Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Get the Message: ISU Alert
Kathy Jones
Carol McDonald
Dione Somerville
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Agenda
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•
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Project background and timeline
Design and implementation
Policies and procedures
Keys to success
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Iowa State University
• Research 1 Land Grant, Established 1858
• Fall 2007 headcount – 26,120
• A residential campus centered around a large
central
t l campus
• 32% living in campus housing
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Early 2007
• Campus leaders exploring reverse 911 and other
notification options
• President states emergency alert is a priority
• April
p 2007 – defining
g moment – manyy schools identifyy
emergency notification as an immediate need
• ISU makes emergency notification a priority project
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Decisions – June-Oct. 2007
• June 2007 – University of Iowa selected NTI Group’s
Connect-ED service
• July-August 2007 - Iowa Governor and Iowa Board of
Regents request a status report for indoor and outdoor
notification solutions
• September 2007 - Funding for an emergency alert project is
approved
• September-October 2007 – Decision made to use ConnectED , contract signed in late October
• ISU also commits to campus loud speakers and emergency
message recording phone line
®
®
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Making progress – Aug.-Oct. 2007
• Public Safety, Registrar, Human Resources, Dean of
Students, University Relations, and IT Services form
project team
• Dean of Students and Public Safety lead the effort
• IT responsible
ibl for
f developing
d
l i secure web
b service,
i
d
data
t
interfaces, evaluating infrastructure
• Registrar and HR develop framework for who to notify
• Project team develops content for web pages
• Clear directive to focus on campus-wide emergency
notification
• Everyone makes ISU Alert a priority
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Making progress – November 2007
• Initial data loaded and ISU Alert data collection webpage
goes live
• Work continues on campus loud speakers
• Connect-ED training
g occurs
• Policy and procedure development continues
• Dean of Students, Public Safety, and University
Relations draft emergency notification templates
• Small group testing occurs
®
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Work continues – Dec. 2007–Jan. 2008
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FAQ refinement continues
Small group testing continues
Policy and procedure development continues
Plans for campus-wide
campus wide test are finalized with support
from university president
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
ISU Alert – February 2008
• Campus wide test occurs
• Campus survey results are compiled and evaluated
• Data uploaded to Connect-ED daily (Monday-Friday
g holidays)
y )
excluding
• IT Services continues to evaluate and adjust
infrastructure
• On-going communication strategy continues to evolve
• Policy and procedure development continues
®
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Design and implementation
• Design decisions
• Processing details
• On-going adjustments
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Questions that needed answers
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Who owns the process?
Are we to focus on emergency notification only?
Who do we notify?
Who is a student? Who is an employee? What about
visitors? Campus affiliates?
• Do we build an opt-in or opt-out process?
• What is an emergency? Who decides to send a
message? Who actually sends the message?
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Key assignments – IT Services
• Develop ISU Alert service for AccessPlus (ISU’s secure
service portal)
• Evaluate campus infrastructure – trunk lines, voice mail
capacities, cell phone coverage, email throughput
• Develop process to load existing voice phone numbers and
email address into ISU Alert database
• Implement Emergency Message Recording – a clever use
of music on hold
• Develop process to extract and send ISU Alert data to
Connect-ED
®
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Design decisions
• New data table to store contact information
• One voice, one text, one email
• Initially loaded voice phone number and email
address
dd
ffrom HR/St
HR/Student
d t iinto
t ISU Al
Alertt d
database
t b
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
ISU Alert – data page
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Notification guidelines
Students:
• enrolled in at least one ISU course and
– It's 10 or fewer days prior to the start of a semester
– It's
It' 7 or fewer
f
days
d
pastt the
th end
d off a semester
t
– Classes are in session
Faculty/Staff:
• current employee
Temporary workers:
• paid in the past two months
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Processing details
• Data sent to Connect-ED each work evening –
complete refresh
• If not provided, new student info loaded on the
10th day of each term
• ISU Alert sign-up added to new employees
check-list
• Post SMS opt-out data to ISU Alert weekly
• Created a process for inclusion of alert
information for select non-ISU people
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Enhancements
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Upgrades for voice mail
Installation of campus loud speakers
Considering more phone numbers per person
Review and adjust notification rules
Bad phone number, bad email procedures
Keeping information up-to-date
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Policies and procedures
• CIRT
• Keys to success
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
CIRT - Critical Incidents Response Team
• Who is CIRT?
• What role did CIRT play?
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Policy/Procedure highlights
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Message template development
Guidelines for using ISU Alert
Use of “all clear;” notifying parents
Community alert system not an individual alert
system
• ISU Alert web page, FAQ, and press releases
• Supporting methods – web page, media, loud
speakers, 515 294 5000
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
On-going issues
• Keeping policies and web content up-to-date
• Meeting campus, community, parent
expectations
• Managing
M
i an actual
t l ISU Al
Alertt eventt
• Managing the media
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
ISU Alert – Keys to success
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Understand the expectations of campus leaders
Identify a project lead
Collaborate across campus units
Be ready to adjust to the needs of your campus
Open and on-going communication
Develop an on-going support structure
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
ISU Alert – more information
• Main web page – http://isualert.iastate.edu
• FAQ - http://isualert.iastate.edu/faq/
• Video - http://www.it.iastate.edu/talkaboutit/alert/
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Get the Message: ISU Alert
AACRAO Technology Conference 2008
Contact information
Kathy Jones
Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Registrar
kmjones@iastate.edu
Carol McDonald
Information Systems Leader, IT Services
cgmcdon@iastate.edu
Dione Somerville
Dean of Students
dsomer@iastate.edu
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