by Travis Hendryx, Office of Public Relations

Faculty members of the Sul Ross State University Alpine campus met with other faculty from Middle Rio Grande College (MRGC) for Navigator’s Orientation Wednesday in the Morelock Academic Building.

“Our Navigators are a volunteer group of faculty who meet to discuss incorporating methods of communication skills of writing, oral presentation and visual design into their classes,” said Dr.
Jeanne Qvarnstrom, Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness.

The primary responsibility of a Navigator is to infuse Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) in a course.

For communication skills to be improved among students, volunteer faculty will redesign an existing course to incorporate the SLO. Faculty who wish to be Navigators must apply through the QEP Executive Committee.

The QEP goal is to have up to four Navigators from each college each academic year teach Mapped Classes. Faculty Guides will serve as mentors to Navigator faculty members.

Topics covered at Wednesday’s orientation included an introduction to the QEP with highlights from the impact report, checklists and descriptions of roles for Navigators and faculty guides, discussions of the dimensions pertaining to the Cardinal Rubric, mock scoring exercises and an introduction to Blackboard.

Navigators included Tiffany Culver (Faculty Guide), Audrey Taylor, Kevin Young, Thomas Matula, Michael Ortiz, Jennifer Miller-Ray (Faculty Guide), Bibianna Gutierrez, Ryan Luna, Diana
Rodriguez, Joey Velasco (Faculty Guide), Savannah Williamson, Alicia Trotman, Francine Richter, Jaime Boyd, Carolyn Barrientes and Billy Jack Ray.

For more information, contact Qvarnstrom at (432) 837-8395 or email jqvarnstrom@sulross.edu.