Assistant Director for Academic Resources

POSITION OBJECTIVE The Assistant Director for Academic Resources will supervise, manage and set policy and procedures for the campus-wide Peer Tutoring and Study Group 1 Programs, and serve as a subject matter expert for college student learning, academic support services and academic coaching strategies. As a member of the Student Advancement team, the assistant director will serve as a Navigator to a caseload of students, helping students develop a robust and meaningful connection to the Case Western Reserve University community through an integrated approach to academic and career/post-graduation planning as well as assisting students with making meaningful experiential education, social and extracurricular connections. The assistant director will create the curriculum for, deliver and assess UNIV 100: Essential Academic Strategies, a five-week seminar course for developing study skills. This position will collaborate with various student life and academic departments to develop and provide academic resources to students; meet with individual students outside of the navigator caseload in an academic coaching capacity to help them develop strategies and skills to achieve academic success; and create and update all Academic Resources online and print materials. Building a welcoming and inclusive community is the foundation of the work we do as professionals working with students. Fully including people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives helps us all thrive by working together, focus on our collective well-being and help students gain insight from their academic endeavors and real-world experiences. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Recruit, hire, train, mentor and supervise student paraprofessionals including 100 peer/study group tutors and the Academic Resources Coordinator (student paraprofessional). Create and facilitate initial and ongoing peer tutor training sessions. Establish expectations for tutors and evaluate performance providing recommendations for improvement and taking disciplinary action when necessary. Manage peer tutoring program budget. Collaborate with faculty to fill outstanding tutoring requests, recruit new tutors and provide feedback regarding the program’s effectiveness. Create and monitor program assessment strategies, including usage statistics and evaluations for Peer Tutoring and Study Group 1 programs. Maintain a response system for students requesting tutoring services using the TutorTrac software. Review and respond to communications related to tutoring and provide technical support for students seeking assistance or experiencing difficulties with TutorTrac software. Provide training to Spoken English Language Partners on the TutorTrac software. (35%) Serve as a Navigator to a caseload of students from matriculation through graduation and help them develop a robust and meaningful connection to the Case Western Reserve University community through an integrated approach to academic and career/post-graduation planning as well as assisting students with making meaningful experiential education, social and extracurricular connections. Through identification of student needs and a comprehensive working knowledge of all of the undergraduate academic programs, as well as the student support services, experiential learning options, career resources and mentoring opportunities available at the university, determine appropriate services, support and resources to increase academic readiness, progress and success. (15%) As a Navigator, serve as a resident expert to guide students in specific decisions, including the choice and scheduling of courses, selection or change of majors and minors, etc., providing referrals to specific departments, schools, or colleges as appropriate. Prior to arrival, engage incoming first-year students to discuss fall coursework recommendations and consider future curriculum options and goals. Review academic records, monitor and track the retention and progression toward degree completion for all students within their assigned cohort. Provide periodic grade reviews and mid-semester check to review grades; meet with students who are having academic difficulty or who are on academic probation. Intervene, provide support and develop next steps for students facing academic problems. Using a comprehensive and integrated record-keeping platform, document the undergraduate experience and ensure relevant updates reach the appropriate faculty advisors and administrators. (15%) Meet individually with students outside of assigned navigator caseload, most often by referral, who are seeking academic support to help them develop strategies and techniques to achieve academic success. Make and follow-up on referrals to other campus resources as needed. (10%) Collaborate with fellow navigators, student success colleagues and campus partners, including professional staff and faculty members, to create and deliver educational programs, workshops, seminars and webinars intended to bolster student academic success. (9%) Create curriculum, including formative and summative assessment activities and market and instruct UNIV 100: Essential Academic Strategies. When enrollment necessitates additional sections of the course, recruit and train instructional staff to facilitate the course. (9%) Create, maintain and update online and printed academic resources library, including the annual student planner, to be used by other campus entities as instructional resources and informational materials related to learning. Create content for department web pages related to areas of responsibility and serve as the department liaison to the Student Success Communication and Events Manager. (6%) NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Perform duties and serve on Student Success and campus-wide committees as assigned. (1%) CONTACTS Department: Continuous contact with the associate director of academic resources for consultation, to provide and receive information and to report difficulties and complaints. Regular contact with the assistant director for academic resources and assistant directors of student advancement to provide information on academic support resources and academic coaching strategies, collaborate on projects and to consult and share information on students as needed. Regular contact with the associate director of academic resources to collaborate on programs, services and share information regarding students as needed. Contact with assistant directors, associate directors and director of student advancement for consultation and support with navigator responsibilities. University: Regular contact with faculty members regarding the recruitment and training of peer tutors. Moderate contact with coordinators in Greek Life and Residence Life to promote academic resources programs. Moderate contact with Greek Life and Residence Life to deliver educational workshops to members of the Greek Life community and students in the residence halls. Moderate contact within the Division of Student Success including First Year Experience and Family Programs to develop orientation programming for the incoming student class and various programmatic needs within Post-Graduate Planning and Experiential Education. Occasional contact with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and International Student Services to promote academic resources programs and information. Occasional contact with [U]Tech to provide technical assistance with the TutorTrac system. External: Infrequent contact with local community regarding tutoring requests. Infrequent contact with prospective students inquiring about programs and services. Students: Continuous contact with students seeking academic assistance related to time management, note-taking and other study skills. Continuous contact with students seeking peer tutoring. Continuous contact with students serving as peer tutors and/or study group tutors. Continuous contact with the Academic Resources Coordinator(s). SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY Supervise undergraduate students hired as Peer Tutors, Study Group 1 Tutors and Academic Resources Coordinator(s). QUALIFICATIONS Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree required (preferably in psychology, mathematics, sciences, English Secondary education or communication) and 3 years of related experience or Master’s degree and 1 year of related experience. REQUIRED SKILLS Ability to work with a diverse undergraduate and graduate student population to help them develop academic skills and improve learning and academic performance. Publishing and writing skills for editing and creating text for digital/print materials and websites. Experience creating instructional materials and lesson plans. Sound technical skills for managing information systems such as TutorTrac and Student Advisor Link. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Applications suites. Working knowledge of FERPA laws. Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors and customers face to face. Ability to provide supervision and coaching to student paraprofessionals. Ability to meet consistent attendance. Commitment to and appreciation of working with diverse groups of individuals, including age, race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic and educational background and ability. WORKING CONDITIONS University office setting with flexible availability on evenings and weekends to meet program and position objectives.