Writing Support Specialist

Writing Support Specialist

Germanna Community College is seeking a Full-Time Writing Support Specialist in the Academic Center for Excellence. This position is responsible for monitoring the progress of students enrolled in gateway English courses and arranging immediate academic intervention as needed. The incumbent will be embedded in gateway English courses and will be responsible for reviewing students' assignment progress and grades, conferring with the instructors teaching the classes, both arranging and providing just-in-time academic support for students whenever needed. The Writing Support Specialist will report to the Manager of Writing & ELL Support Services and will arrange specialized workshops and tutoring sessions to support at-risk students. The Writing Support Specialist will provide on-campus and online academic assistance to students who are having difficulties with content in all writing intensive courses taught at the College and will assist them during appointments and within the on-campus and online drop-in Writing Centers. The Writing Support Specialist will also develop writing-focused academic support materials for students. The Writing Support Specialist will conduct outreach presentations to on-campus and online English classes and will maintain detailed records of all interactions with identified at-risk English students.

Major duties and responsibilities include:

Monitor and examine student grades and assignment completion in gateway English courses

Confer with English instructors to determine which students require academic intervention

Reach out to students who require assistance, inform them of the availability of academic assistance, and schedule appointments as needed

Follow-up with students to ensure they have all the resources to help them to achieve success with their English courses and help them to create a success plan

Survey students in gateway English courses to determine their availability to attend focused workshops aligned with course content; offer regular drop-in math assistance for student

Meet with students during appointments and provide assistance to students in the Writing Center as requested

Research and develop tutorials on various math topics that serve as barriers for students; conduct outreach presentations to English and other writing-intensive classes as needed

Provide Instructional Support to Students

Provide just-in-time instructional assistance to students who are enrolled in gateway English courses

Assist all students in writing intensive courses, so they will be able to achieve academic success and independence in course work

Provide workshops on various writing topics such as MLA, APA, CMS citation styles, grammar, and understanding plagiarism

Offer weekly tutorials on writing topics aligned with the course curriculum

Inform students of ACE resources to supplement classroom instruction

Provide students with instruction on how to use instructional software, Brainfuse online tutoring, and other forms of technology to promote individualized self-paced instruction

Write a detailed report following each instructional session with a student and provide the reports to students upon request

Make recommendations to students on how to improve academic performance

Monitoring the Progress and Success of Students Enrolled in English Classes

Monitor and examine student grades and assignment completion in gateway English courses

Confer with English instructors to determine which students are most in need of academic intervention

Contact students who are in danger of not completing the course and schedule just-in-time support and inform students of available academic support resources

Offer regular drop-in assistance to students enrolled in specific ENG111 classes

Facilitate ongoing tutoring sessions for students with tutors as well as provide academic support to students whenever needed

Collect data on at-risk students referred by instructors and track student progression and success rates in the course

Follow-up with students to ensure they have all the resources to help them be successful in English courses

Meet with referred students enrolled in English courses to create a success plan for the semester; follow the progress of these students

Administration Responsibilities

Survey gateway ENG111 and ENG112 students to determine their availability to attend focused study and workshop sessions or drop-in writing tutoring sessions

Prepare and disseminate academic handouts and tutorials on various writing topics that serve as barriers for students

Maintain the quality and ensure the dissemination of ACE Writing Center Reports to students and faculty

Provide documentation of tutoring sessions to students and faculty as requested

Provide data and analysis of student success rates in ENG courses

Conduct outreach presentations to ENG classes and other writing intensive classes as needed

Attend all College-wide events such as Open House, Welcome Day, and Commencement

Professional Development

Participate in both pedagogical and content-based professional development to provide high quality instructional assistance to students

Attend the annual ACE Retreat as well as regular department meetings

Maintain competency in technology utilized in Germanna courses

Participate in an annual performance evaluation process with the Manager of ACE Writing and ELL Support Services