Overview
This article describes the main responsibilities for all Classroom Support Technicians in CCTS. Other duties may be assigned as time permits, but you must prioritize the following duties.
Schedule
Each student will be assigned a work schedule for the semester, but that may fluctuate as needs arise for the student or the team.
- Since you will be the front line of support on classroom help for all general university classrooms (GUCs), you must notify the team in advance if you will not be able to work.
- Unless it is an emergency (illness, family needs, etc.), you are expected to give 24 hours notice that you are not able to work
- Please notify the entire team by sending an email to ccts@uidaho.edu
Classroom Help Calls
The primary responsibility of the Classroom Support Technicians is to respond to GUC help calls and tickets in a professional and timely manner.
Preparation
You will learn much of the troubleshooting on the job from a member of the team. However, refer to the following article at any time to refresh your memory: Article - Classroom System Troubleshooting
You will need access to various online systems to do your job. You can refer to the following article for how to access these tools: Article - CCTS Links and Resources
Response Time
Expectations are as follows:
- TLC classrooms - within two minutes
- GUCs in other buildings - within five minutes
- Evening response - the evening technician is responsible for responding to all help calls, including those in departmental classrooms. Follow the same rules as above for GUCs. Expectations for departmental classrooms:
- within five minutes
- within seven minutes if location is outlying (WWAMI, SPGL, JML)
Procedures for Incoming Calls and Tickets
- Monitor incoming calls and tickets at all times when working. Be sure to have your phone with you so that you can monitor from another room. When you're in the office and the help call phone rings, you are expected to answer immediately. For tickets, you should have notifications turned on so that you can see/hear alerts via email and Teams.
- Tickets should be routed properly so that all GUC tickets come to CCTS while all departmental tickets go to the TSPs. There may be times when a call or ticket comes through for a departmental space. In that case, create a ticket and assign or reroute the ticket to the TSPs by changing responsible to ITS-CEE-TSP. Only classrooms on this list are GUCs. All others should be directed to TSPs. If a departmental ticket comes through that was rerouted to CCTS after a TSP tried to fix the problem, a full-time CCTS team member will take the ticket. You are only responsible for GUCs.
- Notify the rest of the team that you are taking responsibility for a help call/ticket. You can do so verbally if you are in the office but also do so through the Teams Classroom Help Calls channel.
- Take keys and necessary supplies that may be needed to solve the problem.
- Upon return of responding to a classroom help call, complete the ticket in TDX:
- If a ticket doesn't already exist, create one.
- Click Create Incident Ticket
- Form: Classroom Technology Issues - Form
- Type: OIT / General Ticket
- Service: Classroom Technology/Classroom Technology Issues
- Source: select how the help was initiated
- Requestor: if you don't know the name, look it up on the classroom schedule
- Acct/Dept: this information is also on the classroom schedule but should automatically filled in when the requestor field is complete
- Classroom/Building: this must be included
- Room Number: this must be included
- I need assistance with: can select more than one
- Short description: up to a few words
- Description: include pertinent details
- Responsible: change OIT-TII-Classrooms (Group) to your name
- CCTS-Solution Type: can select more than one, be sure to include the expanded menus for Replaced Equipment, Training Issue, Peripherals, and Replaced Consumable
- Urgency: leave as is
- Status: if the problem was solved, change status to Resolved
- Update the ticket, and take responsibility
- Complete the entire form (as outlined above under creating a new ticket)
- If the problem was not solved, follow up with team and change responsible to OIT-TII-Classroom
- If you are unable to solve the problem and it needs solved immediately, use Teams Classroom Help Calls channel to tell the group that you need assistance
Etiquette
Please keep in mind the following skills when dealing with customers on help calls:
- Practice LAST:
- Listen - Ask questions and exhibit patience in listening closely to their description of the problem. Even if a help call came in as having an issue with the display, don't assume that is the problem. Help calls are often about not understanding how to use the equipment.
- Apologize - "I'm sorry you are experiencing this problem. Let me see what I can do." By using such a statement, you show empathy and may help to diffuse the situation. Remember that the instructor may be completely thrown off guard by a technical issue and is concerned with losing class time. Be understanding of that situation.
- Solve - Try to work quickly, but keep the instructor informed of your progress. Avoid technical jargon. An instructor may not want you to restart the system if they can work around the issue for that one class. You may need to solve problems between classes.
- Thank - Thank the instructor for their patience or for reporting the problem.
- Show rather than tell. For example, instead of telling the instructor to share the document camera as a 2nd camera in Zoom, show them how to do it. Then let them practice doing it themselves, if there is time.
