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ITD should place consultants at all sites

In the past few years, the University has made a significant effort to incorporate technology into several aspects of student life. E-mail is no longer the preferred form of communication for computer afficionados alone, but an essential part of academic life; many professors rely on class e-mail groups to update their students on an assignment or recent lecture. The Internet is no longer a guilty pleasure but a necessary tool to find postings on class Websites. Last semester was the first time in the history of the University that the courseguide was available only on the Internet. These three factors make it imperative that all University students be computer savvy.

But not all students are comfortable with using computer technology. Even those that are may not be skilled enough to handle the variety of technological problems that plague computer sites around campus on a near-daily basis. The Information Technology Division, the entity that operates much of the computing services that students use, needs to have on-site staff at every computing center in order to help students use the computers.

After investing so much money into building computer sites featuring hundreds of computers, plus scanners and printers, the University should be making sure that students know how to use them. Currently, only the School of Education and Angell Hall computing sites have walk-in consulting. ITD's consulting line, 764-HELP, gives advice over the phone to students dealing with computer crises. The line is a good resource but cannot replace speaking face to face with a consultant. Students often have no idea why, 10 minutes before their term paper is due, their computer is experiencing an "error" - nor should they. The purpose of support staff is to allow a person who is very experienced with computers take over when a computer has a problem. In addition, when computing sites face all-too-frequent technical failure, the presence of a consultant can go a long way to explaining what is going on - and to prevent students from inflicting further damage on to their files and the system.

Expecting students to incorporate computer usage into part of their everyday life is not a bad idea. Computer experience is a criteria for an overwhelming number of jobs in the market today. The University should be commended for its extensive resources; students who do not own their own computer can easily access the Internet from a variety of sources on campus, from NUBS to ResComp sites.

First-year students get their feet wet at Orientation when they learn how to access their ITD e-mail account for the first time and print out their schedule from Wolverine Access. However, there is no computer literacy test required before a student may use the University computers. Students' experience can range widely. ITD cannot assume that the introduction received at Orientation alone is enough to get by for the next four years.

ITD does offer a variety of computer classes. Students are encouraged to take advantage of these course offerings and build their computer literacy. Nonetheless, many students who have neither the time nor the interest in taking such extra classes still have many computing needs - ITD should not leave them to fend for themselves.

09-18-98