New Commons has helped the PC IT Department develop tools and processes to deliver better Help Desk services to the Providence College user community.

Our initial workshops quickly revealed an interdependent set of service providers and their unified need for a "self help resource." The resulting wiki we helped create brings together almost all college departments.

Currently, we are working to train student Help Desk workers to facilitate focus group conversations. An ongoing series of focus groups covers a variety of topics including TV on campus and the use and management of email communications between the college and its community.

Ultimately, these focus group seek to identify thought-leaders on campus who can contribute to a Student Advisory, providing input on how computing affects their learning and living.