MOTIVATING EFFECTIVE ICT USERS’ SUPPORT THROUGH AUTOMATED MOBILE EDU-HELPDESK SYSTEM
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Abstract
Description
An automated helpdesk system is meant to eradicate some of the barriers of reaching the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) technical staff to carry out repairs of ICT products and services in an educational
institution. The problems faced with the existing ICT user support system include time wasting, difficulty in
communication, and slow response to fix ICT related faults. The objective of this study is to develop an Automated
Mobile Edu-Helpdesk System (AMES) for effective information dissemination, efficient management of operations and
to resolve ICT challenges in higher education. The research methods adopted include unified modelling diagrams for
design, Java and XML (Extended Mark-up Language) for Android application development as front end, while
Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) was used as the server side programming tool. MySQL database was used as backend.
Findings: The findings from the usability survey shows a good usability based on total rating of 4.09 out of 5 point
scale. The benefits of the system include creation of a medium for non teaching and teaching staff to pass their
complaints or messages to the technical department for speedy attention; and provision of better and faster operational
processes which will reduce time spent on documentation. The automated Edu-Helpdesk system is more reliable,
effective and convenient than the manual method in reporting cases of faulty ICT product and services within the
university community.
Keywords
Q Science (General), QA76 Computer software