Academic Coach – Nursing
Since 1920, Mount St. Joseph University has provided an education that is based on interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional curricula emphasizing mission, values, integrity, and social responsibility. Faculty and staff deliver high-quality academics, hands-on experiential learning, and personalized attention to support student success. Join our award-winning team, recognized for four consecutive years as a 'Best College to Work for,' and be part of a vibrant culture that places a premium on inclusion and belonging.
Position Summary: The Academic Coach, reporting to the Assistant Dean and Chairperson of Nursing, will work closely with first-year and second-year students in the BSN Program to provide academic support and promote student success to ensure a successful progression through the nursing program. As someone well-versed in learning theories and evidence-based learning strategies, the coach's primary focus is to collaborate with faculty, advisors, mentors, the graduate assistant, and content-specific tutors to monitor students' academic progress and success and provide highly responsive, holistic advisement and interventions on individual student and cohort needs and barriers to success inside and outside the classroom. The coach must adapt to the needs of the students and strive to help them become self-regulated learners while maintaining a welcoming and inclusive learning environment. They will also serve as an instructor for portions of the BSN summer intensive and sophomore boot camp and facilitate the creation and implementation of a mentorship program for first-year nursing students.
Essential Job Functions:
Proactive Assistance:
- Identify Potential Challenges: Identify potential academic and social challenges that first and second-year students might face to help them address their learning needs to increase achievement and persistence.
- Early Intervention: Coordinate and offer programs tied to first-year and second-year academic success and persistence. Although not an exhaustive list, these programs may include instructions on time management, stress reduction, and wellness, effective use of academic resources, and technology.
- Programming and Resources: Collaborate with faculty and the Career and Experiential Education Center (CEEC) to develop and offer programming and resources that intentionally connect academic work and skill development to exploring career pathways.
Reactive Assistance:
- Provide Academic Support: Support at-risk students struggling with their coursework. Academic support could include tutoring, guiding studying and test-taking skills, and goal setting.
- Early Intervention: Develop a process and criteria for determining which students will be referred to the academic success coach for support.
- Develop Success Plans: Work with first-year and second-year students, in collaboration with faculty and advisors, to promote the development of individualized academic success plans for at-risk students based on their unique learning styles.
- Monitor Progress: Regularly monitor and track the academic progress of at-risk students and work collaboratively with other University student support services and student alert processes.
- Offer Emotional Support: In collaboration with the University's Wellness Center, offer emotional and social support to students facing personal challenges that might affect their academic performance.
Promote Social Success:
- Fostering Connections: Develop a mentorship program for first-year students to foster community and social support and facilitate their transition from high school to college.
- Interpersonal Skills: The position requires human relations skills, evidenced by the ability to hold students accountable empathetically, instilling self-respect and confidence.
Administrative Duties:
- Maintain Records: Keep detailed records of each student's progress, the interventions to assist them, and the derived outcomes.
- Report on Outcomes: Regularly report on the outcomes of the academic success coaching program to the nursing department leadership.
- Continual Improvement: Continually assess and improve the academic success coaching program based on feedback from students and faculty and outcomes data.
- Graduate Assistant Orientation and Support: Facilitate an orientation for the Graduate Assistant, who offers peer-led tutoring, lab skills practice, study skills coaching, and time management sessions, ensuring familiarity with program goals, expectations, and available resources. Provide ongoing support through regular check-ins, addressing challenges, and offering guidance on effective coaching strategies.
- Graduate Assistant Activities Oversight: Provide oversight for peer-led tutoring, lab skill practice, study skills coaching, and time management sessions to align with program objectives. Conduct regular feedback sessions, offering constructive feedback and evaluating the effectiveness of support services for continuous improvement.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required in student services or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
- Three years’ experience with academic support or academic intervention at the college level
Preferred Qualifications
- Terminal degree in Learning Sciences, Educational Counseling and Psychology, Biological Sciences, Higher Education, or other relevant field.
- Experience using diagnostic educational and learning tools.
- Teaching experience and experience working with students in health professions.
- Proven experience with developing a support program preferred
Work Environment, Physical Demands:
Computer data input; multiple concurrent tasks with constant service interruptions; high level customer contact; strict confidentiality; detailed work.
Benefits
Mount St. Joseph University offers a wide array of benefit options, to meet the financial, educational, health, and wellness needs of you and your family. Eligibility varies by position and FTE.
- Tuition Remission for you and your family.
- Retirement contributions up to 7% of your salary.
- Excellent benefits including medical, employer HSA contributions, dental, vision, life, parental leave.
- Generous PTO.
- 16 paid holidays.
- Competitive salaries.
- Opportunity to work in a dynamic and inclusive educational environment.
- Professional development opportunities.
To apply, please upload a cover letter, resume, and contact information with three professional references via Paycom.
A review of resumes will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
Mount St. Joseph University is an Equal Opportunity Employer
