What kind of help is available?
Student lab assistants along with professional staff are available to provide technical support during open hours in the Computer Center. Because there is a difference between technical support that a lab assistant can provide, and the content support that an instructor or a teaching assistant provides, we have developed this description of what you can expect from student lab assistants.
Standard Software
All Alverno lab Windows computers have: Adobe Creative Cloud, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Publisher & Access), Firefox, System Center Endpoint Protection (SCEP) and SPSS.
All lab Macintosh computers have: Adobe Creative Cloud, Camtasia 3, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection.
What can I expect from a lab assistant?
ANY SOFTWARE TITLES installed campus-wide - That they:
- can help a student use the program's Help feature or go online to find answers to questions
- can exit the program (if you start a program accidentally)
- can help you find contact information for your instructor to provide additional assistance
CAMPUS NETWORK ACCOUNT - That they:
- can help you learn how to log on and off the network if you have your network user name and password
- can help you determine your network user name
Lab assistants cannot log on for you if you do not have your own user name and password. They can help you reset your password if you have password hints on file. If you forget your password, the lab assistants can reset your password after you provide identification.
LiveText - That they:
- can help you register for LiveText
- can help you find LiveText tutorials
- can help you submit a HelpDesk request if you experience difficulties in LiveText
Office 365 - That they:
- can help you access your Office 365 account (student email, OneDrive for Business and Office Web Apps)
- can help you learn how to read/send/delete e-mails
- can help attach a file to an email message
EQUIPMENT AND ROOM RESERVATIONS - That they:
- knows what equipment is available for delivery
- is aware of equipment limitations
- can set up and test computer deliveries
- can set up and test special equipment such as a scanner
- can check room availability
HARDWARE - That she knows and can explain the types of equipment available.
Interactive Online (IOL) (Alverno’s information database) - That they:
- can help you login
- can help you find your class schedule and educational loan agreement
ONLINE RESEARCH - That they:
- can direct you to the Library Help Desk for assistance (382-6433)
PRINTING - That they can:
- maintain printers
- insert paper
- fix paper jams
- show you how to cancel print jobs on the network
- show you how to request a print refund
- change the default printer
- change laser toner
All students receive 400 free pages of printing per semester. If you want to print more than 400 pages, you will need to purchase additional printing ($5.00 minimum) from a Lab assistant or
professional staff. Black & white printing costs 10¢ per page. Color printing costs $1.00 per page.
If there is a dispute with print balances, Lab Assistants can show a student how to view their print history and help a student request a print refund.
REMOVABLE MEDIA (CDs/DVDs and USB flash media) - That she can help you learn how to perform the following basic disk operations on a PC or Macintosh computer:
- save to removable media
- copy a file or directory
- check for viruses
SOFTWARE - That they:
- knows what software is available in the Computer Center and where it is located
- can give basic directions when you are deciding which software package to use (that is, knows the capabilities of standard software applications, such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases)
- can show you where to find the help feature in software applications
- can help you find files in the Courses folder
SPREADSHEETS - That they:
- can help you save, print preview and print a worksheet in Microsoft Excel
WORD PROCESSING - That they is familiar with basic word processing skills in Microsoft Word such as:
- can make basic corrections
- can save a file
- can retrieve a file
- can use print preview features
- can print
- can set and change tabs and hanging indents
- can format the document (e.g. set margins and line spacing)
- can insert and delete page numbers
- can create tables and make basic changes to tables
- can save in a text-only format
If you have any questions about the Computer Center or lab assistant services, please contact Jay Mitacek at 414-382-6333.
