Consistency and Convenience: Use of Canvas in Help Desk Staff Training Jessica Morger Help Desk Supervisor

Meet UW University of Wyoming – Land-grant university – 12,000 students – 3,000 faculty and staff

UWIT Help Desk Staff students that can work in three locations – Help Desk – Walk in Service Center – Student Computer Lab Support New Help Desk Supervisor

Agenda Training needs Training challenges Trial online course Online course materials Results Future directions

Need for training Documentation was inconsistent – Poor representation of IT – Frustrating for others in IT working on tickets that come in from the Help Desk – Lots of tickets that needed follow up Customer service experience was poor Staff were unhappy

Not just a need, a constant need Regular turn over as students graduate or find other opportunities Need for retraining after breaks

Previous training model Mostly mentoring – Information is inconsistent – Bad habits are passed on – Good habits are not emphasized

Previous training model One on one training with each new staff member – Quality of training is better – Has to be done when scheduling allows

Challenges to providing quality training TIME! – Big training session Finding a time Paying for that time Will they even remember this? – One-on-One Way too much of my time

Challenges to providing quality training Consistency – Everyone needs the same information – Even one on one sessions are not always consistent

An online course to train help desk staff! Staff can do it when they have time It is the same every time Staff can repeat training as necessary

Trial Online Course Ticketing system Small group over winter break

Trial Online Course Feedback – “I have worked here for a year and I didn’t know about that feature.” – “This made everything clear for me.” – “Before I had hoped I was doing everything correctly, but now I feel sure that I can.”

Course Content Videos Quizzes Supplementary Reading

Videos Instead of documents or PowerPoints to read Screen capture Benefits – More engaging – Can stress important points – Can add call outs and arrows – Closer to a one on one experience

Videos Lessons learned – Get a good video editing program Easier to finalize the message Allows edits later – Make several short videos instead of one long one

Quizzes Goal of improving comprehension not “grading” help desk Questions about commonly missed points

Quizzes Straightforward questions

Quizzes Essay/Practice questions

Quizzes Other benefits of quizzes – Brought a new level of seriousness to the job – Identification of outliers (both positive and negative)

Quizzes Soon became the most time consuming part WORTH IT!

Supplemental Materials Industry articles or presentations Give staff an idea that they are part of a bigger picture

Additional Features Outcomes – Allows for clear communication about expectations.

Additional Features Discussion board – Give people a place to submit suggestions

Results Training improvements – Convenient easy to schedule time spent is more focused most techs start at the help desk – Consistent – a common set of knowledge – Better quality work – Happier staff

Future Directions Additional sections Wider use – Already started with our new ticketing system

Questions?