Computer Lab Manager Training Course

Computer Lab Manager Training Course

Zambia Pacific Trust

Module 2: Management and Leadership

Summary

This module involves exposure to the broad variety of management topics that relate to the daily work of a computer lab manager. The online instruction in this course covers some of the motivation behind management and some practical assignments in management and organization. The workshop session allows for group discussions of the issues around people and financial management as well as opportunities to work on financial planning and budgeting.

Module 2: Management and Leadership

Resource Book

Author: Heidi Neff, Consultant to Zambia Pacific Trust,

First Edition – May 2010

More information about Heidi Neff and Zambia Pacific Trust is found at the end of this module.

Acknowledgements

The Computer Lab Manager Training Course resource books were made possible due to the efforts and encouragement provided by a variety of people around the world. Special thanks are due to two pioneering organizations working on computers in education in Zambia who provided advice and materials: Computers for Zambian Schools and Crescent Future Kids. Three international development aid organizations: Camara, VVOB and IICD, also deserve special recognition for their contributions to this document and the efforts they are making to use ICT as a tool for development and education in Zambia and elsewhere. Many individuals also contributed their time, expertise and advice to the crafting of this module. Key among them is Bornwell Mwewa. In addition, none of Zambia Pacific Trust’s work toward improving computer education at schools in Lusaka, Zambia would have been possible without the support, advice and equipment provided by Seattle Academy in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Licensing

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Zambia Pacific Trust welcomes and encourages organizations to use any of the modules of the Computer Lab Manager Training Course in a manner they deem appropriate, excluding making a profit from the sale or distribution of the material. Organizations are welcome to use portions of these modules in other documents, but they should attribute the material that is used to Zambia Pacific Trust. Zambia Pacific Trust also appreciates knowing who is benefiting from this material, and requests that individuals and organizations please email Bornwell Mwewa (), Heidi Neff () and Zambia Pacific Trust () and describe how the material is being used.

Module 2 Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Introduction to the Computer Lab Manager Training Course
3. Introduction to Module 2
4. The Big Picture for Management and Leadership
5. The Typical Day
6. Getting into the “Leadership Zone”
7. Feeling Overwhelmed
8. Assignments/Activities
9. Lab Cleanliness and Condition
10. Why Computer Labs Should be Clean and in Good Repair
11. Keeping a Computer Lab Clean
12. Keeping a Computer Lab in Good Repair
13. Assignments/Activities
14. Organization
15. Overall Purpose
16. Strategies for Physical Organization
17. Equipment Inventories
18. Strategies for Electronic Organization
19. Collecting and Organizing User Data
20. Assignments/Activities
21. Security
22. Physical Security
23. Security Policy
24. Insurance
25. Assignments/Activities
26. Management
27. Overall Definition and Purpose
28. Managing Customers, Clients and Students
29. Managing Coworkers
30. Assignments/Activities
31. Leadership, Time Management and Project Organization
32. Leadership Overview
33. Time Management
34. Organizing and Leading Meetings
35. Documentation
36. Assignments/Activities
37. Planning
38. Planning Overview
39. Strategic Planning
40. Planning and Managing a Special Event
41. Assignments/Activities
42. Financial Management
43. Overall Purpose
44. Planning for Sustainability
45. The Financial Planning Process
46. Working With a Budget
47. Avoiding Financial Corruption
48. Basic Marketing Skills
49. Assignments/Activities
50. Communication and Interpersonal Skills
51. Effective Communication
52. Communicating with Different Types of People
53. Effective Email Communication
54. Communicating with Project Partners and Donors
55. Networking and Seeking and Creating Partnerships
56. Customer Relations Skills
57. Assignments/Activities
58. Overall Assignment/Activities
59. Planning Resources
60. Initial Planning, Project Organization
61. Strategic Planning
62. Bibliography

Module 2 Text

1. Introduction
2. Introduction to the Computer Lab Manager Training Course

The Computer Lab Manager Training Course was developed by Zambia Pacific Trust in collaboration with a variety of organizations working on IT related development projects in Zambia. While these projects are in several different sectors (health, education, agriculture and community), all of the organizations recognized the need to increase the number of people who have training in computers past the standard level of a computer user. A particular need that was identified was for individuals who could maintain dynamic and well functioning computer labs and other centers for IT use within a particular project. Therefore, a multi-faceted training course was developed to meet these needs including both the “hard skills” of computer maintenance, repair, and networking and the “soft skills” of management, leadership, communication and instruction. Readers may find more emphasis shown on educational projects, since that is the area of Zambia Pacific Trust’s experience. However, most topics discussed apply equally well in the other sectors where IT is used.

