ITE 182 - User Support Help Desk Principlessyllabus

Instructor: Mr. Jeremy Staples
Email:
Phone:(571) 252-2080
Instructor Availability: Mon-Fri 8:30am-3:30pm / ITE 182 - User Support Help Desk Principles
Fall 2016
Monroe Technology Center

ITE 182 - User Support Help Desk PrinciplesSyllabus

Instructional Materials:

Course Description:

Introduces a variety of tools and techniques that are used to provide user support in help desk operations. Includes help desk concepts, customer service skills, troubleshooting problems, writing for end users, help desk operations, and software, needs analysis, facilities management, and other topics related to end user support. Lecture 3 hours per week.

Course Credit: 3 credit hours

Recommended Co-requisites or Pre-requisites:

ITE 180 - HELP DESK SUPPORT SKILLS

Final Exam:

May29th30th

Drop Date:

[02.24.17]. If you are not proving successful in this college course due to its rigor or personal issues, the course can be dropped by the above date. With your agreement, your teacher will send an e-mail with this request to the Office of Dual Enrollment.

Withdraw Date:

[04.28.17]. If you missed the drop deadline, you may also be withdrawn from the course. A withdraw places a W on your college transcript but does not impact your college GPA. To be withdrawn, with your permission, your DE Instructor will complete the DE withdraw form and send to the DE Registrar. Please note, too many “W” on a college transcript can impact your ability to secure financial aid in the future!

Instructional Materials:

Course Description

Course Credit: 3 credit hours

Prerequisites:

ITE 180 - HELP DESK SUPPORT SKILLS

Final Exam:

June 5th & 8th

Drop Date:

[02.22.16]. If you are not proving successful in this college course due to its rigor or personal issues, the course can be dropped by the above date. Your school will not be billed for your participation in the course. With your agreement, your teacher will send an e-mail with this request to the DE Registrar. If a transferrable course, you must be removed from the course. If non-transferable, you can take the high school only credit and remain in the course.

Withdraw Date:

[04.28.16]. If you missed the drop deadline, you may also be withdrawn from the course. A withdraw places a W on your college transcript but does not impact your college GPA. To be withdrawn, with your permission, your DE Instructor will complete the DE withdraw form and send to the DE Registrar. Please note, too many “W” on a college transcript can impact your ability to secure financial aid in the future!

Course Objectives:

Upon completion the course, the student will be able to:

•Summarize how to achieve High Customer Satisfaction

•Develop strong listening and communication skills

•Develop winning telephone skills

•Develop technical writing skills for support professionals

•Develop strategies for handling difficult customer situations

•Develop strategies for solving and preventing incidents and problems

•Develop business skills used by technical professionals

•Develop teaming skills for working in a service desk setting

•Develop strategies for minimizing stress and avoiding fatigue

Major Topics to be Included

•Instruction to End-User Computing

•Introduction to Computer User Support

•Customer Service Skills for User Support

•Troubleshooting Computer Problems

•Common Support Problems

•Help Desk Operation

•User Support Management

•Product Evaluation Strategies and Standards Writing for End Users

Student Learning Outcomes

Summarize how to achieve High Customer Satisfaction

•Identify the role the service desk plays in delivering quality technical customer support

•List the four components of a successful service desk

•Discuss trends influencing the service desk

•Discuss what customers need and expect

•Identify strategies for meeting and exceeding customer expectations

•Discuss the mix of skills needed for a career in technical customer support

Develop strong listening and communication skills

•Discuss the characteristics and benefits of active listening

•List ways to avoid the distractions that prevent good listening

•Define what to listen for

•Illustrate how to build rapport and trust with customers

•Identify and explain customer communication styles

Develop winning telephone skills

•Express the power of the telephone

•Discuss how to handle calls professionally

•Identify how to avoid the most common telephone mistakes

•Discuss how to place callers on hold and transfer calls in positive, professional way

•Identify strategies for continuously improve your telephone skills

•Give examples of how to consistently convey a positive, caring attitude

Develop technical writing skills for support professionals

•Discuss the impact of technology on the service desk and its customer

•Discuss the role of the service desk analyst in a technology-centric world

•Create the most common documents used by service desks to convey information

•Give examples of the characteristics of good technical writing

•Identify proven techniques to improve your writing skills

Develop strategies for handling difficult customer situations

•Interpret the power of a positive attitude

•Interpret what customers sometimes behave in challenging ways

•Discuss proven techniques to handle irate, difficult and demanding customers

•Give examples of how to respond, not react, to difficult customer situations

•List positive steps you can take to stay calm and in control

Develop strategies for solving and preventing incidents and problems

•Identify processes used to solve incidents and problems

•Give examples of proven techniques you can use to methodically solve incidents

•Discuss how and when to take ownership of ongoing incidents

•Discuss how to keep management and customers informed about the status of incident resolution activities

•Identify ways to manage your work load and maintain a positive working relationship with other support groups

•Give examples of how to use the problem management process to focus on problem prevention

Develop business skills used by technical professionals

•Discuss how to acquire and use business skills in the workplace

•Discuss how to use business skills to identify and justify improvement opportunities

