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Academic Coordinator - Associate Director for the Writing and Communication Hub

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Position description

Position Level: Academic Coordinator, full-time

UC San Diego is inviting applications for a full-time (twelve-month) position as Director for the Writing and Communication Hub in the Center for Engaged Learning (CEL), a unit within the university’s newly established Teaching + Learning Commons. The Director will work closely with the Commons leadership team. The Teaching + Learning Commons at UC San Diego is committed to academic excellence and diversity within the faculty, staff, and student body.

Under the general guidance of the CEL Director, the incumbent is expected to: promote teaching and learning as ongoing and collaborative processes of inquiry, experimentation, and reflection; contribute to the research on pedagogical issues that impact teachers and students in higher education; and promote a university culture that encourages the creation of learning environments in which diverse students can excel, thus advancing UC San Diego’s mission as a student-centered public research university.

The Director will work collaboratively with the CEL leadership team to build a community that: serves as an academic resource for all students, i.e., undergraduate, graduate and ELL students, supporting student writing and communication skills at all levels and in all forms and modes; supports faculty and instructional assistants to incorporate writing across the curriculum and writing and communication skills in the disciplines; and, sponsors and facilitates learning communities. The Writing and Communication Hub is expected to help students develop rich and varied abilities in every aspect of writing and communication.

The Director will work with Teaching + Learning Commons colleagues to develop and oversee support programs for students; design and coordinate training programs for writing tutors/consultants; incorporate faculty development initiatives relating to writing and communication across the disciplines; lead ongoing assessment of program effectiveness; and foster strong collaborations with faculty, academic departments, and relevant campus units (e.g., the Undergraduate Colleges’ Writing Programs, the Basic Writing Program, the Office of Academic Integrity, Undergraduate College Academic Advising staff, the CSI Communication & Leadership staff, and summer bridge programs).

The Director will serve as an integral member of the CEL leadership team. The CEL team will play a key role in developing and implementing methods for assessing the impact of the Teaching + Learning Commons initiatives and programs on student learning, and will contribute to the identification of legitimate measures of success (e.g., student retention and time to degree, students’ academic success within the university, and students’ post-university trajectories).

Job Functions:
• Program Development
o Develop academic support services for undergraduate and graduate students’ writing and communication skills, such as:
 1. Tutoring for undergraduate writing papers for basic writing and college writing courses as well as for courses in the disciplines, and for out-of-class writing tasks such as application essays or cover letters
 2. Individual peer-consultations for graduate students working on academic writing tasks
 3. Individual support for undergraduates and graduate students preparing speeches, posters, and other presentations in a range of communication modes
 4. non-credit workshops for undergraduate and graduate students addressing a wide range of communication skills
5. support for graduate thesis and dissertation writers via writing groups, retreats, and other relevant programs
o Diversity and inclusion: Writing and communication support (individual and group) tailored to the needs of undergraduate and graduate students who are non-native speakers of English or who may be unfamiliar with the conventions of American academic discourse
• Education Initiatives
o Work with faculty in many different departments across to incorporate academic writing and communication skills in undergraduate and graduate courses
o Design and teach writing and communications courses and workshops for pre-matriculation programs such as the Summer Bridge Program
• Faculty Collaboration s
o Develop and sustain collaborative relationships within the University academic departments, working with faculty, staff, graduate students and administrators from varied disciplinary backgrounds and pedagogical traditions to advance the mission of the Commons.
o Work with CET staff to provide support for faculty in many different departments development of writing-intensive curricula, courses, and co-curricular student projects; support for faculty in effective use of technology to enhance communication
• Development of Instructional Materials for the training and ongoing support of writing tutors/consultants.
• Research and Professional Development
o Represent the CEL, the Commons, and the University at regional, national, and international meetings on undergraduate- and graduate -level writing and communication programs.
o Engage in professional development to stay abreast of assessment theories, pedagogical, and technological developments.
o Research current trends and developments; exercising informed judgment, advise on new directions.
o Contribute to the larger campus community, including promoting diversity, equal opportunity, inclusiveness, and the UCSD principles of community.
• Assessment. Set benchmarks for success and monitor the program’s effectiveness.
• Instructional Training. Train graduate student TAs on evidence-based practices for responding to student writing and presentations for promoting strong communication skills
• Management and Administration
o Manage budgets and projects
o Hire, train, and supervise professional and student employees

Required Qualifications:
• PhD in a field with significant relevance to the pedagogy of writing, literary studies, communication, applied linguistics, Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), or related field.
• Interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work well in a multifaceted environment.
• Organizational and problem-solving skills; ability to plan, prioritize, and keep multiple projects and tasks moving forward at once.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively and professionally with administrators, faculty, graduate students, and staff from a variety of disciplines and diverse cultural backgrounds.
• A record of distinguished teaching in composition, writing, communication, or related field.
• Experience supporting the writing and communication needs of English Language Learners (ELL)
• Knowledge of current composition theory and evidence-based practices in writing pedagogy and writing across academic disciplines
• Demonstrated ability to deliver and maintain academic support programs
• Experience providing professional development for instructors
• High level of administrative management experience, including planning, leadership, and analysis
• A commitment to diversity and to ensuring the success of groups historically underrepresented in higher education

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with grant proposal writing and management of grant-funded projects
• Experience with program assessment

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and based on University of California pay scales.

Application deadline is February 19, 2016.

How to apply:
Applications should be submitted to the UCSD on-line application collection system, AP-On-Line Recruit, at: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/JPF01008. Applicants need to submit CV, cover letter, contact information for three potential referees, and a separate statement describing past experience in activities that promote diversity and inclusion and/or plans to make future contributions. For further information about contributions to diversity statements, see http://facultyexcellence.ucsd.edu/c2d/index.html. UCSD is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer with a strong institutional commitment to excellence and diversity (http://diversity.ucsd.edu).

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter

  • Statement of Contributions to diversity - Applicants should summarize their past or potential contributions to diversity. See our Faculty Equity site for more information.

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 required (contact information only)