Borrego Springs Unified School District (BSUSD) has established a successful Computer
Intern Program that incorporates the use of MyTechDesk (TechSETS' free web-based work
order system) and the Generation TECH* curriculum (a student tech support program
developed by Generation YES, an exemplary-rated federal Technology Challenge
Innovation Grant). The computer intern program is available to Borrego Springs High
School students, and is lead by BSUSD Director of Technology, Chuck King.
Primary purpose:
MyTechDesk has been effectively used by the Technology Department at Borrego Springs
to manage and track the technical service needs of the entire district for the past
several years. In addition, MyTechDesk has been incorporated and become an integral
part of the student Computer Intern Program run by the high school. The Computer
Intern Program is used to support the technical assistance needs of the district.
The focus of this case study is on the use of MyTechDesk in the student Computer
Intern Program.
Demographics:
Borrego Springs Unified School District is a small, rural district in northeast San
Diego County. The district is comprised of one elementary school, one middle school,
one high school and one continuation school. The total student enrollment is
approximately 485. There are approximately 187 student computers available in the
district, supported by 1.5 paid technology support staff. The district includes Program
Improvement schools and has an API score of 691. Approximately 75% of students are
eligible for Free and Reduced Priced Lunch.
Primary resources:
MyTechDesk (TechSETS' free web-based ticket management system); Generation TECH (a
student tech support curriculum licensed through Generation YES that includes lessons,
online tools, and an archive of student-produced resources).
Description:
The MyTechDesk ticket system is an integral part of the BSUSD Computer Intern Program. Generation TECH students are assigned work orders, in response to staff and faculty requests for support through MyTechDesk. When the technology staff receives a request via email, the information is entered into the ticket system and the priority level is set according to the critical need of the request. An automatic email is generated through the system to the student intern assigned to the work order. Students then retrieve the support request when they check into their email during class period. A paper copy is printed and taken with the student to where the problem is located. for use in documenting the resolution, time spent in remediation, and any additional issues that may not have been reported. In addition, students can use the ticket to record items they encounter that may require attention from the district IT department.
At Borrego Springs High School, a timeframe is established for the rating levels in
MyTechDesk: low, medium, high and critical. Critical issues are responded to immediately
(or as soon as possible) and, if not resolved, a reasonable work around is sought within
two hours or by the end of the business day. For this reason, students generally do not
respond to critical support issues unless they are accompanied by tech staff members.
Students "shadow" technology support staff on these occasions and the visit to the user
is utilized as a training session for interns. Likewise, senior students in the program
are taught to mentor other interns by using the "shadow" method. This is yet another
way that MyTechDesk is used in the Intern program, to document and record the actions
taken to resolve system issues. Using the ticket to record resolutions helps the students
learn to track and document their progress. The documentation process is repeated when
the student journals in his or her Generation TECH web log (or "blog").
It is possible for a student to accumulate an impressive log of trouble ticket resolutions
over the course of the Intern program. This paper or electronic trail is useful in
validating a student's on-the-job experience for future employers. Documentation is also
important for tracking the computer life-cycle in the district's labs, classrooms and
offices. Students can record the serial number of equipment and, by cross referencing
ticket number and serial number in the IT Department Computer Inventory Database, it is
possible to create a cost/benefit analysis of a computer's life-cycle. Generation TECH
students at BSUSD are currently working on this database, using Microsoft Access.
One of the goals of the BSUSD Computer Intern Program is to create a knowledge base for internal technology support staff. Information residing in the ticket systems can be used as a troubleshooting catalog for students to access when responding to trouble calls. This is a great way to save time and to leverage the experience of technical staff by sharing documentation through the MyTechDesk system.
In general, without the MyTechDesk work order program, students' ability to respond to
and track trouble calls in a real-world job environment would be very limited. The TechSETS
tools and web site have been a great benefit and continue to meet the needs of Borrego
Springs' technology support and the Computer Intern Program.
Resources/services needed to implement MyTechDesk account and student intern program:
MyTechDesk account and student intern program
Known impact on teaching, learning, instructional management, and/or delivery of support services:
- A total of 12 students have participated in the BSUSD Computer Intern Program since 2003.
Of the 12 students, 50% have gone on to 4 year colleges (4 students) or have been accepted for Fall 2006
(2 students). All have pursued an emphasis in technology. At least one other student has
joined the military, using his technology skills in the field of communications.
- A student in the first graduating class of interns has returned to Borrego Springs and
joined the Borrego Springs USD staff as an assistant to the Technology Director. He is a
strong advocate of the Intern program.
- The Computer Intern Program reduces the cost of technical assistance for the district and
has reduced the amount of crisis-level tech support necessary by having the student interns
perform routine preventative maintenance operations.
- MyTechDesk has made it possible to track the success of the intern program through the tracking
of work orders. The quantity of work orders, in general, has also been reduced. Statistics
available through MyTechDesk reveal a 31% decrease in the number of work orders submitted over a
three-year period (as of May 2006 figures).
- Work orders, 2003-2004 - 263
- Work orders, 2004-2005 - 261
- Work orders, 2005-2006 - 179
- The Computer Intern Program has provided work experience and an organizational structure for
students who plan to pursue a career in the technology field.
Other Benefits:
- MyTechDesk provides a structure through which the technology teacher and students can keep
track of projects and work accomplished.
- MyTechDesk provides students with a powerful example of the value of organizing, coordinating
and structuring services to meet the organization's technology needs.
- MyTechDesk has eased the tracking burden for the technology teacher and provided a monitoring tool for
following student progress.
- MyTechDesk integrates language arts skills in the project-based learning; students respond to a
problem identified through a MyTechDesk work order, fix the problem, and write a response in
MyTechDesk that explains the problem's resolution.
- Students feel empowered when they are handed a work order. They recognize the level of
responsibility with which they have been entrusted and have taken full ownership of that
responsibility.
Lessons Learned:
- Not all students go on to college or enter a technical field, yet the Intern program and
the organization skills learned through MyTechDesk assist students in any endeavor.
- MyTechDesk has been a good way to identify staff that made frequent requests for support. A determination could then be made about the cause, whether a lack of user knowledge or a computer hardware/software issue. This helped to identify staff members who needed additional support and training, as well as identifying hardware/software that was in need of replacement.
- Once a particular issue was identified as a repeated need, students were able to create
instructional documentation as tutorials for users, thus providing a proactive response to
common issues.
- TechSETS has much more to offer the Intern program. Other segments of TechSETS will be
incorporated into the future program. In 2007, a follow-up case study will look at the
implementation of other resources.
Is this effective practice recommended for sharing? Yes
Additional information:
MyTechDesk was developed in 2001 by the Learning Technologies
department of the Imperial County Office of Education, to help manage ICOE's own Information
Technology (IT) support operation. Its use was soon expanded to include California schools,
through collaboration with the California Department of Education's TechSETS project. The
quality and value of this initial product prompted the development and support for a fully
developed, feature-rich version. Beginning January 1, 2005, MyTechDesk Standard became available
to California K-12 schools and schools districts at no cost. MyTechDesk is available by
subscription to other educational entities, as well as to public and private organizations.
Please visit the TechSETS web site for more information:
http://www.techsets.org/toolsNresources/mytechdesk.aspx.
Generation YES/Generation TECH: For more information, please visit
http://www.genyes.com.
*Please note that the GenTECH program was merged with the GenYES program during the 2008-09 school year
Download the pdf version:
Case Study: Borrego Springs Unified Student Technologists
