Heroes on hand for non-IT crowd

Computer frozen? Can’t access your email? A new mobile app for students and staff at UNSW is providing an easy, on-the-spot solution for those bewildered by technology.

“UNSW is the first educational institution in Australia to pioneer crowdsourced, real-time, location based IT support for staff and students,” says UNSW IT Project Manager Anatoli Kovalev.

“The app was created with input from students and includes geolocation technology to pinpoint volunteers in the vicinity of a request,” he says.

Student volunteers are assigned to those in need of assistance – becoming IT Heroes who can answer common questions including how to access student email or wifi.

“With the app, students log a request and an IT Hero will go to them. So it provides convenience and a faster response,” says Kovalev.

The volunteering program includes a six-week training period and workshops for students to develop personal and professional skills in areas such as teamwork, project management and information technology. 

Students also work on an innovation project, exploring ways to improve the student experience and try out entrepreneurial ideas.

“It is great to have students helping other students because we can relate to them better, explain it better, because we have been in their situation,” says IT Hero Aishwarya Ghatpande.

“I signed up because I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn general IT and customer service skills, and to meet people. It was really fun,” she says.

The program was trialled in first semester, with more than 80 students applying for 30 places. Students commit to volunteering for four hours a week, usually in two hour blocks.

And the program isn’t just for the tech savvy. Students from all faculties are encouraged to apply.

“Students think if they’re not from an IT background they won’t be able to solve problems, which isn’t the case,” says student volunteer Hamza Muhammad Shoaib.

"It’s a great initiative. It’s given me an edge when I have applied for other positions and it’s great to have it on my resume," he says. 

Kovalev says he hopes the app could be applied to any community that requires a service supported by volunteers, including not-for-profits and emergency services.

Applications are now open for students interested in becoming an IT Hero in semester two, with the training program scheduled to run from 6 July to 7 August 2015.