Academic Support Specialist

Academic Support Specialist

This role plays a pivotal part in enhancing student success at our institution by identifying and addressing academic or personal challenges through timely intervention strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Continuously monitor students' academic performance, attendance, and engagement to detect signs of academic or personal difficulties.
• Implement structured processes to identify at-risk students and formulate personalized plans aimed at enhancing academic progress.
• Utilize learning analytics tools and faculty referrals to accurately flag students requiring additional support.
• Proactively engage with flagged students to discuss academic progress, set goals, and address challenges effectively.
• Provide consistent tracking and tailored support to students ensuring their enrolment in relevant support programs offered by our institution.
• Assess the effectiveness of support measures provided to students making adjustments where necessary.
• Regularly monitor and ensure the accuracy and relevance of materials available on the institutional support unit, ensuring students who need access are enrolled in it.
• Track attendance, engagement, and completion of students participating in academic support programs (e.g., English Support Program, Academic Language Enrichment Program, SUCCESS, Advanced SUCCESS) and report progress to the relevant team.
• Monitor students' progress following interventions to assess improvement and provide additional support if necessary.
• Maintain detailed records of support provided to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
• Continuously review and adjust individual support plans based on performance and progress.

Academic Skills Development

• Provide expert guidance through individual or group sessions focused on developing essential academic skills, including academic writing, communication, and examination preparation.
• Design and deliver workshops to educate students on academic integrity, policies, collaborative work expectations, and ethical research practices.
• Maintain comprehensive records of all academic support programs provided.
• Assess the effectiveness of academic support initiatives and refine programs based on feedback and student engagement metrics.

Collaboration and Communication

• Liaise with relevant support services, including counselling and financial aid, to provide holistic support to students.

Academic Integrity Management

• Plan, develop, and deliver workshops on academic integrity for students, staff, and professional staff utilizing diverse and effective learning strategies.
• Provide comprehensive education on plagiarism, referencing, paraphrasing, time management, and proper academic conduct.
• Offer guidance to students who have breached academic integrity policies providing clear explanations of violations and their implications.
• Conduct confirmation checks or inquiry sessions with students to establish the facts of alleged breaches.
• Develop frameworks and standard operating procedures for managing academic misconduct in line with our institution's policies.

Supporting Student Success

• Ensure that students who require support are identified and provided with resources to enhance their academic experience.
• Review and process academic misconduct cases maintaining consistency and adherence to stipulated timelines.

General Guidance

• Provide expert advice to staff and students regarding general misconduct processes and expected standards of conduct.
• Ensure all general misconduct cases are managed in accordance with our institution's policies and procedures.

Student Appeals

• Manage student appeals related to academic status by providing clear and detailed guidance on appeal procedures.
• Support academic appeals committees by gathering relevant documents and providing accurate background information.

Continuous Improvement

• Ensure that the policies and procedures relating to academic misconduct and general misconduct are communicated to all students and reviewed regularly for continual improvement.
• Review the student learning support and development process including intervention measures to ensure students achieve the desired learning outcomes and for continual improvement.
• Provide periodic progress reports on academic achievements to parents/guardians for students who are minor.
• Work with the Assessments Department to ensure that the code of conduct for students and invigilators is communicated.

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