The resource books for these modules are designed to be used as a part of an instructor-led four module course, with each course including both a distance (online) instruction component and a one week face-to-face workshop. This resource book is written to accompany the second of the four modules listed below.

Module 1: Computer Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Repair

Module 2: Management and Leadership

Module 3: Instruction, Facilitating IT Use and IT in Education

Module 4: Networking, Communication and Web 2.0

The target audience for this training course is adult learners who already have intermediate computer user skills and significant experience using computers. Ideally, participants are already employed as computer lab managers, computer project coordinators or Internet café managers. While the course is tailored to those working in educational or community organizations, the course is still valuable for those working in a similar capacity in the private sector.

These learning materials are also valuable for people who are not involved in a formal course, but instead are studying independently to become computer lab managers or improve their skills as computer lab managers. Learners who are using these materials for self study are encouraged to make the training as hands-on as possible, performing as many of the assignments and activities as they can practically achieve.

In addition all learners, whether using these materials for self-study or as a part of a formal course, would benefit from continuing to develop their own skills in three important areas that are not included in this course: Touch Typing, English Reading and Writing, and Computer User Skills. Suggested resources for self study in these areas are presented in section 1.3 of the Module 1 resource book.

1.2.Introduction to Module 2

Module 1 of this course covered the most obvious of the needs of a computer lab manager: to keep the computers in good working order. A computer lab manager does not just manage the computers, however, but is responsible for keeping an entire computer project in good working order. Although less straight forward than computer maintenance and repair, this aspect of a computer lab manager’s job is even more important. While it is possible to bring in volunteers to help with computer repair, it is not very practical to ask others to organize the day-to-day running of a computer lab. Here is where the computer lab manager needs to develop the management and leadership skills to make the computer lab a place where students, coworkers or clients look forward to coming to use computers, participate in courses or take advantage of other opportunities or resources.

It is important to note that management and leadership are large topics andthere is significant additional training that a lab manager could obtain in many of the sub topics discussed in this module. Lab managers are encouraged to consider this module to be just an introduction to management and leadership, and to continue their studies in any of the areas below that they find particularly interesting. For example, more advanced training in project management, strategic planning and financial planning is available in a variety of formats, ranging from free online lessons to formal participation in certificate courses. Interested computer lab managers are encouraged to investigate options through online searches and discussions with local training institutions.

Tableof Contents

1. The Big Picture for Management and Leadership
2. The Typical Day

What do lab managers do on a typical day? This is going to vary from person to person and organization to organization, but it is likely to include at least opening and closing the lab, making sure that the facilities are clean and secure, keeping all equipment in good working order, keeping appropriate records, communicating with other stakeholders in the organization, and managing other employees, interns, or volunteers. The computer lab manager may also be teaching or in charge of some sort of computer education project at the lab.

A computer lab manager may also be asked to build awareness of projects and opportunities in the lab, and initiate new projects to benefit the target audience for the project. Financial matters may also be important such as collecting fees from users or seeking outside funding for the support of the project.

All computer lab managers should make sure that they have a job description that reflects the realities of their working situation and the needs of the community they serve. If a computer lab manager finds that an appropriate job description does not exist, efforts should be made to meet with his or her supervisor or steering committee promptly to formulate such a document. When preparing a job description, those involved should take some time to envision what a typical day will look like for the computer lab manager, including estimates of how much time will be spent on different aspects of the work. Although individual days will vary widely (for example –if some key equipment malfunctions, most of a day might be devoted to its repair), this exercise gives the manager a good indication of how much time overall should be spent on certain aspects of his or her job.

2.2.Getting into the “Leadership Zone”

Most of the tasks mentioned above require the computer lab manager to be a leader in the computer lab. Those that don’t require the manager to lead others at least require the manager to be organized and responsible. The tip box here includes some basic tips to help computer lab managers think and act like leaders. Leadership is also discussed further in chapter 7, later in this module.

