Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Putting Students First with Technology

  • 11/01/13

The world has grown increasingly reliant upon mobile technologies in recent years, and academia is no exception. Faculty want to be able to check email from their smartphones, administrators want the ability to access university systems when working remotely, and students expect to bring their laptops or tablet devices of preference into the classroom. To address all of these areas and continue Boise State University’s “students first” commitment, it was necessary that we re-engineer our help desk to better support today’s academic environment.

Boise State implemented a remote support solution in 2002 to provide hands on support at the point of contact with support to managed PCs on our network. The technology had several limitations, including complexity for the support personnel and that it was solely for the Windows platform. Since approximately 30 percent of our students are now relying upon Mac devices, this was a significant drawback.

Additionally, this legacy support tool didn’t enable us to assist individuals working off-campus, preventing us from fully serving our distance learning students and faculty when they travelled to conferences or were conducting research in the field.

We began looking for a remote support solution that could provide multiplatform support and ultimately selected Bomgar. We’ve seen a number of improvements. Instead of being limited to supporting only certain university-sanctioned applications and devices, we’re now confident in our ability to assist any end-user, regardless of what device or operating system he or she is using. In addition to meeting our BYOD support needs, the solution allows us to assist faculty, students and staff even when they’re not connected to the university’s network.

In addition to furthering our “students first” mission, our enhanced support environment has significantly improved our experience as help desk representatives. Not only has it eliminated the frustration of not being able to help a user due to device limitations, it also makes us much more efficient.

BOMGAR
WWW.BOMGAR.COM

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management November 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part II

    As education leaders look toward 2026, the design of K–12 and higher education facilities is being reshaped by powerful, converging forces. Survey respondents point to the rapid growth of Career and Technical Education, deeper alignment with workforce and industry needs, and the accelerating influence of AI and emerging technologies.

  • Little Grand Market

    Designing for Belonging: Why Student Wellness Starts with Space

    From walkable site planning to flexible interiors, intentional design choices play a critical role in how students experience comfort, connection, and community.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.