IPEDS Help Desk… …at your service

Help Desk Information Located at Research Triangle Institute near Raleigh, NC Served by 15 regular staff and 2 supervisors (additional staff during peak periods)

Help Desk Information (cont.) Specially hired and trained to serve IPEDS customers Open weekdays 8:30am - 5:00pm EST Open evenings and weekends during the final week of each collection

Help Desk Activity Volume Fall 2000

Help Desk Activity Volume Spring 2001

How can you help? Encourage your keyholders to begin data entry early in the collection period Followup throughout the collection to see that progress is being made If you can’t get through on the phones due to heavy call volume, please send an e-mail message to the help desk Include ID# on all calls and messages

In closing….best lines “For some reason, I can't access the form using our ID and Password from the fall.” (Spring 2001 IPEDS) “I'd like to enter the data for the Fall 2000 survey. I understand we have until May 15th.....how do I do that?” “I see the site says closed until further notice. What does that mean?” "I am having trouble getting the data corrected. First, the program will not let me remove CIP 99.000."

Best lines (cont.) You are a national treasure! Mine's allllll done! I am so relieved that the data is finally locked! I'm not used to gov't agencies sounding human. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, it is appreciated!

Best lines (cont.) I think it's important for you to know what a WONDERFUL job your employee Michelle is doing for us poor technically impaired illiterates who are trying to wend our way through that maze called IPEDS. I believe when people do their job so effectively and effeciently they not only deserve a raise, but also a day off. So you've got my opproval for both. :->

Susan’s Personal Favorite Lets go back to Paper.... this is absurd Hey NCES: If you can not get sufficient funding to operate a server that is sufficient for all the demand, then we should all go back to paper reporting… I am a techno geek, yet, however, but.....if, then you need to get off the web based collection and back to paper. Now it keeps timing out waiting to log me on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!