One of the most important ways that leaders can behave is to demonstrate empowerment. Empowerment is used here to mean ability to effect change or growth in your organization. The empowered lab manager does not easily “give up” when faced with a challenge, but works through the problem until finding an acceptable solution. In addition to being the attitude of pushing forward and finding success, empowerment also results when the computer lab manager’s supervisor or steering committee has given the lab manager the authority to make decisions that affect the running of the computer lab.

Imagine being a visitor to a computer lab over the course of a year and gradually observing the deterioration of the working conditions of the computer lab. Several of the power adapters needed to plug in electrical equipment have broken, and the overhead florescent lights are gradually starting to dim and flicker. It is no longer an easy or pleasant lab to work in, but the computer lab manager has not shown sufficient interest in changing this situation. When asked about the problems, the computer lab manager says that he(or she) didn’t think there was anything he could do about the adapters, and also that he did mention once to his steering committee about the light bulbs, but no action resulted. How would this situation be different if the computer lab manager was empowered or in “the leadership zone”? Here’s one possible scenario:

• The computer lab manager would have realized the importance of keeping the computer lab facilities in good working order.
• The computer lab manager would have been making note of how many adapters and bulbs needed to be replaced each year and preparing an annual budget for small repairs such as this.
• The computer lab manager would be initiating discussions with his supervisor or steering committee on the importance of budgeting for small repairs and recommending a system for the budget and expenditures.
• The computer lab manager would be also advocating for immediate replacement of the current faulty equipment while a system is being developed.

2.3.Feeling Overwhelmed

Given all of the tasks mentioned in section 2.1 (and the additional tasks that are likely to be found in a computer lab manager’s job description), it is likely that a computer lab manager will sometimes feel overwhelmed. Imagine the day described here: A computer lab manager opens a school computer lab and starts the usual setup procedure. The managerthen gets ready to deliver a lesson to community members that are first-time computer users, and starts to review her (or his)notes in the last few minutes before the class starts. While she is studying, her school’s science department head shows up and says that he has been asked to immediately make a spreadsheet with his department’s budget request for the next year and he needs the manager’s assistance right now. Meanwhile the intern who was helping set up the computer lab for the lesson notices that three computers won’t turn on and has come to the lab manager to ask her for assistance. The lab manager now has three simultaneous demands on her time and attention!

Any computer lab manager is bound to have experiences like the one described above. Sometimes the day just gets out of control due overlapping needs and requests. The tip box here provides some suggestions for managing these stressful moments.

It would be even better, however, if a computer lab manager could avoid having these overwhelming moments in the first place. While these moments still might happen occasionally, the frequency can be reduced significantly by developing some of the skills discussed later in this module. Clear communication about schedules and services, good record keeping about equipment malfunctions, and good existing relationships with stakeholders would all have helped in the situation described here. It’s also wise for the manager to make sure that there are a variety of trained individuals (interns, assistants, volunteers, etc.) who can help with some of the common needs of computer lab users and equipment.

2.4.Assignments/Activities

2.4.1.What do you do on a typical day? If you are already a computer lab manager, keep a daily log for at least a week that notes down all the different tasks you worked on during the week and the approximate number of hours spent on each. Summarize these findings as a list of what tasks you do (and for how long) on an average day. If you do not yet work in a computer lab, interview someone in your community who works in a computer lab and report on that interview.

2.4.2.Check your “empowerment”. How empowered are you to make improve the operation of your computer lab? Consider factors such as your decision making power about programs, schedules and purchases, and your ability to make take care of lab expenses in a timely manner. Also consider your character. How likely are you to push hard to solve a problem? Summarize your thoughts and findings.

2.4.3.Workshop Activity: Participate in a group discussion on stress management. Make sure everyone in the group contributes their thoughts and ideas on how they manage stress.

Table of Contents

1. Lab Cleanliness and Condition
2. Why Computer Labs Should be Clean and in Good Repair

Keeping a lab clean and in good repair should be high on any list of computer lab manager’s responsibilities. This is important for a variety of reasons that affect the overall quality of your computer project. The three main categories of these reasons are described below.