Department: Student Affairs

Job Type: Continuing

Full-time/Part-time: Full Time (>=1249 hrs/year)

Campus: Brantford

Reports to: Associate Director, Transition and Learning Services

Employee Group: PAG

Application Deadline: November 1, 2023

Requisition ID: 6943

Wilfrid Laurier University is a leading multi-campus university that excels at educating with purpose. Through its exceptional employees, students, researchers, leaders, and educators, Laurier has built a reputation as a world-class institution known for its rich student experience, academic excellence, and global impact. With a commitment to Indigenization and commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, Laurier’s thriving community has a place for everyone.

Laurier has more than 19,000 students and 2,100 faculty and staff across campuses in Waterloo and Brantford, as well locations in Kitchener and Milton. The university is committed to providing an inclusive workplace, a flexible work policy and employing a workforce that is reflective of local and national demographics. Our locations are situated on the traditional territories of the Neutral, Anishnawbe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. We recognize the unique heritages of Indigenous peoples and support their intentions to preserve and express their distinctive Indigenous cultures, histories, and knowledge through academic programming and co-curricular activities. Laurier’s Centre for Indigegogy is one example of how Laurier honours Indigenous knowledge.

Position Summary

At Laurier, we are a community. It’s what brings our students here and what keeps our people here.

As an educational institution, we inspire lives of leadership and purpose in our student community. As an employer, we seek, foster and value the same qualities of leadership and purpose in our employee community.

We currently have an opportunity to join the Laurier community as a Learning Consultant – Transition Programs. This position is located at the Brantford Campus and reports to the Manager, Transition and Learning Services.

This role is a multi-functional role that encompass three main accountabilities. As a Learning Consultant the incumbent will provide individual consultations to help students develop the necessary learning and study skills to be successful with their studies at Laurier. Working with the manager, the incumbent will lead and coordinate the logistics associated with delivering of Transition and Retention Programs including Laurier 101, First-Year Peer Academic Coaching, and First Year Retention Programming. Coordinating with faculty colleagues, academic advising, the Students’ Union, and Teaching and Learning develops online modules, workshops and resources for students to support their transition to university. Programs in this portfolio are subject to change based on funding or strategic directions as defined by Teaching & Learning.

Several of the accountabilities involve partnerships with colleagues at the Waterloo campus in an effort to provide a coherent and cohesive approach for all Laurier students. As a member of the transition and learning services team, the incumbent will support the manager to ensure the successful delivery of all programs delivered through the unit.

The position requires regular evening and weekend work for observation and evaluation of student employees and to assist with the delivery of other Transition and Learning Services programming.

The incumbent may undertake special projects related to the evolving development of the Teaching and Learning portfolio. This position requires occasional travel with work done on-site at partner locations and all of Laurier's campuses.

Accountabilities

Learning Consultant

• Provides in-person and remote individual and group appointments to support the academic and learning skills development of undergraduate and graduate students.

• Provides individual consultation and develops resources for students relating to common learning strategies for post-secondary students including time management, procrastination, effective note taking, critical and active reading, effective study strategies and exam preparations.

• Develops, conducts and administers self-awareness assessment tools to help students determine to support the development of the meta-cognitive skills to assist students in reaching their academic potential.

• Develops and delivers learning strategies programming in the form of presentations, workshops, seminars, online modules and hand-outs through various mediums and tailored to various cohorts of students (incoming, first-year, senior year, graduate, athlete, international, etc.).

• Working with the manager, develops appropriate tools and mechanisms to support data collection, analysis, assessment and dissemination to faculty and senior academic administrators.

Transition and First Year Success Programs

Working with several university departments, the incumbent coordinates the logistics associated with delivering multi-campus transition programs with Laurier 101. Laurier 101 runs from June to April to support students transitioning to university from admission to the end of first year. The program includes registration support, a summer webinar series, peer-led outreach and events focused on academic expectations and social connections, and regular communication through newsletters, email and social media. The Laurier 101 program provides support for first generation, transfer and mature students, and parents along with tradition first year students.

• Working with the manager, develops new programs or initiatives to meet the diverse (mature, international, transfer, etc.) student cohorts and multiple entry terms of the incoming students

• Liaises with the Students’ Union to support and coordinate academic sessions during Orientation Week

• Coordinates and liaises with the Manager of Educational Advising and other departments to ensure consistency of messages with campus-wide transition and learning supports

• Coordinates, develops and delivers morning and evening welcome and registration webinars for incoming students including mature, transfer and international students

• Assists with the development and creation of resources that help demystify post- secondary education for the external community, parents/guardians, prospective students

• Working with the manager, researches, develops and evaluates online outreach opportunities and programs to support transition programming and the first-year experience

• Coordinate with Waterloo campus to ensure accurate and consistent transition content between campuses

• Develops appropriate tools and mechanisms to support data collection, analysis, assessment and dissemination of program information to faculty and senior academic administrators

Laurier 101 Peer Hosts & On-Campus Events

• Coordinates the interviewing, hiring, training, scheduling, supervision and payroll of student employees for Laurier 101 programing

• Organizes staffing for on-campus events and coordinates resource fairs with campus partners

• Responsible for event logistics including catering, room bookings, staffing, parking, registration, online promotion, feedback, and event statistics

• Delivers content and presentations to external community including parents, guardians, and family members of incoming students

• Develops and delivers online webinars and programming

• Monitors the quality of the program delivery, diagnoses problems and responds accordingly

• Ensures consistency of program delivery as directed by the manager

First-Year Peer Academic Coaching Program

The First-Year Peer Academic Coaching Program offers peer-to-peer support to help first year students navigate the transition to university. The program provides peer-led support through workshops and one-on-one appointments in areas like time management, study skills, reading strategies, and note taking. The incumbent develops workshops, activities, and resources for peer academic coaches. The incumbent is also responsible for hiring, training and supervising peer academic coaches and collection of data for program reports.

