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NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
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Course Title:
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Technical Customer Service
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Course Prefix & Number:
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EECT 1300
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Section Number:
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390
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Semester/Year:
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Fall 2018
1st-8 wk
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Semester Credit Hours:
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3
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Lecture Hours:
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32
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Lab Hours:
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0
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Course Description (NCTC Catalog):
The main purpose of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the IT environment and the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to work in the user support industry. Students will learn problem-solving and communication skills that are very valuable when providing user support. Through hands-on exercises and case projects students will learn how to apply their knowledge and develop their ideas and skills. They will also learn how to work individually and in teams, which will prepare them for a team-oriented work environment.
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Course Prerequisite(s): None
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Required or Recommended Course Materials:
(1) REQUIRED - Textbook: Beisse, A Guide to Computer User Support for Help Desk and Support Specialists, Sixth Edition, Course Technology, ISBN- 9781285852683.
(2) Recommended – Flash drive 2 GB or larger
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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
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Name of Instructor:
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Manuel Trevino, Jr
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Campus/Office Location:
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Corinth Campus – Room 253
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Telephone Number:
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940 498 6440 x6516
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E-mail Address:
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mtrevino@nctc.edu
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OFFICE HOURS
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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8:30am to 3:30pm
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8:30am to 3:30pm
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8:30am to 3:30pm
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8:30am to 3:30pm
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By Appointment
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog
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At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
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Identify internal/external customer relationships
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Address customer questions and complaints in a polite and thorough manner
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Update customers on work progress to maintain customer satisfaction and public relations
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Communicate technical information in a clear, precise and logical manner
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Identify verbal and non-verbal communication skills
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GRADING CRITERIA
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Course Elements
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Graded Course Elements
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Point Values
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11
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Chapter Exercises, Quizzes, and Discussions
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450
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3
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Exams
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300
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1
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Attendance
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200
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1
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Training Presentation
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100
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1
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Final Project
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150
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Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor. It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member. Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)
Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is November 22.
DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).
Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc. Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.
If you feel you have needs for services that the institution provides, please reach out to either Wayne Smith (940) 498-6207 or Yvonne Sandman (940) 668-4321. Alternative students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.
o Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)
o Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course
x WECM Course
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion. Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty. See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”.
Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:
- Zero for the work
- Academic suspension
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS
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Name of Instructor
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Manuel Trevino, Jr
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Office Location:
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IT Career Connection Center, room 102 (Online office Hours are available by appointment)
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Telephone Number:
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940 498 6440 x6516
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E-mail Address:
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mtrevino@nctc.edu
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Name of Chair/Coordinator:
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Susan Svane
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Office Location:
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Room 232, Corinth Campus
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Telephone Number:
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940 498 6292
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E-mail Address:
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ssavne@nctc.edu
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SUBJECT MATTER FOR EACH LECTURE/DISCUSSION
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Topic
