Description
About the Author
Jeanne Qvarnstrom is a professor of education at Sul Ross State University, where she served as the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness for a number of years. In that capacity, she worked with academic program coordinators in every college to oversee assessment for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) for accreditation purposes. Now, she serves as the program coordinator for the Master of Education degree. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Qvarnstrom leads a faculty professional learning community, Connecting with Students for Success to Promote Retention, with a focus on instructional best practices in higher education. Faculty in the learning community are committed to building positive relationships with students and providing forward-looking feedback to support students' learning, engaging in studying feedback theory, literature, practices, and the implementation of those practices in their classes.Transdisciplinary Feedback in Higher Education: Feedback Practices to Promote Student Success Across the Disciplines in Higher Education evolved from these faculty practices. Retention data has demonstrated that those practices have positively impacted students involved in the faculty members' courses. Dr. Qvarnstrom earned her bachelor's degree at Iowa State University and her master's degree in history at California State University, East Bay. In her doctoral studies at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, she majored in educational leadership and minored in curriculum. Before starting university teaching, Dr. Qvarnstrom had teaching experience in California, Maryland, and Delaware. She also held several administrative positions including curriculum supervisor for San Diego County Office of Education, school principal, and director of curriculum and assessment in Wilmington, Delaware. She has been teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in education at Sul Ross State University since 2012. Dr. Alicia M. Trotman is an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Department at Sul Ross State University. Her vocation in teaching began in 1996, grounded in a deep commitment to students' growth and becoming. With an academic background in Computer Science and Applied Psychology from Pace University, she earned her Ph.D. in Learning, Technology and Culture at Michigan State University in 2012. Since joining the university in 2017, she has been recognized for her teaching and mentorship, receiving the Teacher of the Year award and Student Activities Advisor of the Year award. She is an active member of the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP) and the American Psychological Association (APA )Division 1 [Society for General Psychology and Interdisciplinary Inquiry]. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, she embraces the spirit of a wearer of many hats, carrying her cultural heritage into her academic and communal work. Dr. Trotman's scholarship unfolds within a transdisciplinary collaborative that includes colleagues in clinical and liberation psychology, theology, palliative care, counseling, theater and design, and art. Her research centers on instructional strategies and affect, engaging humanistic, spiritual, person-centered, and phenomenological methodologies. She is currently involved in developing a mental health collaborative and cultivating a meaningful digital presence at her university - work that reflects her commitment to connection, accessibility, and care. Beyond her academic roles in teaching, research and service, Dr. Trotman finds restoration in tea, yoga, and dance, and joy in calypso and soca, electronic dance music, film, and anime.