NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title:  Technical Customer Service           

Course prefix, number, and section number: EECT 1300 0381

Semester/Year of course:  Fall 2022

Semester start and end dates: Aug 22 through Oct 15, 2022

Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid):  Online

Class meeting location, days, and times:  Online

Lab meeting location, days, and times:  Online

Semester credit hours: 3

Course description:  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 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.

Course prerequisites:  None

Required course materials: 

(1) Textbook: Beisse, A Guide to Computer User Support for Help Desk and Support Specialists, Sixth Edition, Course Technology, ISBN- 978-1-285-85268-3.

(2) Access to the internet and a personal computer with MS Office 2016 or higher.  This class will be delivered fully online

Name of instructor:  Manuel Trevino, Jr.

Office location:  Corinth Campus, 1400 N Corinth St, Corith Tx  Room 172

Telephone number:  940-498-4680

E-mail address:  mtrevino@nctc.edu

Office hours for students:  M-T  9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments &  Final grade scale: 

Course Elements        Graded Course Elements       Point Values

      11                          Chapter Assignments and Quizzes    350

      3                            Exams                                                  300

      7                            Course Work Assignments                175

      1                            Training Presentation                         150

      1                            Final Project                                       175

Late work policy:

Work is scheduled each week. Canvas attendance is required. Late assignments are not accepted unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  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. 

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy:

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:

1)         Zero for the work

2)         Academic suspension

Withdrawal Policy

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is:

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is September 23:

Student Learning Outcomes:

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:

• • Identify Internal/External Customer Relationships
  • Demonstrate Teamwork/Collaboration/Importance in Industry
  • Apply/Display Problem Solving Skills in a Real-World Situation
  • Update Customers on Work Progress to Maintain Customer Satisfaction and Public Relations
  • Address Customer Questions and Complaints in a Professional and Thorough Manner
  • Communicate Technical Information in a Clear, Precise, and Logical Manner
  • Identify Ethical Decision Making/Importance in Industry
  • Resume Writing and Interviewing Techniques

Core Objectives:

   Topic General Description of Subject Matter

• Chapter 1 - Introduction to Computer User Support Ways to classify end users. Common problems users encounter. Common ways to organize and provide support services
• Chapter 2:  Customer Service Skills for User Support Agents            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.
• Chapter 3:  Writing for End Users       Types of end-user documentation. How technical writing differs from other writing. How technical documents are organized. How to plan effective user documentation.
• Chapter 4:  Skills for Troubleshooting Computer Problems   The troubleshooting process and the thinking skills required for successful troubleshooting.

Communication skills for troubleshooting.

Information resources to help solve computer problem.

• Chapter 5:  Common Support Problems        Several categories of common end-user computer problems. Problem-solving processes that can be applied to typical support problems.
• Chapter 6: Help Desk Operation         Help desk operational procedures, The multilevel support model. The incident management process.

Best practices in help desk operation.

• Chapter 7:  User Support Management         The mission of a support group and the features of a mission statement. Items in a typical user support budge. Staffing a help desk. Support staff training programs. Evaluation of support staff performance.
• Chapter 8:  Product Evaluation Strategies and Support Standards    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.
• Chapter 9:  End-User Needs Assessment Project       Basic strategies for performing end-user needs analysis and assessment. Tasks in managing a user needs assessment project.
• Chapter 10: Installing and Managing End-User Computers   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.

• Chapter 11: Technology Training for Users    Goals of training activities. Steps in the training process. How to plan a training session. How to prepare a training session.

COLLEGE POLICIES

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

STUDENT SERVICES

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS