Today’s News from the University of Kansas
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KU to test emergency alert systems March 2
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will conduct an all-systems test of its emergency alert systems at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 2. The test will include KU’s emergency public address system, tornado sirens, text message alerts and email alerts. The public address system is part of a comprehensive emergency notification system at KU.
KU center begins work on grant supporting professional learning for teacher trainers
LAWRENCE — Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) at the University of Kansas has received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. The Special Educator Technology-Based Training of Trainers (SETTT) for Success grant supports the development of a learning portal to support teacher trainers, with a focus on the educational needs of students with significant cognitive disabilities.
Educate & Act Series continues to build further dialogue around civic engagement
LAWRENCE — The Educate & Act series, led by The Commons, the Center for Service Learning and the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity, will host two events this spring in an effort to reach University of Kansas students, staff and faculty. The series continues with “Part VI – Civic Participation for International Students and Scholars” at noon Tuesday, March 2.
Full stories below.
Contact: Andy Hyland, Office of Public Affairs, 785-864-7100, [email protected], @UnivOfKansas
KU to test emergency alert systems March 2
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will conduct an all-systems test of its emergency alert systems at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 2. The test will include KU’s emergency public address system, tornado sirens, text message alerts and email alerts.
The public address system is part of a comprehensive emergency notification system at KU. During the test, a three-second alert tone will sound, followed by the test message. Building occupants should continue with normal activities during the test but are encouraged to think about places to take shelter and the best possible exits during an emergency.
Speakers for the emergency public address system allow for broadcast alerts and instructions to reach occupants in nearly all campus buildings.
Students are automatically subscribed to emergency text messages and can update their cell phone number at Enroll and Pay. Faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up to receive text messages and manage their cell phone number by visiting the myKU portal and clicking the Employee Emergency Notification tab.
In the case of severe weather March 2, the test will be postponed until 10 a.m. Thursday, March 4.
The university’s emergency notification strategy also includes:
1. Email alerts: The university’s emergency broadcast email system can reach about 33,000 KU email accounts.
2. Website alerts: The university will use alerts.ku.edu as a centralized location for information updates.
3. Social media updates: The university will post updates via Twitter at @UnivofKansas.
4. Established protocols to use local media to help inform the public in the event of an ongoing crisis.
The emergency tests coincide with the National Weather Service’s 2021 Severe Weather Awareness Week from March 1-5, and KU’s tornado sirens will sound at the same time as tornado sirens across the state as part of Kansas’ statewide tornado drill.
The official university Twitter account has changed to @UnivOfKansas.
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Contact: Nora Dibben, Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems, [email protected]
KU center begins work on grant supporting professional learning for teacher trainers
LAWRENCE — Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) at the University of Kansas has received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. The Special Educator Technology-Based Training of Trainers (SETTT) for Success grant supports the development of a learning portal to support teacher trainers, with a focus on the educational needs of students with significant cognitive disabilities.
Academic expectations have dramatically increased in the last 10 years for this population of students. As a result, professional learning approaches for special education teachers have also become more complex.
“Teacher trainers lead busy lives, often have multiple job responsibilities and are expected to support teacher learners in a broad range of knowledge categories,” said Sarah Koebley, ATLAS associate director of professional learning and principal investigator of SETTT for Success. “This grant fills a gap for trainers who need support in their work with teachers of students with significant cognitive disabilities.”
SETTT for Success provides the learning resources and supports that teacher trainers need to design, conduct and evaluate quality professional development for educators working with students with significant cognitive disabilities.
The grant also supports teacher trainers through coaching and peer connection in an online community of practice. The SETTT model is flexible and designed to meet the needs of each teacher trainer.
The five-year grant project is a collaboration between ATLAS staff and multiple state departments of education from across the country, including Rhode Island, Maryland and Iowa.
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Contact: Emily Ryan, The Commons, 785-864-6293, [email protected], @TheCommonsKU
Educate & Act Series continues to build further dialogue around civic engagement
LAWRENCE — The Educate & Act series, led by The Commons, the Center for Service Learning and the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity, will host two events this spring in an effort to reach University of Kansas students, staff and faculty. The series will continue to feature opportunities to learn how to engage in democracy in the United States, offering information and resources about civic participation.
The series continues with “Part VI – Civic Participation for International Students and Scholars” at noon Tuesday, March 2. Through this presentation and discussion, KU staff and student panelists will share from their own experiences about opportunities and challenges, giving attendees a chance to consider how their unique perspectives can inform civic participation and processes. Tiffany Learned, International Support Services coordinator, will moderate the panel.
The series will culminate with “Part VII – Climate Policy and Action” at noon April 13, where participants will follow the work of elected officials whose campaign platforms address climate change and offer resources for engagement and education around climate policy. The session will include information about opportunities to better understand how community members can lead and participate in work in response to the climate change.
Register for the events on Zoom, through The Commons’ website.
KU News Service
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-3256
Fax: 785-864-3339
[email protected]
http://www.news.ku.edu
Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]
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