Lisa Mann has worked for KU since May 2014 and has become known amongst her colleagues as a goal-oriented, reliable pillar in the department. She has a variety of responsibilities aside from her main position, including but not limited to working as the administrator for the High Incidence and ASD Practicum Gateways, monitoring all courses for APA and copyright support, and teaching students in groups as well as individually about APA formatting. Moreover, Mann serves on several committees.
Mann is an invaluable member of the team with a concrete understanding of the issues and current trends in special education, developing and implementing online educational programming, meeting the needs of learners with disabilities, research practices and assessment. A highly motivated, lifelong learner herself, Mann spends countless hours keeping herself up to date with the endlessly changing landscape of technology and the Canvas platform. She consistently goes above and beyond to provide excellent content and course development, program management, quality control and student outreach. She is dedicated to giving students the best possible learning experience, and her broad understanding of the subject material, as well as her patience when working with others, has made her a go-to person. With her fundamental focus on the user experience, she pushes her colleagues to think of more innovative ways to design their courses to be student-centered, and with her excellent collaborative and communication skills she has raised the quality of work for not only herself, but the entire department. A colleague has said this about her: “She is not about getting recognized for what she does. Her goal is to connect people and help us all be better ... and we ended up the best online program in the U.S.! I have no doubt that her efforts have been and remain an essential component of our success.”
Mann has an amazingly positive attitude and can be counted on to get things done with efficiency. Whenever she sees a need in the department, she is always among the first to step in and fill the empty role. She not only volunteered to take over management of the "Practicum Gateway" course space in Canvas, but she streamlined the processes, making it easier for students from across the country to understand and complete their requirements. She also took over the administrative duties involved, allowing practicum directors to focus on their teaching. Mann has helped with the revision of every major change in the ASD program since it started and even volunteers after hours, choosing to give her personal time to interact with students.