Comments on Challenge and Tech Support

• I have admin access
• Posted by Liz Van Lysal , Program Outreach Coordinator / University Housing at UW—Milwaukee on July 16, 2010 at 12:15am EDT

• I have admin access...and I'm guessing our tech support folks are happy about that. If I didn't, I'd be calling them a couple times a day while I try out new software, install plug-ins, etc. I feel very fortunate that my department gives me the freedom I have with technology - so much so that they let me switch my office to macs.

  I'm going to forward this to one of our tech support staffers and see what he has to say.

• Posted by Stacy Oliver on July 16, 2010 at 1:00am EDT

• I had administrative access to my office computer until December, when university policy changed and it was withdrawn from all staff. The transition was abrupt and has probably caused more issues than anticipated. In addition to not being able to install new software, I can't update the existing software, which in some cases causes severe security issues. There are workarounds and IT can grant temporary admin access on a case-by-case basis, but it's lengthy process.

  It's less than ideal for running a machine that best allows me to do my job. Unfortunately, you're right that we're often boxed in by the idea that the pre-packaged software suites are the essential tools, but for now, those are the tools with which I'm expected to work. Thank goodness for cloud computing.

• Admin Access
• Posted by Michell Jaworski , Asst. Director of Residence Life at Winthrop University on July 16, 2010 at 8:45am EDT

• I have admin access on my computer and also on the computer in the Resource Room which I supervise. I think we in Residence Life have a great relationship with IT and they really trust us to know our stuff.

  Our Computing and Information Technology department is very good at being helpful, proactive and responsive. They have done TLC (Teaching and Learning Center, pro and personal dev for fac/staff) sessions on computer stuff for F/S.

  When students started bringing wireless routers to campus for their rooms, they banned them at first because students weren't installing them correctly and bringing down the network in buildings. The next year they allowed them, but provided required instructions on how to install properly and if someone messed up or abused, they would make them take it home.

• Posted by Edward , Computer Tech on July 16, 2010 at 9:45am EDT

• I support about 120 staff computers. Generally speaking we don't give admin access unless requested (esp. on student worker computers, but that is another story). When we requested we do it, but with the understanding if something becomes broken/stops working and we think it might be related to something the user installed/changed/etc., we will only troubleshoot for so long before your computer is re-imaged.

• University Business
• Posted by Kristen at The Ohio State University on July 16, 2010 at 11:45am EDT

• I believe the tweet you are referring to came from one of my co-workers, with whom I taught the joys of Twitter recently. He was very excited about using Tweet Deck to manage the many things he enjoyed following on Twitter and was super excited to get it installed on his computer. Less than 24 hours after it was installed, the tech department took it away. (They giveth and they taketh away... Should be their motto) They sighted that, “Twitter was not used for University Business”. Hmmm interesting, pretty sure that it is...! So wait, tech department, you mean to tell me that connecting and communicating with students is not part of "university business", I am confused, I thought that was our business. My mistake.

   

  The point of me sharing this is that after this incident, I have realized just how important it is to have admin rights to your computer. As an SA professional I understand more of what my job is and my business is, than an IT professional does. It is important to me to find various ways of improving my job performance using many different means of technology, as well as finding many ways to communicate with my students. IT and I may be in a perpetual fight over this…

• Getting full access; granting full priviledges...
• Posted by Hector Alvarez-Trujillo , EdD candidate at Walden University on July 16, 2010 at 8:30pm EDT

• I have administrative privileges, ( A well kept secret between me and some of the tech Support guys). Having these privileges makes my life easy, and while most of my colleagues have not, I think that, unlike most of them, I earned them. I have work for the same institution for the past 14 years, a characteristic that our institution is that we have being at the fore front of technology and ahead of most education institutions in Puerto Rico. As part of having a faculty technological capable and computer knowledgeable, a top of the line lap top computer was provided to each full time faculty member, for the faculty part time, the office they share was equipped with modern desk top computers. In my second semester I was selected to become part of the newly formed Online Program (Distance Learning), with that I was given the training that I would need to design and create online courses, working with different learning platforms, and so forth. Once the taste I acquired the taste for technology I was hooked. Institutions should give administrative privileges to faculty members that have show they are dedicated to learning; some of my colleagues have had their computers for years and the only have learn how to open their email, they see technology as their rival nor their friend. I am always trying to learn something new, I am always hanging around the Technical Support and System Operation, asking question or looking for answers. Not all of them know that I have administrative privileges, but some of them are happy I do.

• A little more fuel
• Posted by Mike Hamilton , Complex Coordinator at WPI on July 17, 2010 at 5:45am EDT

• I have been in my current position for 4 years. I got admin access on my computer about a month into my job. I had to have my department head to email our tech dept to get access granted. As I look back I believe the first thing I wanted to download was Second Life to check campus creation application and use...that was a bust, but a story for another time.

  My biggest contention as a student affairs "techie" is the amount of "teach the incompetent" I encounter when working with people in tech positions that I haven't worked with before. There is no check to see if you may know what is wrong and need a quick fix that only they can provide. Most of the time this interaction seems to go straight to "they are in SA and they don't know anything about tech". I almost never flex the tech muscles because I don't want to sound arrogant or over confident, but it gets a little boring when I am being talked through simple steps and easy functions.

  I know that there is not really anyway for these tech professionals to know what I may know in terms of technology. But when I am challenging a student leader, I get them to come up with their own solutions, they learn a whole lot better this way. It a modified challenge approach was used in tech support, maybe there wouldn't be so many problems and higher ed staff and faculty would learn a little more about technology. This could create a more tech savy campus where much more innovation can be accomplished.

• using web 2.0 is meeting students where they are
• Posted by Doug Walo on July 17, 2010 at 5:45am EDT

• I do have admin rights on my machine and I am so thankful for it. Using Google Chrome for my browser, having gchat to im with colleagues and even students, and using Tweetdeck significantly enhance my productivity and allow me to work the way I want to work and in some cases that I need to work to effectively meet students where they actually are. As mentioned above, with admin rights come downsides. People make mistakes. Staff accidentally click somewhere they shouldn't and install a virus, they butcher their Outlook email archives and cause all sorts of other issues that ITS ends up resolving. As a department IT liaison, I can sympathize with the desire to prevent all that frustration, but the opportunity to better engage students is lost and I think that should be the highest priority.

• Posted by AndreaGenevieve , Semester in Washington Journalism Program at George Washington University on July 21, 2010 at 12:30pm EDT

• Luckily as part of my program our computers are purchased through our own individual budget and therefore not part of GWU's computer system. On my Mac I can access/download any tool needed. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't have TweetDeck!
  Great post

• access or no access
• Posted by Licinia Kaliher , Complex coordinator at University of Delaware on July 31, 2010 at 7:30am EDT

• For the first 8 years of work here I had NO access to my computer to upload/download. Our computers were always crashing and I spent most of my time on my personal computer. I campaigned to get a new laptop, a MacBook Pro. With that I was told I wouldn't get much support but I don't really need it on a Mac. I have full admin. access to this laptop and have had no problems. We are restricted to updated our websites which has been disappointing. We do have to go through alot of channels to do so. My other peers on older PC laptops have alot harder time with their computers and are always at tech support. I also have been very lucky to have personal connections to different tech staff over the years so if I call with an issue, I get a good response. I think there has to be a balance of admin. support and access for SA professionals. Having a level of approval for anything public does save professionals and universities any public embarrassments but too much restrictions we can't take advantage of all the open-source and new technology emerging.