paper -
11 Putting Help Where the User Is - A Desktop Computer Support Strategy
Cheryl
Stahler, Bloomsburg University
As the personal computer becomes a more and more
integral part of the faculty’s job, the growing day-to-day computer support
without the budgets to increase the number of full time staff, becomes an
important issue. This paper describes
how Bloomsburg University’s Academic Computing department addressed the
challenge of providing quicker and more individualized support for faculty, by
utilizing work-study student resources and some changes in current staff job duties.
A new desktop support system was created using teams which included student
consultants, staff members and faculty department liaisons. A student
consultant was positioned as a first line of support within each faculty office
building. Students were given intensive
training and placed in their own offices within the supported building
area. Each student consultant reports
to a full-time staff member who guides and oversees him or her and provides a
second level of support for that area. Designated faculty serve as
communications links with each academic department. Overall coordination and
management of the program is provided by one of the secondary support
personnel.
The paper will describe the development of the program, the implementation phase, as well as the results of an acceptance and satisfaction survey of the faculty that was taken one year after the start of the program.
Keywords: Desktop support, Customer service, faculty computing, team based user support