What kinds of services (help desk, training, troubleshooting) are provided by the campus, and when are they available?
Students need technical help from time to time. Problems range from occasional computer and network malfunctions to difficulties in setting up a new software package to questions about how to accomplish a new task. Even a "simple" problem can block further progress until it is solved, so it is important for students to have a place to go or call (or e–mail) for help.
The most common service supported is the "help desk," which normally takes questions on a first–come, first–served basis, sometimes in person, sometimes by phone or e–mail. Some questions to ask about the help desk might include:
- When is the help desk open? (Students often work late at night and need help at all hours. A help desk that is always open advertises 24 x 7 service.)
- Will students need to wait on line (or on hold) at the help desk? How long?
- How many help desk staff are available for how many students?
- Is the help desk organized professionally to rapidly identify problems (triage) and track them to solution?
- What kinds of questions will the help desk take?
- Does the institution provide any technology support staff in campus residence halls?
It is important to cover the commonly used software and network connections for the supported systems. If a campus has recommended standards for hardware and software, it may support only systems that meet the standards. (Note that in the presence of a standard, students can often get immediate help from fellow students and others nearby who will also be using the same systems.) Some questions you might ask related to hardware support include:
- Does the college diagnose and repair problems with computer hardware?
- If not, is this service easily available in the community?
- Is there a fee for this kind of service?
Introductory training in new computer systems can be a great time–saver for the student. Some questions you might ask related to such training include:
- Does the campus offer training for students in the basic activities of computing and networking?
- If so, is this done in a classroom setting or through video or the network?
- Is there an additional fee for technology training?
| Help Desk Availability |
| | All | Doctoral1 | Master's2 | Bachelor's3 | Associate's4 | Other5 |
| Number of hours per week the help desk is available | 69.7 | 85.3 | 70.6 | 62.1 | 60.2 | 67.6 |
| Percentage of campuses that have 24 x 7 support | 5.8% | 15.5% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 1.8% | 6.4% |
| Percentage of all responding campuses that have no help desk | 5.8% | 2.9% | 2.1% | 5.9% | 15.1% | 5.0% |
