SAS Learning and Writing Skills Specialist

Department: Student Wellness Services

This position is represented by the agreement between the Professional Staff Association and the University of Guelph

Temporary full-time from 01/06/2025 to 04/30/2025

If you are a current employee of the University of Guelph you must apply on the internal Career Page in order to be considered as an internal applicant.
Career Opportunities (sapsf.com)

General Purpose

Reporting to the Manager of Accessibility Services in Student Wellness, the SAS Learning & Writing Specialist provides leadership with the goal of enhancing students’ academic skills at all levels of scholarship. SAS serves roughly 3,000 students annually, with a focus on disability-related accommodation under the Ontario Human Rights Code and on-going support for students with diverse abilities. In this context, the Specialist provides direct instruction to a select group of students with specific learning needs and supports systemic approaches to broadly enhance skill development.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Specialist supplements support offered by SAS Advisors by providing in-depth coaching on learning strategies and writing skills with students who need more on-going assistance than an Advisor is able to provide. The mandate of the Specialist is to facilitate skill development in situations where disability plays a significant role in the student’s ability to successfully engage in independent learning. Given the number of individuals seeking services, many students with diverse abilities also access services offered by the Library and the Specialist is expected to have a strong collaborative relationship with these professionals.

The Specialist is an expert in all dimensions of academic learning skills, including scholarly writing style, time management and organization, study strategies, using feedback productively, and motivation. In addition, the Specialist maintains a small SAS advising caseload whereby they negotiate and facilitate academic accommodations, with a focus on learning disabilities and ADHD. They also act as a back-up Advisor when there is an absence on the regular advising team. Given the wide range of abilities among students who present to SAS, the Specialist must be highly adaptable, comfortable with complexity and ambiguity, and familiar with mental health conditions; acquired brain injuries; vision- and hearing-related conditions; chronic medical conditions; the impact of conditions affecting mobility and dexterity; and autism spectrum disorder.

Requirements

A master’s degree in education, psychology or a related field, along with a minimum of three (3) years experience working with students with all types of disabilities. Advanced knowledge of scholarly writing, learning strategies, pedagogy, and issues affecting students with disabilities. In addition, excellent counselling, conflict resolution and negotiation skills; thorough understanding of psychoeducational assessments; robust understanding of academic policy and procedures; and in-depth knowledge of the OHRC Policy on Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities.

Employee Type: Temporary
Position Number: 10914503
Classification: P&M FT- Band 05
Professional/Managerial Salary Bands

*Tentative evaluation; subject to committee review.

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Posting Date: 12/06/2024
Closing Date: 12/30/2024