Four virtual computers come broken on purpose. Students take a help-desk ticket written in a user's plain words, work the six-step troubleshooting method on the virtual bench, fix the fault, and write the ticket notes a supervisor would read.
Interactive: The Bench is the lab: four tickets with questions to ask, cables to drag, memory to reseat and a BIOS to fix, scored against the six steps. Groups of three work each ticket at one lab rig, and an absent student can make it up alone. Try it.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- List and apply the six steps of the CompTIA troubleshooting method, in order.
- Turn a user's vague complaint into a specific problem by asking questions.
- Write ticket notes that record findings, actions and outcomes clearly enough for another technician to follow.
Board question
- Someone tells you, "My computer is broken." Write the first question you would ask them.
- Name one thing you would check before you open the case. Give a reason in one sentence.
Students answer in the notebook at the start, and revisit the answer on the exit ticket.
The 90-minute block
| Minutes | Segment | Teacher | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 | Do Now | Board question. | Answer both asks. |
| 8–22 | I Do | Tell one real support story and walk it through the six steps. Stress step 2, "question the obvious": the cable, the power, the input setting. Show a weak ticket note ("fixed it") next to a strong one. | Copy the six steps. |
| 22–32 | We Do | Work a ticket aloud as a class: "The printer won't print." Students supply the questions to ask, then theories in order from most to least likely. | Supply questions and theories. |
| 32–80 | Lab: Broken on Purpose | Groups of three work the four tickets in turn on The Bench, about 12 minutes each. The Bench answers as the user; circulate and have each group say its theory out loud before testing it. Check ticket notes before a group moves on. | Four tickets, about 12 minutes each. |
| 80–85 | Debrief | Read two ticket notes aloud (with permission): one that another technician could follow, and one that needs work. | Revise one note. |
| 85–90 | Exit Ticket | Board question returns. Two A+-style items. | Revisit, then answer. |
The 50-minute period
| Minutes | Segment | Teacher | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | Do Now | First board ask. | Answer the first ask. |
| 4–14 | I Do | The six steps with one story; the weak and strong ticket note. | Copy the six steps. |
| 14–42 | Lab: Broken on Purpose | Two tickets, about 14 minutes each (1 and 2 on this day). | Two tickets. |
| 42–50 | Exit Ticket | Both board asks and the two items. | Revisit, then answer. |
What moves to tomorrow: Tickets 3 and 4 run tomorrow, followed by the ticket-note debrief.
The six steps
- Identify the problem. Ask the user questions, find out what changed, and back up data before you make changes if you can.
- Establish a theory of probable cause. Question the obvious.
- Test the theory to determine the cause. If it is wrong, form a new theory or escalate.
- Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem, and implement the solution.
- Verify full system functionality and, if it applies, put preventive measures in place.
- Document findings, actions and outcomes.
Materials
- One lab rig per group of three: a Linux workstation with a 27-inch monitor, open to The Bench.
- Help-desk ticket cards, one per ticket, written in the user's words (the same four tickets as The Bench).
- Bench Licenses from Day 1.
- Lab sheet (printed), one per student.
Before class
- Open The Bench on every rig and check all four tickets load.
- Know the four faults before class. Ticket 1: a memory stick is not seated. User says: "It turns on and makes beeping noises, but nothing shows up."
- Ticket 2: the display cable is loose or in the wrong port. User says: "The screen is black. The light on the computer is on."
- Ticket 3: the drive is missing from the boot order. User says: "It says something about no boot device."
- Ticket 4: the network cable is unplugged. User says: "The internet is down. Can you fix the internet?"
Safety
- Bench License required. The Bench flags the same slips as Day 1: opening or reaching into a running computer, and handling memory without the wrist strap.
Vocabulary
- Ticket
- The record of a support request: who asked, what is wrong, what was done.
- Theory of probable cause
- Your best guess at what is causing the problem, before you test it.
- Escalate
- Hand a problem to someone with more access or experience, with your notes.
- Preventive measure
- Something you do so the problem does not happen again.
Exit ticket
Item 1 is always the board question, revisited. Then:
A user reports that their screen is black. You have confirmed the monitor is on. According to the CompTIA method, what do you do next?
- Replace the graphics card
- Establish a theory of probable cause (key)
- Document the outcome
- Reinstall the operating system
Which step of the CompTIA troubleshooting method comes last?
- Verify full system functionality
- Test the theory
- Document findings, actions and outcomes (key)
- Identify the problem
Support
- The six steps stay on screen in The Bench, and on a card at every rig.
- Ticket notes have sentence starters: "I found…", "I tested…", "I fixed it by…", "To prevent this…"
Stretch
- Write the ticket you would send if you had to escalate ticket 3 to a senior technician instead of fixing it.
- Invent a fault of your own and write the user's ticket card for it.
Where this leads
Help desk work is ticket work. Students leave with four written tickets they produced themselves, which is the kind of sample a hiring manager asks about: how you question a user, test a theory and write it up.