Navigate FAQs

NECC – Navigate for Faculty and Staff Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Q: What is Navigate?

A: Navigate is our Student Success Management System (SSMS). It allows faculty and staff to collaborate together to support our students at NECC. Through Navigate, faculty and staff can:

  • Manage caseloads
  • Manage appointments
  • Communicate easily with students
  • Submit and track alerts
  • Help students with academic planning…
  • …and more! Access the Blackboard course to learn about everything you can do with Navigate.

Q: Why should I use Navigate?

A: As part of the Integrated Student Experience (ISE), our goal at NECC is to improve student outcomes (graduation, retention, course success, etc.) We see Navigate as an essential tool to improve the level of communication and collaboration happening at NECC to support students. You can view a presentation on the progress we’ve made so far (PDF). Ultimately, we hope that you will see Navigate as a way to make your processes more efficient. This way, you can spend more time working with your students and providing holistic support!

Q: How do I get access to Navigate for myself or others in my office?

A: Log into Navigate by going to the NECC Portal and clicking on this icon. 

Scren shot: Under Desktop Links "Faculty & Staff Navigate" icon.If you cannot seem to log in using your credentials or see an error message such as “No role assigned’ please email navigate@necc.mass.edu.

Q: How can I get training on Navigate?

A: Log into Blackboard via the NECC Portal. Look for the course NAV-EAB: Navigate Training for Faculty and Staff. If you do not see this course, contact navigate@necc.mass.edu. Please complete all of the modules in the Blackboard course. If you have questions after watching the modules, you can set up a 1:1 session with Audrey Ellis: aellis@necc.mass.edu. It is expected that you will have watched the videos in advance of your 1:1 session.

Q: What is the best way to access Navigate?

A: Faculty and staff can access Navigate through their internet browser. It is highly recommended that you access using Chrome.

Q: How often is the data updated in Navigate?

A: All of the data in Navigate comes from Banner nightly. If you have a concern about the data that you are seeing, please determine whether or not the data was updated that day. If the data is older than one day and you are still not seeing a change in Navigate, please report the issue to navigate@necc.mass.edu.

Q: How do I report an issue with Navigate?

A: To report an issue with Navigate, send an email to navigate@necc.mass.edu and aellis@necc.mass.edu. The email must include the following:

  • Description of the issue
  • Example student ID that you had the issue with
  • State the internet browser you were using (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
  • Screenshots (if possible) of the issue

Q: Is everything I put in Navigate subject to FERPA?

A: Yes! Navigate is a FERPA Compliant tool. Anything you add to Navigate is considered part of the student’s educational record and is subject to FERPA. Here is a great resource that another school created about how to decide what to think about when it comes to entering notes and FERPA:

Q: Will Navigate replace DegreeWorks for advising?

A: No. Navigate does not include a degree auditing feature at this time. You should continue to assess students’ degree audits throughout their time at NECC. With that said, Navigate’s Academic Planning feature is much more user friendly than DegreeWorks and we encourage you to use it when helping students select classes. Students will benefit the most when advisors use both systems during academic planning and advising.

Q: What does a student have to do to access Navigate?

A: Accessing Navigate is simple for students. You can encourage them to access Navigate via these two ways:

  1. Download the app by searching for “Navigate Student” in the Apple App Store or Google Play store
  2. Log into Navigate on your computer (using Chrome) to do Academic Planning. The URL is: necc.navigate.eab.com

If you want to provide your students with a quick video tutorial, you can share this video with them:

Quick Navigate Tutorial – March 25th 2020, 1:21:56 pm (Kaltura Video) by Jeremy a student at NECC

Q: I am a faculty member, and I submitted a progress report, now what?

A: There are many people now working to contact the student you submitted a progress report about. We will attempt to contact the student at least three times before we close the case. Unfortunately, sometimes, we cannot resolve the student’s issue entirely, but we will work to get the student on the right track. Here is an overview of the steps that happen based on the alert reason you selected:

  • Attendance issue: The student and the assigned advisor each receive an automated email. Student email includes details about the types of resources that are available to them and how important it is for them to attend class regularly.
  • Academic Issue: The team that is assigned to the student (comprised of Academic Coaching, the assigned advisor, often a PACE advisor and more) will identify the person that has the strongest relationship with the student. They will reach out to the student to establish a game plan for next steps.
  • Student does not have books/supplies: The assigned advisor will receive this alert as well as a representative in Financial Services, who will work with the student to attempt to resolve the issue.

Watch this video to learn more about progress reports: Progress Report Overview for Faculty (Kaltura Video)

If you would like to check on the status of the alert you submitted, you can log into Navigate and click on “Alerts opened by me” at the bottom of your Professor Home Page. This will allow you to see if the case is open or closed.

As always, we strongly encourage you to attempt to reach out to your students first. You are the person the student knows best and we hope you will reach out to the student and encourage them to get back on track!

Q: I have a concern about my students’ social, emotional, mental, or physical well being. Should I submit that in Navigate?

A: Please do not submit these concerns through Navigate. Instead, we encourage you to submit them via a Care and Concern Outreach Team report. Here is the link to the form: www.necc.mass.edu/ccot/

Q: Other people that I know at NECC are text messaging students. How do I get access to a text messaging number?

A: If someone you know has access to texting through Navigate, that means they have participated in a Navigate training of some sort in the last few months. To learn more about texting, please access the Navigate training course in Blackboard. If you do not have access, please email Audrey Ellis (aellis@necc.mass.edu).

Q: I want to add a To Do to Navigate for my area, what do I do?

A: We try very hard to target specific students based on their interests and needs in Navigate so that students are not overwhelmed with reminders and information. If you have a to do that you’d like to add, we encourage you to submit it by filling out the Navigate App Content Request Form form.

Q: I have an idea about how to use Navigate in my area, what should I do?

A: We are always willing to brainstorm new ways that you can use Navigate to make a difference! If you have an idea or want to meet at any time, reach out to Audrey Ellis: aellis@necc.mass.edu to set something up.