• Working with Waterloo campus colleagues, co-leads and coordinates the logistics and implementation of this program at the Brantford campus.

• Coordinates the interviewing, hiring, training, scheduling, supervision and payroll of peer academic coaches

• Monitors and records student attendance and engagement and communicates final data

First-Year Retention Program

The primary retention accountability of the incumbent is to support first year retention efforts at the Brantford campus. This will include working with the Manager, Educational Advising and manager, Transition & Learning Services to provide academic advising support to first year students, develop and facilitate proactive outreach programs for academically at-risk students, and proactive outreach to students with low fall term GPAs.

• Under the direction of the Manager, Educational Advising provide academic advising to incoming students during key periods throughout the academic year.

  • Oversee outreach to incoming students to ensure that course registration is complete and correct by reviewing student timetables and connecting with students with incomplete registration.

• Track and communicate with incoming Honours Arts students to aid them in the process of transferring into alternate programs.

  • Program planning support, regular check-ins and outreach to struggling students.

• Winter term outreach to students with low fall term GPAs.

  • Individual appointments and program planning discussions

  • Provide information on campus resources and support services

Other Duties

• Maintains a broad knowledge of initiatives for enhancing orientation, transition, and student success programming for new students entering a post-secondary environment for use in developing programs and services to enhance the student experience.

• Acts as the department representative when working with Enrolment Services for projects related to registration and retention.

• Builds relationships with key partners in academic advising, enrolment services, Service Laurier and residence.

• With support from the Manager, develops and facilitates online and on-campus workshops for various cohorts of students.

• Maintains a broad understanding of department programs and services

• Supports department colleagues, when required, to meet the objectives and outcomes of the department

• Assists the manager in the collection and analysis of data.

• Assists the manager in preparing reports.

• Participates in staff meetings and strategic planning.

Reporting Relationships

This Position Reports to: Manager, Transition and Learning Services

Position Titles, Number of Incumbents Reporting to this Position and Nature of the Supervision Provided:

This position provides training, supervision, and feedback to 10-15 student staff (i.e., Laurier 101 Hosts and First Year Peer Academic Coaches), including timesheet approval. The incumbent is responsible for coordinating and assisting the manager with hiring, supervising and training of all student employees.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, psychology OR Master’s degree in a relevant area of study and a Bachelor of Education degree

• Minimum 2 – 3 years’ related work experience, which must include practical experience

• An understanding of the research and trends related to transition, retention, student success, and learning development

• An understanding of Laurier’s enrolment, academic advising, and retention processes

• An understanding of Laurier’s programs, courses, and progression requirements

• An understanding of adult learning theory, student development theory, metacognition, and learning strategies

• An understanding of a wide variety of student needs (e.g. Indigenous, International, First-Generation, Mature, College Transfer, etc.) an asset

• Experience developing interactive learning materials and curricular workshops for in-person and online delivery

• Experience delivering presentations and facilitating interactive workshops to both small and large groups

• Experience providing individual learning strategies consultations with students

• Experience applying theories to individual consultations and workshop development

• Experience assisting students in applying strategies to course content and requirements

• Experience hiring, training, and supervising student employees

• Ability to manage crucial conversations with developed conflict management skills

• Demonstrated time management, organizational, communication, and problem solving skills

• Demonstrated interpersonal, intercultural, presentation, and writing skills

• Demonstrated team skills with an ability to work independently

• Experience with LORIS and BANNER an asset

• Demonstrated experience with the Microsoft Office suite of software

• Research methodology training an asset

• Mental health training an asset to support at-risk students.

Compensation

Position Grade: G

Rate of Pay: $48.59 - $55.53

Hours of work

This is a full time Continuing position. The normal hours of work are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. Flexibility in hours will be required, including evening and/or weekend work due to periods of high volume. When possible, the manager will adjust the work schedule so that no more than 35 hours are worked in a week.

Wilfrid Laurier University endeavors to fill positions with qualified candidates who have a combination of education, experience, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position while demonstrating Laurier's Employee Success Factors.

Equity, diversity and creating a culture of inclusion are part of Laurier’s core values and central to the Laurier Strategy. Laurier is committed to increasing the diversity of faculty and staff and welcomes applications from candidates who identify as Indigenous, racialized, having disabilities, and from persons of any minority sexual and gender identities. Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. Candidates from other equity deserving groups who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact Equity & Accessibility. We have strived to make our application process accessible, however if you require any assistance applying for a position or would like this job posting in an alternative format, please contact Human Resources. Contact information can be found at careers.wlu.ca/content/How-to-apply/

Should you be interested in learning more about this opportunity, please visit www.wlu.ca/careers for additional information and the online application system. All applications must be submitted online. Please note, a resume and cover letter will be required in electronic form.