Tools for Help Desk Management: Assessment & Guidance Karen Pothering Elinor Pennsylvania State University "Copyright Pothering, K. & Madigan, E. (2007). This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author."
University Help Desk Important part of information technology support Operate very differently from their corresponding commercial cousins Commonality - center for resolving issues and problems that arise Difference - constituents
University Help Desk Users come from 3 areas students faculty staff Skill sets vary total novice (do not know how to turn the computer on) sophisticated user (who often solves their own problems).
University Help Desk Worker difference often students – little experience No standardized hardware and software systems Difficulty in training
Penn State Schuylkill 850 students 130 faculty and staff An assortment of: hardware systems users with mixed skills a diverse set of software some very specialized
Penn State Schuylkill Help desk workers are students Information Sciences and Technology (IST) Computer Science (CS) Strong interest in computer systems No particular skills without substantial training
Typical Help Desk Problems Typical problems that the students will face: Giving new students ID’s Connecting incoming students to the campus network Resetting passwords problems Virus problems
More Interesting Problems Floppy disk stuck in drive in lab computer Faculty member slide a CD into a crack in the case Wireless mouse for office computer was not working - changed the batteries Install VPN client on students laptops Faculty member called down that he got an error message of ' ntldr missing' - had a floppy disk in the drive Faculty calls that projector is not working in a technology room – the equipment was set for a VCR not the computer
Statement of the Problem Training students is daunting task Lack of experience Needed a tool to provide them with a pathway for problem resolution
Statement of the Problem Secondary problem Assessing students properly Can they master specific technical skills Can they learn quick
On-line Help Desk Tool The help desk on-line system tool was developed to provide students with a pathway for problem resolution An expert system was considered but is too complex Expert system ideas were utilized Fast training was the primary goal sk%20Manual/index3.htm sk%20Manual/index3.htm
Sample Questions Printing Frequently Asked Questions 1. Where are the printers located and what kind are they? Where are the printers located and what kind are they? 2. Can Students print as much as they want for free? Can Students print as much as they want for free? 3. Changing the toner. Changing the toner. 4. Refilling Paper Refilling Paper 5. Clearing the Print Cue. Clearing the Print Cue. 6. Double Sided/Single Sided Printing Double Sided/Single Sided Printing 7. Printing Power Point Slides Printing Power Point Slides
Assessment No uniform methodology to evaluate student workers Evaluation process was determined Document created for assessment
Summary On-line tool Consistent training Minimized questions for new help desk workers Added to the professionalism of the help desk Evaluation tool Consistency for each worker Provide guidance on weak areas