Category: Student Success and Persistence

The Office of Student Accommodations and Testing (OSAT) offers a valuable resource called Kurzweil 3000 (sharepoint.com) for all students WSU students.

Kurzweil 3000 is an assistive technology and learning literacy tool recommended for students who have difficulties reading (ESL, dyslexia, etc.). It is designed to help students learn course materials in school. With functions such as text-to-speech, highlighting and integrated notetaking and brainstorming, the assistive technology enables students with learning difficulties to fully engage in what they are learning and to focus on the tasks at hand.

General education with a creative twist: From Dance Appreciation to Scriptwriting, the School of Performing Arts has exciting courses for spring 2026:

• Wicked—Perspectives from Oz (FYPF 102B, 24324) – If you loved the movies, you’ll love this class. Explore themes of perspective, morality, power and identity through music, film and storytelling. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. T/R.
• Dance Appreciation (DANC140, 22596) – Explore the art, history and cultural impact of dance from the comfort of your home. Online.
• Dance History: 20th–21st Centuries (DANC325, 22603) – Discover how dance shaped culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. Online.
• Theatre Appreciation (THEA143, 22614) – Learn what makes theatre timeless. Online.
• Improvisation for the Actor (THEA241, 22578) – Build confidence, creativity and quick thinking. 3-4:50 p.m. T/R.
• Acting I (THEA243, 22580) – Learn performance basics and stage presence. 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m. T/R.
• Scriptwriting II (THEA517, 22594) – Write stories that come alive. 9:30-10:45 a.m. T/R.

Student can register now.

With finals week coming up, the Office of Student Accommodations & Testing (OSAT) would like to remind instructors/professors to submit their Test Information Form for students who utilize OSAT for proctored exams. The form is necessary for students to make appointments in a timely manner.

You may also use the same link/form to upload make-up exams for student who do not have accommodations. Remind students that all exams require an appointment, OSAT does not accept walk-in testing. The students must schedule their exams through registerblast.com/wsu. If you have any questions about testing, email testingcenter@wichita.edu or call at 316-978-8378.

Even though the new 2026-27 FAFSA is now open, it’s not too late for your students to complete the current 2025-26 FAFSA. Completing the FAFSA form unlocks opportunities for scholarships, grants and federal loans. Encourage your students to schedule an appointment with a financial aid advisor at wichita.edu/finaidappt.

The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships can help with:

• FAFSA assistance for 2025-26 and 2026-27
• Application support on ScholarshipUniverse
• One-on-one peer budgeting appointments through Shocker Financial Wellness at calendly.com/shockerfinancial

Encourage your students to attend the next Savvy Scholar workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the Ablah Library Digital Scholars Commons. With the new attendance tracking system, offering extra credit for student participation is now simpler than ever.

They’ll explore strategies for planning a new journal article, including conducting a preliminary literature search, identifying a target journal, drafting a working abstract, submitting an application with the IRB and more.

Are you looking for ways to help your students explore career options and make informed decisions about their future? Attend the upcoming PathwayU: Overview & Advisor Access training:

• 1:30-2:25 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10 virtually via Microsoft Teams. Register on myTraining via your myWSU.

PathwayU is the comprehensive career assessment tool, utilized by the Shocker Career Accelerator. It is designed to guide students to their purpose, supporting their success and persistence. In this training session, you will learn how to:

• Navigate the platform’s features, including assessments, career matches, WSU major alignment and military crosswalk
• Gain valuable insights into student interests and career aspirations
• Integrate PathwayU into your teaching or advising practices to empower students

Prior to the session, create an account at wichita.pathwayu.com and take the four career assessments.

As Student Success progresses through the rest of the semester, instructor feedback in SEAS continues to be a valuable tool for supporting students. Take a few minutes to update student progress. If a student you flagged earlier is now making progress, removing the alert helps Student Success better understand how this intervention is working.

Accessing SEAS is easy:

• Log in to myWSU
• Go to the Home or Teach/Advise tab
• Click the SEAS link

Student Success thanks everyone for their partnership to support student success. For more information about SEAS, visit the SEAS website.

Connection is essential for the college experience. ProjectConnect is a campus-wide program that helps connect students as they build their communities on campus. Becoming a campus facilitator and hosting connection groups is a great way to make an impact on student engagement. As plans begin for the spring 2026 groups, additional connection groups and facilitators are needed for the initiative.

ProjectConnect is an evidence-based facilitated program to help build social connection and community on campus. Students get to know a small group of four to six students outside of their social groups over the course of six one-hour sessions to engage in a series of thought-provoking questions and fun activities. These sessions can be offered in-person or virtually.

Trained facilitators lead groups through a step-by-step curriculum that includes question prompts and activities demonstrated to build empathy, connection and friendship. A bit about the program model:

• Each group is four to eight students
• One PCFacilitator (staff or peer)
• Six sessions approximately one hour long. The program suggests the last session could be a service project and/or a social based activity to close it out. These can be weekly or bi-weekly sessions. It’s not recommended going more than two weeks in between.
• Everything is organized and provided, including materials, activities and assessment. You are only facilitating the conversations and building connections with students.

The current population of students, including those incoming, is experiencing loneliness a significantly higher rates than previous. One of the goals is to connect students through building relationships with other students and faculty/staff that care about their wellbeing and success.

If you would like to host a connection group this spring or get involved in the program, you can register for ProjectConnect Facilitator Training coming up from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 14.

Encourage your students to attend the next Savvy Scholar workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28 at Ablah Library Digital Scholars Commons and learn why citations matter and help them gain confidence for using them in their research assignments. With the new attendance tracking system, offering extra credit for student participation is now simpler than ever.

Encourage your students to participate in the annual Innovation Works competition and put their classroom learning into practice Nov. 7-9. Hosted in partnership with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Innovation Works is a fast-paced, interdisciplinary hackathon where students apply critical thinking, collaboration and creativity to real-world challenges inspired by space exploration.

This year’s theme asks students to design technologies for a future moon base, developing innovative solutions that enable life and work on the lunar surface, from habitat systems and power generation to mobility and communication. During the 48-hour, in-person event, student teams will brainstorm, prototype and pitch their concepts to judges from Lockheed Martin, WSU and industry partners. It’s an incredible opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience, strengthen teamwork skills and showcase innovation in action.

Teams must include three to four current Wichita State students from any major, and cash prizes will be awarded to the top three teams, including an exclusive Lockheed Martin facility tour with a chance to meet engineers and technologists shaping the future of space exploration for the top team.

Teams must register by Nov. 1. For more information, visit wsuinnovationworks.com or contact Jared Goering, product innovation faculty, at jared.goering@wichita.edu.