Academic Advisor, Academic Systems

Staff – Non Union

Job Category

M&P – AAPS

Job Profile

AAPS Salaried – Student Management, Level C

Job Title

Academic Advisor, Academic Systems

Department

Program Support | Arts Academic Advising

Compensation Range

$6,253.50 – $9,009.00 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date

May 11, 2021

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date

May 9, 2024

We are currently recruiting for 2 Academic Systems Advisor positions. The Faculty of Arts is investing in advising services for Arts students; these two positions are part of this commitment.

Job Summary

Academic Advisors are responsible for developing, providing, evaluating and assessing academic advising services, programs and projects for the Faculty of Arts in order to support the academic success, personal development and retention of approximately 14,000 Aboriginal, domestic and international students enrolled in four undergraduate degrees, four diploma programs, and three certificate programs.

A key additional responsibility for this position is managing the technologies which underwrite the Faculty’s degree audit tool and the sessional evaluations for all undergraduate students in the Faculty. To this end, this position will be involved in managing changes to the curriculum as they affect these technologies. Other responsibilities include: development and implementation of recruiting and retention activities that support the enrolment objectives of the Faculty of Arts, including those for Aboriginal and International students; participating in the administration of the office.

Organizational Status

Incumbent works independently, with initiative and considerable autonomy, under the general supervision of the Associate Director, Advising Management Systems. The position contributes directly to the development of policy and priorities of the unit. Advisors interact regularly and consult with Arts Academic Advising personnel, faculty and university members, departmental advisors, This position may work closely with Department Advisors and faculty on matters of curriculum. Student (Peer) Advisors, Work-Study students, and student service personnel elsewhere on campus. Advisors hire and supervise the work of support staff, Student (Peer) Advisors and Work-Study students and assists in the hiring and training other advisors. Wide latitude of decision-making is required.

Work Performed

PROCESS MANAGEMENT, ACADEMIC SYSTEMS AND CURRICULUM:

• Initiates and drives technological change in order to support pedagogical values of the Faculty of Arts, directs and supervises work of programmers in other units to ensure system development meets Faculty needs.
• Manages Degree Audit technology (Degree Navigator):
• Responsible for training for academic advisors; liaison for advisors in determining if apparent errors in individual reports are explainable or a system-wide problem.
• Responsible for training and ongoing support for faculty advisors. Provides support to trouble-shoot apparent system errors, editing difficulties, completes programming changes to support departmental decisions on exceptions and exclusions, ongoing technical support. Advise departments on implementation of their policies.
• Trouble-shoots system-wide problems with Enrolment Services personnel responsible for Degree Navigator technology.
• Liaises with departments and Dean’s office once faculty initiate program or policy changes; role is to identify technological solutions and obstacles to policy change. Provides advice to departments on structural components of degree requirements and design of program to minimize barriers to student participation and manage system limitations.
• Determines how to turn curriculum changes into programming, instructs programmers on requirements, writes calendar language to ensure changes are programmable.
• Determines number of students negatively affected by policy change; prepares plan for addressing effect including making exceptions to degree requirements; once approved, works with programmers to initiate change without causing damage to prior programming, manages advisors assigned to edit for each policy change.
• Responsible for usability of user interface and developing communication plan to explain changes, includes writing for multiple media (email and website)
• Member of cross-unit team responsible for evaluating technology, particularly system upgrades. When tender for new systems accepted, will be faculty representative on team creating new user interface, arts report, and training.
• Manages Sessional Evaluation:
• Reviews/evaluates curriculum or policy changes which will effect promotion and continuation requirements. Writes codes to add these changes, releases code to Enrolment Services to have code programmed.
• Tests system thoroughly to determine all possible intersection of rules. Identifies problems and conflicts between rules, create fix for conflicts, identifies where problems may be arising from other technological systems and report to Enrolment Services.
• Once sessional evaluations are released, monitors system to identify incorrect evaluations, assesses if problem is systemic, sets a fix to pull out students affected and correct, prepares system fix. Manually evaluates student cases when system limitations prevent fixes.
• Liaises with departments to ensure missing grades are entered, monitors system to ensure evaluations are re-triggered or done manually when grade changes affect student registration times or eligibilities.
• Develops plan for communicating results to students. Prepares both immediate communications (short warnings on SSCs, registration blocks and notes) and more detailed information letters for continuation and programming. Determines categories of student evaluations (ie ACPR, WRIT), assigns codes to categories. Uses codes to search SIS to send appropriate letters to explain sessional evaluation to students; also uses codes to send programming letter. Schedules letter release so as to manage workflow for advisors. Work with University’s Case Manager to manage letters being sent to at-risk students.
• Works with Associate Deans to translate goals and objectives of curriculum change into program requirements. Acts as content-expert on advising policy to fit new degree requirements into current faculty requirements with the aim of increasing number of students able to take new programs. Addresses diverse issues such as planning pre-requisite requirements to ensure timely access to senior courses and designing program requirements to allow students opportunities such as exchange, co-operative education.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

