Julie M. Estis, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is Executive Director of Academic Enhancement at the University of South Alabama, with faculty appointment as Associate Professor of Speech-Language Pathology and joint appointment in Medical Education. She applies principles of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation to South’s ad hoc and longstanding initiatives to improve student learning and academic success and supports ongoing SACSCOC accreditation and strategic planning efforts. Dr. Estis is enthusiastic about leading the University of South Alabama’s new LevelUP: Uniquely Prepared for What Comes Next Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), a campus-wide initiative to uniquely prepare students for what comes next. Through metacognitive reflections, students will synthesize connections among learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom as they look ahead and plan for their future. LevelUP provides enhanced opportunities for students to develop career readiness competencies that prepare them for life after their degree, as confident, ready, and capable members of the workforce or well-equipped graduate students.

Her role as Executive Director of Academic Enhancement is an extension of her previous role as Director of the TeamUSA Quality Enhancement Plan—a successful campus-wide accreditation initiative focused on using Team-Based Learning (TBL) at the University of South Alabama (USA) to improve student learning, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. She provides innovative faculty development, useful resources and tools, and individual coaching to assure high-quality implementation of TBL and other evidence-based teaching practices. As a Team-Based Learning Collaborative Certified Trainer-Consultant, she is an experienced TBL facilitator, faculty mentor, and consultant, with work extending beyond USA to Universidad de las Hespérides- Gran Canaria, Universidad Francisco Marroquin- Guatemala and Madrid, University of Wyoming, West Chester University, among others. She presents and publishes research on the impact of TBL on student learning across a variety of disciplines and instructional modalities. As the immediate Past President, she is actively involved in the Team-Based Learning Collaborative international organization.