The role technology plays in our schools and in the lives of our students only continues to expand. Your school has probably already incorporated technology into classrooms and administrative functions. But, as technology becomes more ingrained in every aspect of school operations, your IT staff may start to feel the strain.
If your budget doesn’t allow hiring additional IT pros, here’s something to consider—implement a student-run IT help desk.
The solution benefits all involved. Students can obtain real-world experience through working hands-on with software and hardware, managing multiple projects, communicating with “clients,” and problem-solving. IT staff can benefit from extra help and have more time to work on other projects.
If you’re considering starting a program like this one, here are some action steps to get started.
Create formal guidelines
The first, and probably most intense, step will be to establish the parameters of your student IT help desk program. Here are some questions to consider.
- How will you recruit students?
- Will you screen participants based on grade level or aptitude?
- Will you cap how many students can be in the group each year?
- How many hours will your students work?
- What types of problems will they handle?
- What chain of command will they follow if they don’t know the answer, or can’t solve a problem?
- Will students earn credits for participation?
Acknowledge privacy concerns
A specific area to cover is how privacy will be handled with a student IT help desk. Students may be able to access sensitive information. Set a process before you begin your program. A good rule of thumb is to create specific permissions for these student workers. Also, have help desk participants sign a confidentiality agreement stating that they won’t share any information they may happen to stumble across.
Appoint an advisor
Your student IT help desk should be managed by an experienced IT professional who can orchestrate the program and provide guidance and expertise as needed. This individual will be responsible for reporting program milestones to school administrators and the School Head.
Refine and repeat
Don’t be afraid to continually refine your program to meet your faculty and student needs. The program advisor should continually survey the school’s constituencies to see what’s working and what can be improved.
A student IT help desk can give students real-world experience while supporting your school’s technology initiatives, helping operations run more smoothly.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Business and Operations Vol. 16 No. 5 Preparing Your School for Cybersecurity Threats in 2018
The Source for Private School News Vol. 16 No. 7 A Primer on Data Privacy for Your School
The Source for Trustees Vol. 16 No. 2 Classroom Apps, Technology, and Privacy Concerns
