TOPS Help Desk

Contacting the TOPS Help Desk

A support help desk is available to respond to technical issues regarding projects supported by the Technical Outreach for Public Schools for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. This help desk will respond to help requests from North Carolina schools participating in North Carolina Department of Public Instruction projects.

  • Email requests are preferred for help desk communication and should be sent to ncdesk@ncsu.edu. Email requests can be sent anytime. You should get an email reply which will include a ticket number and instructions on how to communicate with the help desk about the request. If you do not get an email reply, then you must assume that the help desk did not receive your assistance request and you should then use the phone request method detailed below.
  • Phone requests can be placed by calling (919) 515-1320 anytime.
  • Help desk operational hours are from 7:30 AM – 5 PM, Monday-Friday (excluding holidays). If the call is during non-office hours or cannot be taken immediately, then the call will go to a voicemail system. Voicemail system messages are collected by staff as quickly as possible.
  • If you are seeking technical assistance with projects supported and you are NOT doing so as an operational function of a public school in North Carolina, the help desk will not be able to assist.
  • The following information is requested when contacting the help desk:
  1. First Name
  2. Last Name
  3. Phone number to return tech support call to (in case of disconnect, etc.)
  4. School and district calling from
  5. If possible, email address