Online learning and Technical Support
The question how critical is technical support to online learning being a fulfilling and successful experience.
I have found if tech suport is not top notch the learning experience can really suffer.
When students have technical difficulties, I (as an instructor) can rarely help them and always refer them to Tech Support. The Tech Support departments at my institutions are really quick to respond to students and seem to be able to solve any tech problem very quickly. When students have their tech problems solved quickly and politely by Tech Support, it is always a positive experience for the students. The students feel reassured that tech issues will not hold them back, and it relieves the stress and uncertainty of dealing with these issues on their own. I think without good Tech Support, an online educational institution would find it hard to retain students.
You are right, we need are in a partnership with tech support to ensure a positive experience for the student. Thanks for your comments Jeanette.
Tech support is critical. We have many issues with the on line platform that tech support can solve rather quickly. Tech support has the knowledge base and has in just about every case a solution to the issue. The ability to hear American English is important to me. I am quad lingual, but some foreign accents actually inhibit my ability to understand what is communicated.
It is a very important aspect of online learning experience. When first attending classes as a student within the online learning environment, it was intimidating even though I had 20 years of computer experience. It took time to learn how to access email, course material, upload files, read instructor comments etc… So, I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be for someone with minimal computer experience. Technical support can help ease the adjustment to an online learning environment for any student.
It is paramount to any successful e-learning environment. When I first began my online coursework a few years ago, technology then by today's standard would be considered archaic. I recall vividly how often we needed to call in Tech Support to remedy a system problem during the conduct of the class. I think a virtual classroom creates a degree of angst for many students; this may be due in part to the lack of face-to-face interaction. So as an instructor, putting forth the best foot ensuring system connectivity and course preparedness make for a winning combination for our students.
All institutions should make it a priority to invest adequate capital to procure the appropriate level of infrastructure/platforms to deliver a consistent e-learning experience for the student. And let's not forget Tech Support; I would want to hire the "best and brightest" to ensure operational system continuity 24/7. I also recommend the institution be forward looking and field a tech support organization and a system platform with expansion and technology refresh capabilities anticipating future requirements.
Technical support can be invaluable however, most of the times, I find that students do not either a) know how to reach technical support or b) take the time to contact technical support for their issues. I cannot d tell you how many times I receive e-mails asking me for advice about technical issues. I constantly refer students to technical support to address their issues. Clearly technical support is invaluable; I have used them on several occasions, but instructors and the University need to be more aware of ensuring that students know how to access their university resources, including tech support.
I agree that tech support is very critical so that our students have a resource to go to when their technology isn't working. Of course, as a teacher I have used tech support as well to help me out on occasion!
Establishing minimum computer skills for a student wanting to take an online class is important. I want to give every student an opportunity to learn but at the same time I do not want to set them up for failure by not having the necessary computer skills. I agree that tech support can be a critical part, but if students don't know the primary computer skills in the first place, they are really going to struggle.
Great points Franklin. Thanks for sharing your ideas with the group.
I think that technical support is extremely important because a lot of people are still unsure about taking courses online in fear of not being "tech savvy". If they feel that they have full support they are more likely to give it a try.
Good point LeiShon. I find that some of the older students are a little less sure of their technical skills. However, in most cases they don't have any problems.
Tech support is an essential component related to the overall learning experience and ultimate outcome for the class. For example, if a student experiences techn issues early on in a course and is unable to resolve those issues, he may not be able to succeed in the course due to frustration or not being able to accomplish the necessary tasks for the learning objectives. The sooner technical issues are resolved, the more likely a student will potentially fare well in the course.
It is very hard to be successful in an online class if the technology isn't working! Thanks for your comments Cynthia.
Francis,
I have to agree but add customer service as well to the group. I as instructor do refer my students to tech support as well but when tech support is knowledgeable but yet understaffed, your wait times can be quiet high. On the 1st day of any class, my thought is to overstaff your tech support and customer service. This will assure that the students, and instructor gets the "top notch" service.
If the wait time in long, students and instructors will get discouraged and may revert back to the traditional style of learning which we do not want.
As for technology - isn't that the entire point of online learning ? If it isn't working properly - or slow on the 1st day, what impression are we giving to our students? Especially those whom are taking an online course for the first time ?
You are right, when technology doesn't work, it can give the student a negative impression. However, it can also be used as a teaching moment because sometimes, even in the best of situations, technology goes down.
I recently completed an online program in nurse paralegal studies. Tech Support was not a factor, but I was comfortable knowing it was available, if I needed to use it. I believe that students who experience good tech support know that they have one less obstacle to overcome as they progress in their program of study.
At my college we have many older and alternative students. Many 40 and 50 year old students get easily frustrated with computers and the online platform. If tech support proves reliable and dependable and can "fix" their issues, we can make friends out of these older students who are definitely out of their cohort.
Most of my online students are still technology challenged. In fact, when they contact tech support, they are more confused than before. I tell students to make sure they have a backup computer that works so if their primary computer goes down, they have a backup. Hmmm... what a concept. Most computers cost less than 500 dollars.. No excuse not to have a backup.
TD
Dennis,
What is the student encounters a tech person that is ignorant to the problem? Maybe the tech support person doesn't have the skill to walk someone through a problem. This is a teaching envionment and not everyone can teach...
TD
