Ethnography Results Week #4

This week our during our observation time we got to follow-up on previous problems with HECC 204. What was believed to be just a computer replacement issue, ended out being a system issue. Later that day they ended out seeing the entire system stop working. They replaced the computer but ended out realizing that the issue was a programming issue and it was passed along to the Microcomputer LAN administrator.

Upon our arrival we came to an empty office (or perhaps the student worker fell asleep), so we waited out in the hallway for a little bit and proceeded to observe the automated system in HECC 100. This system is slightly different and consist of a better sound system and an HD projector. It also had a small touchscreen which has tabs for the devices. The one thing I noticed is that the tabs can be misleading because the DVD tab is actually the Blu-Ray/HD DVD player, while the DVD/VCR combo is controlled by the VHS tab (this has been known to confuse professors in the past).

Upon entering the office the environment was rather relaxed for a Friday morning (8:30). One student worker was studying anatomy and physiology because he had a test at 11:30. The other student worker was friendly as usual and was entertained on the computer near us by playing computer games and browsing facebook.

We did get to visit with one of the IMS consultants and he told the upstairs office that they were short-staffed downstairs so that might impact what the student technicians did during the class changes. One of the supervisors from the tech office did go downstairs to help during the class change. We followed one of the student technicians to HECC 200. The CPS receiver wasn't responding correctly and had to be rest via the back of the podium. The professors seemed slightly stressed and even questioned why we were in there particular space. They seem to change their attitude once they learned that we were observing one of the technicians. The student technician worked well with the professors present and was very polite, he even asked one of the professors how her other class was doing. In seeing that I realized how this particular role can become a very personable one and the student technicians do take pride in mentally tracking previous problems and the satisfaction of the professors.