I'm an instructor in the District and am frustrated by how long it takes for ETS to respond to my needs in the classroom when the technology doesn't work for me. I'm in front of the class trying to show my students material on the Internet and I encounter technical problems that I cannot solve. When I use the classroom phone to contact the Call Center I'm told that they will send someone out right away. However, by the time someone gets to my class it's too late, the class is almost over and I haven't been able to use the technology as I wanted. It's a shame that we spend all that money on installing the equipment but then I can't get it to work when I need it!

We know that it is very frustrating for you and your students, as well as possibly embarrassing for you and for us. We want it all to work well for you and try to get there as quickly as we can. In an attempt to improve our response time for classroom emergencies we've instituted a new method for responding to "technology stranded instructors." If you are an instructor in a classroom who is experiencing difficulties with using technology while teaching class, please follow this process:

1. Use the phone in the classroom to contact the Call Center at ext. 8324.
2. As soon as the phone is answered, press the 3 key.
3. Leave a message with the following information:
   • Your Name
   • Location - Classroom number and campus (DA or FH)
   • Telephone number where you can be reached
   • The problem you are experiencing
4. The system will then immediately page one of the Call Center employees, effectively jumping your call to a high priority call. If, for whatever reason, one of them is unable to respond, the system will escalate the page to Sharon Luciw, Director of Networks & Client Services and she will respond. The individual who responds to the page will immediately contact you at the phone number you provided in the voice message. If the problem cannot be resolved over the phone, a technician will be immediately dispatched to your location.

By the way, this process is only for instruction-related emergencies; do not use this process to attempt to jump ahead of everyone else. Call Center staff will not escalate the service call to Client Services if the call is not strictly related to a situation that is impacting instruction. This system will only work if we recognize that teaching and learning take priority. We want to help our instructors and students succeed in the classroom. Thank you for your understanding.

How can I find out about the status of the network or various systems (like the admin, e-mail or Meeting Maker servers) in the District? I'd like to know when there might be a problem with my computer, the network or a server.

ETS provides a couple different ways for you to know what is going on with various infrastructure systems. One way is to call the Call Center (ext. TECH or 8324) and when the welcome message begins, press 1. You will then hear a current recorded message about the status of the network or various servers available on the network. A second method is to check the System Notification page on the ETS Web site. As planned outages are scheduled or after events occur, information will be kept current there. Either of these two methods will provide you with information you need to know about what is going on.

I'm having a (fill in the blank) problem with my computer. What's the first thing I should do?

Before calling the Call Center, try rebooting your computer. Surprisingly, rebooting solves a good percentage of problems. This also applies to printing. Try shutting down the problematic printer for a minute or so, then restart it.

How do I get technical support?

There are three ways to get help: 1.) Click on a topic, such as software, hardware or voicemail, in the side menu of the ETS Call Center page and look through the information on that topic page, 2.) Click on the "Submit request online" link on the bottom right of the Call Center page to submit a request online via the automated DK Help Online system, or 3.) Call TECH (ext. 8324). The second option is a good choice if you need to submit a request when the Call Center is not open. 4. Email your request to techhelp@fhda.edu.

What are some common questions callers ask Call Center technicians that they could have resolved independently?

Some commonly asked questions include the following: How to determine or change an e-mail password, what steps are needed to get an Admin/Peach/FRS/HRS/SIS account, how to set up e-mail at home, how to use voicemail (change greeting or security code) and how to create a Meeting Maker password. Answers to these questions and more are available on the Getting Help pages of the ETS web site (http://ets.fhda.edu)