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General Description of Subject Matter
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Chapter 1 - Introduction to Computer User Support
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Ways to classify end users
Common problems users encounter
Common ways to organize and provide support services
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Chapter 2: Customer Service Skills for User Support Agents
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The importance of communication skills and customer service relationships for support agents
Aspects of effective speaking and nonverbal communication for user support
Strategies support agents use to handle difficult clients
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Chapter 3: Writing for End Users
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Types of end-user documentation
How technical writing differs from other writing
How technical documents are organized
How to plan effective user documentation
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Chapter 4: Skills for Troubleshooting Computer Problems
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The troubleshooting process and the thinking skills required for successful troubleshooting
Communication skills for troubleshooting
Information resources to help solve computer problems
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Chapter 5: Common Support Problems
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Several categories of common end-user computer problems
Problem-solving processes that can be applied to typical support problems
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Chapter 6: Help Desk Operation
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Help desk operational procedures, The multilevel support model
The incident management process, Best practices in help desk operation
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Chapter 7: User Support Management
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The mission of a support group and the features of a mission statement, Items in a typical user support budget, Staffing a help desk, Support staff training programs, Evaluations of support staff performance
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Chapter 8: Product Evaluation Strategies and Support Standards
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How product and support standards emerged, Common tools and methods for evaluating and selecting computer products
Information resources and decision-making tools for evaluating and selecting computer products
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Chapter 9: End-User Needs Assessment Project
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Basic strategies for performing end-user needs analysis and assessment. Tasks in managing a user needs assessment project
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Chapter 10: Installing and Managing End-User Computers
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Major site preparation steps for computer installations
Pre-installation site preparation tasks. The purpose and contents of a site management notebook. Tools needed to install hardware
Steps to install and configure hardware, operating systems, networks, and application software
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Chapter 11: Technology Training for Users
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Goals of training activities, Steps in the training process, How to plan a training session, How to prepare a training session
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Childcare Reimbursement Program
The Childcare Reimbursement Program provides support services for NCTC students pursuing a career in a technical field of study to help them complete their career plans. The program will reimburse technical declared students a percentage of their daycare expenses if the child is attending a licensed or registered daycare facility. This is on a first come first serve basis, and is available to students on all 5 campuses. Please note, we do not have a childcare facility on any of our 5 campuses. This is a reimbursement program only.
Students who wish to become eligible for Childcare Assistance Program need to:
- Declare in a technical field of study
- Establish financial need
- Ex: Pell Grant recipient, Food Stamp recipient, W2, etc.
- Complete a Childcare Reimbursement Program Application and provide all necessary documentation. The Application can be found online at http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/Childcare.aspx
For more information, please contact Yvonne Sandmann on the Gainesville Campus at 940-668-4209 ext. 4321, or by email at ysandmann@nctc.edu.
Other Pertinent Information
- This is a Hybrid course which means that most of your work is done online but there will be 10 times that you must come to the Corinth Campus, Room 253, from 11:00AM – 1:50PM. These dates are: August 27, September 10, September 17, September 24, October 1, October 8, and October 15. These are mandatory class times. A “no show” will constitute a zero for all work due that day. Absences are considered to be unauthorized unless verifiable. Plan to stay the entire four hours.
- This course will be augmented by using NCTC’s online course delivery system, CANVAS. Log into CANVAS from the NCTC home page (www.nctc.edu) or directly at www.Canvas.nctc.edu. Discussion boards and emails may be available on CANVAS. Participation in CANVAS is MANDATORY.
- The student MUST have Microsoft Word 2013 or higher installed on the computer he or she will be using to complete course work.
- If a student should experience problems accessing the course material in CANVAS OR sending/receiving course mail, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor immediately.
- Each student should have an email account through their ISP or an Internet email account such as Hotmail or Gmail to aid in course communication should the CANVAS site be down.
- Most Assignments are due on Sunday by 11:59 PM. No late assignments will be accepted for full credit. If approved by the instructor, you may submit the late assignments as an attachment to a Canvas Email. The assignments will be graded at the end of the semester if they will make a difference to your overall grade. You will lose points for late submittal of each assignment. No late assignments will be accepted after the seventh week of this eight week course.
- Make-up for missed examinations will be permitted only if the absence is discussed with the instructor in advance.
- There will be two quizzes each week. You may take the quiz four times. You will see the results of the quiz after the four try. There are no makeups for quizzes.
- The Final grade will be a group project. You will use the information provided from this course to prepare and video tape technical customer service scenes demonstrating how to (1) be a good Help Desk Specialist and a poor Help Desk Specialist, OR (2) demonstrate how to effectively administer the 5 steps of Project Management as discussed in this book. More information will be provided during the semester.
- Students are required to complete 75% of all assignments and exams to receive a passing grade in this course. (This means 75% of the homework, 75% of the review quizzes, etc.)
- The instructor reserves the right to change course assignments, grading policies, and assignment schedules at any time.
- The instructor will not drop you from this course. You must complete applicable papers and file them with the Registrar’s Office before the final drop date.
