Course Syllabus

Fall 2024 | CIS-2360-VO01 - Computer User Support

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Marsha Kuhn
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Deb Grant

General Education Requirements

VSCS Digital and Technical Literacy
CCV Communication

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course provides students with computer user support skills. Students learn the fundamental concepts of service desk communication techniques and customer service, and focus on the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to prepare for entry-level positions in computer user support. Students work with real world computer support examples, case studies, and activities. This course covers concepts found on the CompTIA A+ certification exam. Prerequisite: Desktop Operating Systems.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe the historical context of end-user computing, how end users increase their productivity using computer systems, the resources they need, and common problems they encounter.
2. Identify and understand why end users need help, the kinds of help support centers provide, and how organizations have found ways to provide support.
3. Describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for success in a computer user support position including the qualities and skills to be an effective team member or leader.
4. Demonstrate culturally responsive communication and customer service skills user support staff need, outline ways to develop a call management strategy, and role play some difficult support situations.
5. Discuss common tools and methods troubleshooters use to solve computer problems and describe practical problem-solving strategies that a user support specialist can apply to any troubleshooting situation.
6. Discuss a multi-level support model, the incident management process, and be familiar with the features of service desk ticketing systems.
7. Describe management perspectives for the mission of support groups, how to staff and train them, how to manage a large project, industry certifications, professional associations, and standards of ethical conduct including maintaining confidentiality.
8. Discuss strategies to evaluate computer products and define product standards in an organization.
9. Describe tools to help user support staff analyze and assess user needs for computer hardware, software, and network products.
10. Demonstrate how to plan training activities, how to prepare training materials, and how to present, evaluate, and improve training for end users.
11. Explain how to create and revise end-user documents for accessibility, inclusivity, and cultural sensitivity.
12. Describe facilities management tasks user support staff are likely to encounter, including security, media backups, preventive maintenance, and ergonomic issues.
13. Develop a training, management, and evaluation system for a technical support group, and prepare a formal presentation that demonstrates proficiency using the CCV Oral Communication Rubric.
14. Discuss ways that artificial intelligence can impact the level of service using chatbots, knowledge-based article suggestions, sentiment analysis, ticket routing, interactive voice response, multi-lingual support, and predictive analytics.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity