Teaching This Fall: Day 7 Questions about Technology
To support instructors who are prepping their classes for fall, the Faculty Curricular Design Working Group has created 10 sets of featured questions related to our new teaching environment. Each day we will post one set of frequently asked questions to respond to issues that faculty have raised about how to be prepared.
FAQs Set #7: Questions about Technology
- I am having problems learning the technology for online and hybrid class delivery. What can I do?There are many options available to you, including online and on-demand trainings through myTraining (login to myTraining through My黑洞社区), 鈥渞eal time鈥� training presentations through Zoom August 10-14, and one-on-one help from IDA during their online lab times. More info here.
- Will the university purchase a device to support my teaching, research, or scholarship
(computer, webcam, hotspot, etc.)? If so, how do I order it?
If you do not have access to a computer or the Internet at home, contact Information Technology Services (ITS). Additional information is available.
Additional FAQs about teaching this fall can be found on the COVID-19 university webpage.
Classroom Technology Training Schedule
Classrooms across campus are equipped with uniform technology and media equipment. Access is available to faculty and staff with consistent keys for most classrooms that are issued during a short training session. We encourage you to bring your personal laptop to test in the room during training. If there are additional needs or questions, please call 978-3588.
Faculty are encouraged to verify that their assigned rooms have the technology they need prior to the start of the semester.
Fall 2020 Classroom Technology Training Schedule
Free Campus Visitor Guides are available
Free Campus Visitor Guides are available upon request. They are particularly helpful if you鈥檇 like to have a stack of guides to share with students or prospective students.
These guides can be delivered via campus mail or be delivered to your office.
Let Garrett Rupp in the Office of Admissions know by Tuesday, Sept. 15, how many guides you need, and a campus box number or office number for delivery. Contact Rupp at garrett.rupp@wichita.edu or call 978-6293.
Annual accessibility training available today
Each year, Wichita State instructors are expected to update their accessibility knowledge by attending accessibility training. From noon-12:50 p.m. today (Tuesday, Aug. 11), as part of the Academic Resources Conference, Wichita State鈥檚 Interim Accessibility Coordinator John Jones will provide the accessibility update for the 2020-21 academic year. Instructors who attend and check-in will be counted as having met their annual accessibility training. .
The ARC makes your life easier
Wichita State provides many tools and services to help make creating and teaching classes easier, and today the ARC is focusing on many of them. . There are 16 sessions today alone, including:
o Little Known Panopto tools, 10-10:50 a.m.
o Using 黑洞社区-TV鈥檚 New Video Capture Services, 11-11:50 a.m.
o Using Respondus 4.0 Test Generator, 1-1:50 p.m.
o Zoom Best Practices, 3-3:50 p.m.
o Introduction to LinkedIn Learning at Wichita State, 3-3:50 p.m.
o Problems in Blackboard, Causes and Solutions, 4-4:50 p.m.
NASA in Kansas calls for Teacher Workshop Program proposals
The NASA Kansas Space Grant Consortium (KSGC) Teaching Workshop Program supports the development and implementation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educator workshops. NASA is especially interested in to helping teachers bring NASA relevant material and content into middle-school classrooms.
KSGC affiliate proposals are completely awarded by peer review. These awards of $15,000 each are anticipated. Affiliates must identify a $1 commitment for every NASA dollar requested (use of federal matching funds is not allowed).
For a copy of the Teacher Workshop RFP, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact the NASA in Kansas office at nasainkansas@wichita.edu. Consult for additional helpful information.
The NASA in Kansas office, located on the 黑洞社区 campus, is one home of the Kansas Space Grant Consortium (KSGC) and Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program (KNEP).
Career Development Center's first ever Virtual Part-Time Student Employment Fair is a success!
As a Career Development Center, we are excited to announce that we hosted 211 students, who had 700 interactions, with 32 employers at our first ever Virtual Part-Time Student Employment Fair on July 17.
Due to COVID-19, this event replaced the in-person On-Campus Job Fair that we normally host every summer. Check out the comparison in the data reports.
To view more of our 2019-2020 career data reports, click here.
Hear from Dr. Jerry Kang, an expert on implicit bias
Heard the term "implicit bias," but not sure what it means? Join Wichita State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Student Affairs and Academic Affairs at 2 p.m. today (Tuesday, Aug. 11), as we hear from Dr. Jerry Kang, Distinguished Professor of Law and Asian American Studies and former Founding Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UCLA as he speaks on implicit bias.
You must register for the closed faculty and staff event at . Implicit bias is responsible for racial and gender disparities that persist in household income, job status and a myriad of other measurements - even as explicit bias has greatly diminished over the past century. Implicit bias also finds its way into the classroom, where certain students may receive more attention or positive feedback than others.
Even the best-intentioned educators carry some degree of implicit bias, and because it is unconscious, it is practically impossible to recognize and address without active efforts and self-reflection. For questions, contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 978-3034 or go to .
Learn about Ethiopian cooking free online tonight!
Wichita State鈥檚 own Dr. Freh Wuhib has created a robust online cooking class that covers many of the basics of Ethiopian cooking. The class is free and open to anyone. It will be held from 6-6:50 p.m. today (Tuesday, Aug. 11). To learn more about the class and the materials you will need in order to cook this amazing, flexible, and satisfying cuisine,
Susan Page of USA Today on KMUW's panel for the next Digital Democracy on Tap
There are so many sources of information out there, but how do you know which ones you can trust? We鈥檙e going to talk about ways to see through misinformation at KMUW鈥檚 next Digital Democracy on Tap. We'll be joined by journalist and Wichita native Susan Page. She鈥檚 the Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today and has covered 10 presidential campaigns and six White House administrations. The conversation will be streamed live at 5 p.m. today (Tuesday, Aug. 11), from KMUW鈥檚 Facebook page and at .
Tuesday Talk Part 2 of "New Healthy Shockers: Grad Students" will be posted today (Aug. 11)
The Tuesday Talk on Aug. 3 discussed what graduate students need to know about staying healthy at Wichita State with Nurse Heather, Aaron Coffey, and graduate students Rachit Rajput and Austin Nordyke.
Changes to your HSA/HRA/FSA for 2020 due to CARES Act
Due to the recent CARES Act legislation, there have been some updates to how you can use your HSA, HRA and/or Healthcare FSA funds. Updates include the ability to use funds for over the counter (OTC) medications without a prescription, and for menstrual care products. These changes are retroactively effective to Jan. 1, 2020.
Your NueSynergy debit card may not immediately work for purchases of these items as merchants are in the process of updating their systems to accommodate these changes, but you are able to pay out-of-pocket and submit reimbursement requests through the NueSynergy .
You can find more information from NueSynergy here: . If you have more specific questions about eligible purchases, you can reach NueSynergy directly at 1-855-750-9440 for further assistance. When calling, identify yourself as a State of Kansas employee, and be prepared to provide your SHaRP ID (found by logging in to my黑洞社区 and hovering the mouse over the white box in the 鈥淪HaRP ID鈥� channel).
State Employee Health Plan updates in response to COVID-19
Gov. Laura Kelly announced four (4) provisions on March 13, 2020 that have been extended through Aug. 31, 2020 for employees and dependents enrolled in medical insurance through the State Employee Health Plan.
- SEHP will cover medically necessary diagnostic tests that are consistent with CDC guidance related to the COVID-19 at no cost share to member, where it is not covered as part of the Public Health Service response.
- SEHP will allow early refills on 30 or 90-day prescription medications and/or allow members to use their mail order benefit.
- Given the nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, seeking in person medical care has the potential to further spread the virus. SEHP partners with Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas to provide Telehealth services with a virtual doctor鈥檚 office. There is 24/7/365 access to this service. The member cost share will be waived for any Telehealth service. In addition to telehealth services provided by Teledoc or Amwell, the member cost share will also be waived for services from your in-network physician that are billed as telehealth services.
- For plan participants that reside in the Topeka area, the HealthQuest Health Center available to members enrolled in the health plan, is located at 901 S. Kansas Ave., Topeka
- Phone screening is recommended before going to the center: 785-783-4080
- If a patient walks into the clinic, they will have them put on a mask and clean their hands with hand sanitizer. The health center staff will evaluate the patient鈥檚 symptoms and recommend they isolate if the initial findings and/or symptoms present are a positive indicator for the virus.
- Testing is not available at the health center for COVID-19 and the clinic will refer all patients that meet the risk criteria to the local health department for testing and further evaluation.
For all up to date information regarding COVID-19 and the 黑洞社区 campus please visit .
Student Health closed 8 a.m.-1 p.m. through Aug. 21
Student Health will be closed 8 a.m.-1 p.m. each day now through Friday, Aug. 21. The office will reopen 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday to meet student needs during this time period. For questions or other services, please use the myShockerHealth portal at .
Shockers Vote at 黑洞社区
In April 2020, a campuswide coalition of students, faculty, and staff assembled to create Shockers Vote! This is 黑洞社区's plan to increase civic learning, political engagement and voting rates in our campus community. The coalition's efforts are streamlined for 黑洞社区 to become a Voter Friendly Campus!
Join us this fall semester during several virtual round tables, voter registrations, events and more, as we prepare for Election Day 2020 and create the joy in voting!
Like, share and engage with us via Facebook @shockersvote黑洞社区. We are excited to kick off our efforts to show that #ShockersVote! For questions or to learn more, please contact gabriel.fonseca@wichita.edu.
Environmental Finance Center appoints new director
Join the Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs in welcoming Tonya Bronleewe as the new Environmental Finance Center director.
One of 10 Environmental Finance Center鈥檚 (EFCs) across the country, the 黑洞社区 EFC works with state and local government to strengthen the financial, managerial and technical capacity of decision-makers. The EFC works on a broad range of public health and environmental topics, including drinking water, water reclamation, stormwater management, indoor/outdoor air quality and sustainable food systems.
Tonya鈥檚 expertise in air and water quality, and her passion for educating public officials, community members and young people about important environmental issues, displays her enthusiasm and commitment to her role at 黑洞社区 and in the community.
Bronleewe served as a program manager at the Environmental Finance Center since 2015. She managed grants and projects during a period of growth for the EFC that brought in more than $2 million in external funding.
One of Tonya鈥檚 favorite grants that she procured and leads is an EPA Environmental Education Grant called, 鈥淲ork in Water.鈥� The project aims to increase young people's knowledge of the importance of water treatment for the environment and public health and to stimulate interest in public water occupations.
Prior to joining the Environmental Finance Center, Tonya worked at City of Wichita as an air quality specialist and at K-State Research and Extension as a natural resources extension agent. A proud Shocker and Wichita native, Tonya is highly active in the community, leading volunteer work like the Arkansas River Trash Roundup, Wichita鈥檚 g2gOutside program and Passport to Nature fundraisers. She also serves as the president-elect on the Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center board.
鈥淚 am excited to continue the EFC鈥檚 meaningful work and find new ways to grow our center,鈥� said Bronleewe. 鈥淲e are a great team that is committed to helping communities, organizations and businesses tackle environmental finance challenges. Today, our work may be more important than ever. The planning and decision-making tools, technical assistance and professional development that we provide can help communities take the next steps in their recovery and revitalization process.鈥�
The Environmental Finance Center, housed in the Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs, provides communities with professional training, technical assistance and applied research to bolster efforts to manage the rising costs of environmental protection for the public. The center works collaboratively with EPA, state regulatory agencies, local municipalities, tribal governments, universities, nonprofits and businesses, with a focus on serving communities in EPA Region 7 (Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska).
Shockers earn league-best seven Academic Excellence Awards
Wichita State earned an American-best seven Team Academic Excellence Awards and 195 student-athletes were named to the American All-Academic Team for the 2019-20 season.
The seven teams honored include baseball, men's golf, softball, men's tennis, men's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field and volleyball.
The Team Academic Excellence Award selections are made by the conference's faculty athletics representatives. The winning teams were chosen based on the 2019-20 grade-point average of each student-athlete who appeared on an institution's roster at the end of the academic year, weighing each student's GPA by credit-hour completed.