In With The Old And Out With The New—Technical Support for Non-Traditional Online Students
Abstract: For the nearly 40% of non-traditional students, the idea of taking an online course can be daunting; they often enter the course without computer experience, and are more likely to experience technical difficulties. When remote connection software is not an option—due to slow Internet connection speeds or computer limitations—it is important for a support specialist to be able to provide instructions as detailed and comprehendible as if they were standing over the user’s shoulder to avoid further unease and uncertainty. Establishing guidelines and methods for a mental map of a user’s computer and describing that map to the other user can help resolve these complications, and allow the student to proceed through the course confidently while learning a visual method for interacting with the computer. This method seeks to address the issue of technical problems as they occur, while encouraging confidence and comfort working with the computer in the end user.
Presider: R Hubbard, Center for Management Communication Marshall School of Business, USC