Tech-NO-Nerds: Why the Best Student Computer Lab Consultants are often not from the Computer Science Department

摘要

Technology nerds need not apply! Politically-incorrect? Certainly. But that bold statement ought to be at the top of every Student Computer Lab Consultant university job description in the nation. While a solid technological base is desirable when hiring a computer lab consultant, communication and interpersonal skills are far more crucial than programming expertise. Specialized technical skills such as those typically possessed by Computer Science majors are rarely needed when supporting computer labs, where the principal goal is to provide broad-based software and hardware support that will allow all students, whatever field they are pursuing, to successfully achieve their educational and professional goals. The ability to empathize and share ideas and solutions with clarity, along with the facility to think creatively, are ultimately the factors that make for the best computer lab consultants. Consequently, supervisors should always keep in mind the motto "Tech-NO-Nerds" when considering hiring students to fill public campus computer lab positions. In this paper, the authors will discuss the commitment of Northwest Missouri State University's Academic Computing Department to recruit student computer lab consultants from outside the traditional sphere of the Computer Science Department, showcase retention and training methods, and share ideas, practices and techniques for managing and promoting a racially, culturally and academically diverse student workforce.