While the world was being put on hold due to COVID-19, classes still had to take place. All schools had to quickly transfer from being in person to fully remote learning. Marquette had to transfer everything online in a matter of seven days for students to be able to participate in online classes at home.
The tech assistants program was created back in March of last year when Marquette went fully online due to COVID-19. While the program is still very new to Marquette, it is still succeeding as if it has been around for decades.
Laurie Panella, chief information officer for developing and implementing the university’s technology, realized that the technology was going to need a fix due to COVID-19. She mentioned how they had to act fast with their within seven days so students would be able to succeed in their classes even though they were at home. They also had to make sure that teachers had the technology they needed in order to be able to teach their classes to their best ability.
“Academic excellence and student success is Marquette’s mission,” Panella said.
Teachers who participated in the academic survey sent out at the end of last semester said that “technology issues” were one of their main concerns last semester. This lead to slight hindrance in a learning environment and a need to adjust teaching styles.
If you are having trouble with your computer or connection, there is a technology survey you can take to qualify for assistance if you need help. The survey consists of simple questions that shouldn’t take too long to answer. However, not all problems that students are having can be solved with a hotspot, as it might be their computer or that WiFi in the building is overfilled.
“Usually the internet on campus is fast for me. I’ve never had any major issues,” Sophia Trozzolo, a first-year in the College of Education, said.
Students also have to make sure that they are on the correct WiFi as well. MU Guest is designated visitors and guest use and is not the best for students to use for academics. MU Open and secure is typically what most students use for academic based connections.
“I would say overall the connection hasn’t been too bad (on MU Secure). I’ve never had a major connection issue that stopped me from doing something,” Ali Beimborn, a first-year in the College of Health Sciences, said.
There are resources designated to help students out. The help desk is there to assist with technological and internet-based problems.
“There was a survey in the fall with over 1,200 students filling it out. Of that, eight percent either disagreed or completely disagreed that they had the technology they needed to complete their coursework. When asked what technology they needed majority answering with network access. The final question was ‘have you reached out to the school asking for help’ and 70% answered with No,” Panella said.
The Marquette help desk said that it’s always there for students if they have any connection problems. The IT help desk is located in CUDAHY hall on the second floor and is open Monday thru Thursday from 7:30 A.M. to 8:00 P.M., Friday from 7:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Saturday from 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. and Sunday from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
Benjamin Wells contributed to this report.
This story was written by Charlie Pineda. He can be reached at [email protected].
