Class ends in five minutes and we can’t hear the video my professor wanted to show us. Even as I pack my bag, anticipating her running out of time before she figures out the volume was muted, I can’t help feeling bad about not telling her.

We like to believe our professors are infallible, but errors happen and we owe it to ourselves to offer assistance. Even pointing out that a volume slider is muted or a plugin isn’t installed will save time and help out.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen tech support get involved over something like a detached cable or an incorrect button press. The class I mentioned earlier is now having its next exam a week late because of an accumulation of these little gremlins.

It’s because of this I am no longer interested in milling around when I know I can help.

I haven’t always taken that initiative.

Sometimes, I’m exhausted from all-nighters and would rather avoid mentioning the projector’s on the wrong channel if it means less to write down before class ends. Other times, the bystander effect has me waiting for someone else to act.

But when the consequence of my complacence is an exam being pushed back to the same day as several other major assignments, that’s when I need to reconsider my choices.

I know F11 full sizes your screen and makes the start menu disappear. When my professor presses it accidentally and suddenly can’t find their minimized programs, it would be negligent not to speak up.

Considering how even a small setback like a video not playing or a link not supporting a certain browser can cause a class to fall behind schedule, it’s totally unfair for both professors and students.

We take for granted our vast knowledge of computers, despite being the first generation to really grow up with them. Not to disparage our professors, but sometimes they experience unexpected tech issues they can’t deal with alone, and we’re all prone to human error.

Students and their professors both want the semester to go smoothly, and nothing helps that along quite like giving them a hand when a technical difficulty arises  rather than sitting idly. This isn’t just for your professor’s sake — you’d be doing yourself and your classmates a huge favor as well.