- Grades will be posted in the CANVAS grade book. You should keep a record of your grades too. Please give me at least two weeks to post your grades after the final due date of the assignment.
- Filing a complaint –“If the complaint involves a problem with an instructor, the student shall discuss the matter with the instructor before requesting a conference with the department chair…. If the complaint involves a grade received, the student shall collect all tests, papers, daily assignments, class notes and other relevant material prior to the conference with the instructor.” (See Student Handbook > Discussion of Complaint). Failure to follow the procedure will result in no action taken.
- If you are planning to complete a certificate, you must take the competency exam prior to graduation. Contact Judy Archer at jarcher@nctc.edu within three weeks of graduation.
The best way to contact me is through CANVAS email. Please be sure to state your questions or statements clearly. It is helpful to know what chapter, page and section you are talking about. I will get back with you within 24 hours during the week and within 48 hours on the weekend. Provide me your phone number and I will be glad to call you.
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Assignment Schedule and Grade Points
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Semester Weeks
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Chapter Readings
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Homework/Quizzes/Tests (See Canvas for specifics)
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Due Date
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Point Value
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Week One
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Chapters 1, & 2
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Discussion Boards
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02-Sep Sun
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15
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We meet in Room 253 at 11 AM- Monday 8/27
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Assignments
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02-Sep Sun
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40
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Quizzes
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02-Sep Sun
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20
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Week Two
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Chapter 3 & 4
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Discussion Boards
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09-Sep Sun
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15
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Assignments
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09-Sep Sun
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40
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Quizzes
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09-Sep Sun
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20
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Week Three
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EXAM 1 (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4)
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Exam + Plus Class Work
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16-Sep Sun
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100
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We meet in Room 253 at 11 AM - Monday 9/10
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Week Three (continued)
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Chapters 5 and 6
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Discussion Boards
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16-Sep Sun
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15
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Assignments
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16-Sep Sun
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40
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Quizzes
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16-Sep Sun
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20
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Chapters 7 & 11
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Discussion Boards
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23-Sep Sun
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15
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Week Four
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Assignments
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23-Sep Sun
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40
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We meet in Room 253 at 11 AM – Monday 9/17
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Quizzes
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23-Sep Sun
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20
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Customer Service/
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Group Projects
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Week Five
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EXAM 2 (Chapters 5, 6, 7, 11)
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Exam + Plus Class Work
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30-Sep Sun
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100
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We meet in Room 253 at 11 AM – Monday 9/24
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Week Six
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Chapters 8 & 9
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Discussion Boards
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07-Oct Sun
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15
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We meet in Room 253
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Assignments
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07-Oct Sun
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40
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at 11 AM – Monday 10/1
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Quizzes
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07-Oct Sun
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20
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Chapters 10 & 12
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Discussion Boards
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14-Oct Sun
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15
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Week Seven
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Assignments
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14-Oct Sun
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40
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We meet in Room 253 at 11 AM - Monday 10/8
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Quizzes
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14-Oct Sun
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20
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Week Seven (continued)
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Training Presentations
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14-Oct Sun
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100
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Week Eight
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EXAM 3 (Chapters 8, 9, 10, 12)
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15-Oct Mon
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100
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We meet in Room 253 at 11 AM - Monday 10/15
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Final - Presentation
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15-Oct Mon
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150
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“Attendance”
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8 x 25 points
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200
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***Less 1 discussion, 1 assignment, and 1 quiz
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-75
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Total Possible Points
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1,000
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Please note: This schedule is tentative and may be subject to change
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*** Lowest grade of each type listed will be dropped - ONLY IF ALL OF THE ASSIGNMENTS ARE COMPLETED
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Even though your grades will be posted on the CANVAS grade book, it is your responsibility to keep a record of your grades.
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Grading Criteria
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900 – 1000 = A
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800 – 899 = B
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700 – 799 = C
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600 – 699 = D
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