge

different web hosting service provision options and their scalability

internet security issues

operating systems used by ISPs

performance expectations from customers and end users

server technologies

web hosting services and performance benchmarks.

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.

Characteristics may include:

data transfer

functionality

hosting plans, such as:

common gateway interface (CGI) access

colocation of servers

dedicated servers

disk storage

ebusiness hosting

post office protocol (POP) accounts

scripts

level of service

pricing plans

web-hosting facilities.

Security technologies may include:

payment gateways

public key infrastructure (PKI)

secure socket layer (SSL).

Scripting languages may include:

Perl

PHP and Python

VB.NET

JavaScript

VBScript.

Server applications may include:

database and data warehousing

directory services

file sharing

line-of-business applications

management

messaging

network and remote access

printer sharing

terminal services

web services.

Server may include:

Apache HTTP server

email servers

FTP servers

IBM VisualAge and WebSphere

iPlanet-Enterprise

Lotus Domino

Microsoft Internet Information Server

NetDynamics

Netscape Enterprise server, Netscape-FastTrack, Netscape-Commerce

Sun Microsystems iPlanet web server

Sun Microsystems Java web server.

Operating system may include:

Mac

Linux

Windows.

Databases may include:

Microsoft SQL (MS SQL) server

MySQL

Oracle

Postgre Structured Query Language (Postgre SQL)

SQL.

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Review comparable characteristics of a range of hosting services 
Review client usage and ensure that email and mailing list services are flexible enough to meet current and future business needs 
Review support service standards to ensure they meet business needs 
Ensure ISP hosting service has sufficient data capacity to cover partial outages 
Determine availability of security technologies 
Determine availability of scripting languages 
Evaluate optional server applications for advanced web business functions 
Confirm client selection criteria and select ISP hosting service that best matches the criteria 
Establish that web-hosting service has systems in place to monitor server performance and availability 
Negotiate escalation procedures and performance standards with ISP 
Establish that security and backup procedures are articulated and meet business needs 
Take action to ensure that operating system supports the preferred business development software, applications, extensions and databases 
Establish that web-host servers support dynamic websites using the preferred business technologies 
Establish that web host provides current and future disk space requirements 
Establish that site-analysis reports are available and flexible enough to meet business needs 
Establish that security systems and payment technologies meet business and customer expectations and requirements 
Test performance of the ISP during on and off peak times and record outcomes 
Establish that email and mailing services have backup procedures in place and are protected from damage, erasure or unwanted damage 
Take action to ensure support services perform according to business needs 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

ICAWEB424A - Evaluate and select a web hosting service
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Assessment Record Sheet

ICAWEB424A - Evaluate and select a web hosting service

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: