Hierarchy of Lab Help
Troubleshooting a Problem
When you encounter difficulties while working with hardware or software, the following steps can be taken to troubleshoot a problem. Please follow them in the order listed below.
- Program Documentation – All programs include a help guide and this is the first place to look when encountering difficulties with software or when trying to figure out a software issue.
- Peers – Ask friends! Fellow New Media students are an incredible resource and chances are they have had the same problem at some point.
- Internet Sites and Online Tutorials – Internet sites and forums exist for all major software packages, use Google or another search engine to find these and locate an answer.
- Instructors – Don’t be afraid to ask professors for help, just ensure that you have exhausted the resources listed above before doing so. Profs are often very busy with research, course preparation, marking and administrative work.
Major Hardware Problems
Should you encounter major hardware problems (i.e. network problems or a specific lab computer is malfunctioning) you should report the problem to your professor. If a professor is not available, report the problem to the NMED Technical Specialist (W700L, 403-394-3958) or IT staff.