Classroom Cleaning & Preventative Maintenance
You are responsible for cleaning and performing a preventative maintenance check in all of your assigned rooms at least once per month. You can find the spreadsheet of Classroom Maintenance Assignments under the Tasks tab in Teams. Technicians working around 10 hours a week will be assigned 20-25 classrooms. Technicians working around 20 hours a week will be assigned up to 35 classrooms.
Cleaning
- Wipe down entire lectern, including the doors where drinks may have been spilled, the keyboard tray, the shelf, etc.
- Return things to their proper place
- Throw away excess papers, pens, etc.
- Take important/valuable items left behind to lost and found if available or move to table in room
Replacements as needed
- Unreadable or damaged support labels
- ThinkBoards
- Microfiber cloth
- Markers - for ThinkBoard or large whiteboard
- Eraser
- HDMI cable (remember to label the replacement cable with return to room #, example: return to TLC 022)
- Clicker (remember to label the replacement clicker with return to room #, example: return to TLC 022)
- Stylus
Preventative Maintenance
Lectern Top
- Turn on the system and lower the projector screen, turn on the projector, and turn on the doc cam.
- Sign into the system and test mirror and extend modes.
- Use Zoom to test audio (mic and speaker) and video (huddle cam, doc cam, Aver).
- For audio, test volume range and mute via the touch panel, different sources, mic levels, mic batteries, and assistive listening.
- For video check any cameras in the room and screen sharing via Zoom
- Launch a PowerPoint to test the presentation clicker.
- If applicable test the Blue Iris system.
- The username is “user” and there is no password.
- Once signed in, make sure that video is recording from the camera in the back of the room and that recordings automatically save to a USB drive (3.0 or higher).
- Test alternate video/audio sources (VGA, HDMI, Blu-ray).
- You will need a laptop, the appropriate cables, and a laptop charger.
- Bring a Blu-ray DVD to test the Blu-ray player.
- Test the rest of the lectern top ports (USB, power).
- Ensure that the keyboard is working properly and is securely set in the tray.
- Make sure that the projector is functioning.
- Test the projector mute on the touch panel
- Make sure the projected image is focused and aligned with the projector screen.
- Make note of any excessive fan noise.
- Before you leave, ensure that you clear the PM hours in the tech pages of the touch panel.
- If there are any personal items left on the lectern they should be removed.
- Personal items like ear buds, clothing, glasses, water bottles, etc. should be returned to the buildings lost and found (or our offices lost and found).
- Class materials like notes can be left on a front table in the classroom.
- Miscellaneous items like pens and garbage can be thrown out.
Lectern Front
- Check the HDMI/Mic drawer and ensure that any equipment needed for the classroom is present and labeled with the correct room number.
- Check the light on the surge suppressor, it should be green.
Floor/wall Box
- Ensure that cables are neat and tidy and that nothing is damaged or being pulled taught.
Classroom
- Projector Screen
- Raise, lower, and stop fully. Note how smoothly the screen moves and how it sounds.
- Make note of any stickiness, damage, marks, and grime and record the condition on this spreadsheet if needed: https://vandalsuidaho.sharepoint.com/:x:/r/sites/ClassroomTechnology/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7B79E069EC-46A3-4653-8893-0ED1770CC562%7D&file=Projector%20screen%20cleaning.xlsx&action=default&mobileredirect=true
- If you notice any safety, lighting, or door handle issues or any damage to the room note them in the ticket and send a request to facilities. (Login Page (famis.com)) If you notice any damaged furniture, make a note of it in the ticket, but do not send a request to facilities.
TDX Ticket to Track
When you return to the office, complete a TDX ticket using the classroom check template. Use the naming convention “[GUC] *building abbreviation* *room number* PM” for the title of the ticket. Include details of items that were replaced or problems that were found with equipment. If problems were found that you were not able to solve, after saving the ticket, update to change responsible to OIT-TII-Classroom.
CCTS Orders & Inventory Procedures
Another responsibility is checking the mail for CCTS daily and checking in orders and adjusting inventory as needed. Orders are checked off on this document as they arrive. CCTS equipment not in use, is kept in a storage room located in TLC. The inventory in this room is organized and all item's locations are recorded in an Excel doc CTS Storage Inventory.xlsm. CCTS requires that this inventory spreadsheet is kept up to date. See the article below for instructions on processing inventory.
You may be asked to update or create knowledge base (KB) articles as time permits. See Article - Knowledge Base Article Guidelines for instructions.