The University provides limited computing support for students' privately owned computers. This support is provided as part of the Student Networking service in the form of a Student IT Help Desk. Student Technicians are employed by the I&TS Division in order to ensure that the functions of the Student IT Help Desk are carried out.

From time to time the I&TS Division advertises for new Student Technicians ().  Anyone interesting in applying for this position should be aware of the job requirements, which are detailed below:

Student Technician Job Description

Student Technicians are expected to work at the Student IT Help Desk in order to ensure that the functions of the Student IT Help Desk are carried out. Whilst the exact timing and duration of this varies from person to person as well as from term to term, each Technician is expected to work at least six hours per week during normal University terms. At times, Student Technicians may be requested to optionally perform duties outside of their normal shift.

Student Technicians are expected to be conscientious, possess organisational skills and have a robust personality in order to ensure that the Student Help Desk is run in an efficient manner. Student Technicians should possess both general computing and computer networking problem solving skills.

Student Technicians are expected to be familiar with the University's ICT best practises, policies and limitations and use this information to inform their actions and advice. Student Technicians should especially take note of and familiarise themselves with the:

• University's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP);
• Student Networking service in general; and
• terms and conditions of the Student Networking service.

Shifts at the Student IT Help Desk are allocated at the beginning of the year by the Student Networking Coordinator, and may be negotiated. If a Technician is not able to make one of their scheduled shifts, they are expected to make arrangements in advance for another Technician to stand in for them. Where this is not possible, they are expected to let the Student Networking Coordinator know, in advance, that they will not make their shift and that they are unable to find a replacement.

During each shift a Student Technician is expected to:

• be present at the Student IT Help Desk for the full duration of their shift;
• attend to students who visit the Help Desk;
• assist students with any software-related problems, particularly but not exclusively those relating to the use of the University's network, to the best of their ability;
• be aware of, and respond to, requests for assistance that come to the Student Help Desk via the University's request tracking system;
• follow normal escalation procedures, which may vary from problem to problem, when unable to resolve a problem themselves;
• handle all requests courteously, timeously and efficiently; and
• leave the Student Help Desk in a clean and tidy state at the conclusion of their shift.

In order for the Student IT Help Desk to provide a reasonable service, it is important that Student Technicians have some basic technical skills. It is therefore expected that Student Technicians are familiar with at least the following technical considerations:

• install and configure vendor supplied device drivers;
• configure a computer's TCP/IP networking such that it is able to be obtain network settings via DHCP;
• install anti-virus software and configure it such that it updates itself regularly;
• remove malware;
• configure Windows computers to use the University's Windows Software Update Service (WSUS);
• perform Operating System repairs;
• change boot settings;
• assist students using Cloud-based software and services.

Last Modified: Thu, 23 Aug 2018 14:21:08 SAST