Jim Rizzo Helpdesk Manager Providence College. Overview About Providence College History of Outreach PC Self Help – A Wiki Student Facilitation.

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IT OutreachJim Rizzo

Helpdesk ManagerProvidence College

Overview

About Providence College

History of Outreach

PC Self Help – A Wiki

Student Facilitation

Other Methods

The Future

About Providence College

Small Catholic liberal arts college

Approx. 4000 undergrads Approx. 80% live on campus

Single IT Helpdesk 2 full time employees 2 graduate assistants 61 student employees

Helpdesk, Lab Monitors, Technicians

Initial Methods

Family Day Open House style event for accepted students IT information table Families most interested in computer purchases

CompUtopia has adjacent table

Orientation Brief IT information speech

IT speech removed from orientation IT information table

History of Outreach

ITEC Instructional Technology Committee Faculty technology interest group

Departmental self-assessment Assess how well we meet student needs Historically made choices ourselves Decided to get more input from students

History of Outreach

ITEC sponsors student survey Survey about 25% of students

Student forum Result of survey About 30 students attended from those surveyed Wireless campus initiative resulted

History of Outreach

Student Info webpage Students want one-stop page for all info Started with IT, then to College Relations Still searching for page…

Faculty One Stop webpage Faculty want similar page Want different look for page that exists Still searching for page…

Summer 2008

Helpdesk Improvement Session Hand-picked staff and students What can be done to provide more/better service Self Help wiki resulted

Wiki Intro Sessions Introduced Self Help to small group Started adding content

Helpdesk Summer Training Got more input on bettering Helpdesk Doubled wiki content in 45 min. Brainstormed ways to advertise Helpdesk Students stationed in dorms during move-in weekend

Fall 2008

Official launch of PC Self Help Received requests for accounts Content started to be created

Wiki Training/Working Sessions 2 sessions

Faculty/staff Students

Explained wiki Created new content

Began student facilitation One meeting to introduce facilitation Brainstormed questions on topic

Cable TV service on campus

Spring 2009

Wiki Training Sessions 3 open “drop in” sessions Offer assistance for those interested Explain why/how to use the wiki

Student facilitation Reporting of data Brainstorm new topics/questions

PC Self Help – A Wiki

http://selfhelp.providence.edu

Initially intended for IT documentation.

Helpdesk Improvement session changed that. Needed to break down “silos” on campus Extended to include multiple departments

Wiki software: MindTouch (http://www.mindtouch.com) Hosted MindTouch Express available at http://wik.is

PC Self Help – Growing the Wiki

Held training sessions for faculty/staff and students.

Student sessions added more “Life at PC” info.

Met with individuals and committees. More accounts created. Increased usage by individuals.

Will continue to hold more open training sessions.

PC Self Help – The Response

General Excitement Student Congress and Library most excited

Unsure of why we chose a wiki

Questions on moderation/policing of content

Some fear for the worst

Slow uptake for editors

Many page views

Student Facilitation

Training

Brainstorm topics IT guided brainstorming First topic: Cable TV on campus Second topic: Email communications on campus

Brainstorm questions

Hold sessions Started with own circles

Student Facilitation – The ResponseFacilitators

Facilitation program worth continuing.

Facilitators learned invaluable skills.

Facilitation program a success. Awareness raised. Students more engaged.

Expand beyond IT.

Student Facilitation – The ResponseAttendees

Sessions should continue. Involve as many students as possible.

Larger general info session breaks out into smaller groups. Easier to be heard in smaller group.

Informal sessions are better without faculty/staff. Faculty/staff present at some sessions, not all. Faculty/staff presence intimidates some students.

Attendees generally enjoyed sessions. Gives idea of what IT does and deals with.

Student Facilitation – The Response

IT Thoughts

Will expand program with more facilitators.

Will possibly expand topics beyond IT issues.

Format better than students sitting on committees. Difficult to get student input on committees.

Feedback has proven assumptions to be true.

We have learned things that we never imagined Students want print management

Facebook

Joined PC Class of ___ groups

Introduce myself

Answer questions Mainly IT-related questions Also questions I could answer

Students came directly to me with questions

Don’t accept or initiate friend requests Prevents me from being creepy

Satisfaction Survey

Linked in emails from ticket tracking system New system doesn’t allow customization

No link to survey

Gave feedback on the Helpdesk experience

Allowed me to contact unsatisfied “customers”

Posters and Flyers

Advertise PC Self Help Advertise capabilities of wiki

Advertise Helpdesk, eventually What we do Where we are When we are there Who we hire

The Future

Student IT Advisory Committee Direct feedback from students Prefer students not involved in other orgs Guide future IT services Use as more facilitators

Increase usage of surveys and forums Survey all students Involve more students in forums

Twitter?

Your Turn

Questions

Comments

Discussion

Contact Me

Jim RizzoHelpdesk ManagerProvidence College

[email protected]

AIM: JRizzoPC

More info at:http://itweb.providence.edu/helpdesk/resnet

Evaluate this presentation:http://www.resnetsymposium.org/rspm/evaluation