•Illustrate how to use presentation skills to communicate

•Identify Advanced business skills for technical professionals

Develop teaming skills for working in a service desk setting

•Discuss the characteristics of a successful team

•Explain the stages of growth that teams go through

•Discuss how successful teams manage the inevitable and normal conflict in a team setting

•Interrelate your role in the service desk and in your company support organization

•Give examples of how to contribute to your teams goals

•Discuss the skills needed to have a positive working relationship with your teammates

Develop strategies for minimizing stress and avoiding fatigue

•Discuss the cause of stress

•Give examples of effective coping skills to reduce the negative effects of stress on your life

•Summarize proven techniques to manager your time wisely and achiever personal success

•Interrelate the connection between time and stress management

Policies:

Grading:

Assessment of Learning:

40% Formative / 60% Summative

Grading Scale:

A = 100 - 90B = 89 - 80C = 79 - 70D = 69 - 60F = 59 and below

Loudoun County Public Schools

Grade Scale 2015-2016
Letter Grade / Numeric Range / Quality Point Awarded (Before Weighting)
A+ / 98-100 / 4.30
A / 93-97 / 4.00
A- / 90-92 / 3.70
B+ / 87-89 / 3.30
B / 83-86 / 3.00
B- / 80-82 / 2.70
C+ / 77-79 / 2.30
C / 73-76 / 2.00
C- / 70-72 / 1.70
D+ / 67-69 / 1.30
D / 63-66 / 1.00
D- / 60-62 / 0.70
F / 0-59 / 0.00

Course Policies:

Academic Integrity
The College does not tolerate academic dishonesty. Students who are not honest in their academic work will face disciplinary action along with any grade penalty the instructor imposes. Procedures for disciplinary measures and appeals are outlined in the Student Handbook ( extreme cases, academic dishonesty may result in dismissal from the College.
Plagiarism: is the act of appropriating passages from the work of another individual, either word for word or in substance, and representing them as one's own work. This includes any submission of written work other than one's own. In short, plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another person without giving that person credit.
Neither cheating nor plagiarism will be tolerated. If you are found cheating or plagiarizing you will receive a grade of 0 and the incident reported to the department and dean. According the NOVA Student Handbook, “Academic dishonesty cannot be condoned. When such misconduct is established as having occurred, it subjects you to possible disciplinary actions ranging from admonition to dismissal, along with any grade penalty the instructor might, in appropriate cases, impose. Procedural safeguards of due process and appeal are available to you in disciplinary matters.” See Section VII of the Student Handbook, which is available online, for more information about this policy.
Attendance policy
Students must know the last date to withdraw without a grade penalty; after that date no class can be dropped except in specific exceptional circumstances, which must be documented. Any student wishing to drop this class must do so for himself or herself by speaking with an administrator at Monroe Technology Center or NOVA Career Counselor.
My policy on attendance for a class that meets twice a week means that the student will receive an F upon accumulating 6 absences. For lesser number of absences, the student should expect a lowered grade in the course. Tardiness is very disruptive and if you are late an unreasonable amount additional work may be required. 3 tardies = 1 unexcused absence. If you are absent from class it is YOUR responsibility to request any handouts you did not receive as well as information about assignments/papers/exams, etc.
If you miss an exam you must see me in office hours or by appointment, preferably before the exam missed. The make-up exam may be different than the regular one. A legitimate reason must be provided, e.g. a doctor’s note, etc. I reserve the right to give you a zero for any assignment, quiz, or exam missed.
Disabilities
Under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), disability services are available to you if you are currently enrolled, if you have a documented disability that substantially limits you in one or more of life's major activities, and if you are otherwise academically qualified. Please carefully review the information on NOVA's Disability Services website.

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Additional Course Information

-It is your responsibility to understand the syllabus.

-Try to avoid causing distractions in class. This means do not engage in private conversations during the lecture and tests. Do not read or do other schoolwork after class begins. Use of mobile devices isduring class is not allowed.

-If you are caught cheating on an exam or plagiarizing a paper or an assignment it is an automatic zero. A second cheating offense may result in a zero for the final class grade.

-If you are having problems, come see me. I am here to help, and the earlier you notify me about a problem the sooner we can try to solve it.

Class Schedule:

Week / Assignments /

Chapter

1 – Achieving High Customer Satisfaction / Exercises Ch 1 / 1
2 – Developing Strong Listening and Communication Skills / Exercises Ch 2 / 2
3 – Winning Telephone Skills / Exercises Ch 3 / 3
4 – Technical Writing Skills for Support Professionals / Exercises Ch 4 / 4
5 – Handling Difficult Customer Situations / Exercises Ch 5 / 5
6 – Solving and Preventing Problems / Exercises Ch 6 / 6
7 – Business Skills for Technical Professionals / Exercises Ch 7 / 7
8 – Teams and Team Players in a Help Desk Setting / Exercises Ch8 / 8
9 – Minimizing Stress and Avoiding Burnout / Exercises Ch 9 / 9
10 – Final Exam / Final Exam / 1-9