Arts Academic Advising builds holistic relationships with students with the end of furthering students’ development. Through students’ questions about degree planning, advisors make connections between academic planning, academic learning, personal career aspirations, and physical and mental health. Doing so, they contribute to students’ development of wider perspective. Academic advisors identify students at risk or in crisis and create an environment in which those students are able to acknowledge difficulties and seek further help. The tools with which advisors build these relationships are: program planning with students, career planning, evaluation of students’ academic performance, and conferring academic concessions. Academic Advisors’ primary advising duties are to:

• Assess students’ academic records and histories in order to help students identify academic specializations in line with their personal and career goals. To do this, advisors must be able to probe students’ interests as many will be undecided in these goals.
• Inform students about the requirements for admissions to majors and for degree-completion. Advisors teach students to manage complex information, including how to use the tools available for ongoing degree planning. They evaluate students’ use of these tools; they investigate and resolve any discrepancies or technical difficulties.
• Coach students regarding post-graduation options (careers, post-graduate studies). Depending on their assessment of the student’s self-awareness and knowledge, advisors provide information, refer appropriately, and encourage students to take action. Advisors must maintain knowledge of career advising, graduate studies, and professional programs to do this.
• Investigate and resolve inquiries from other campus units i.e., Admissions, Enrolment Services, Access and Diversity, Counselling Services and other UBC Faculties and University units.
• Interpret and apply University and Faculty policy in relation to individual student programs. They can propose exceptions to policy for individuals. Advisors have wide latitude of decision-making regarding exceptions.
• Identify when current University and Faculty policy or program guidelines fail to address current realities for students or cause problems beyond individual exceptions. Follow office guidelines to liaise with the Dean’s Office, departments and other student service professionals to resolve these complex program-planning issues extending beyond individual student programs. Implement changes which result. Evaluate academic and non-academic policies, make recommendations for change, may include developing alternative policy.
• Anticipate student needs, respond to student requests, offer subject-matter expertise and professional advice, providing recommendations extending beyond a student’s presenting request. Make referrals where appropriate.
• Adjudicate requests for Academic Concession. Advisors evaluate documentation, liaise with instructors, medical professionals, and other student service professionals to determine appropriateness of concession. Advisors determine type of concession based on assessment of student’s ability to complete coursework. Advisors are often the first student-service professionals to encounter students with mental health concerns. To encourage students to express their difficulties, advisors must create a safe and welcoming environment. Advisors must be able to perceive difficulties even students have not yet identified and proactively put into motion alternative supports, particularly through encouraging students to meet with health-care professionals.
• Once a student is identified as at-risk, the advisor intervenes by connecting that student with resources and supports as appropriate, including engaging the University’s Early Alert system.
• Contribute to, interpret and apply University and Faculty of Arts admission policies related to undergraduate programs and adjudicate internal transfer, readmission and continuation appeals via membership on the Arts Advisory Committee on Appeals
• Advise students who are being required to withdraw or are seeking re-admission to the University. Adjudicate/decide appeals to be allowed to continue or return to studies as part of a committee.
• Interpret and apply Faculty policy to adjudicate student requests to study outside of UBC, graduation requirements, and continuation requirements
• Evaluate transfer credit, determine remaining program requirements. Advisors may authorize changes to transfer credit.
• Admit current students to the Faculty of Arts Commerce minor.
• Evaluate personal profiles of international applicants for admission to the Faculty of Arts.
• Advisors support the recruitment and yield of students to meet the Faculty and University’s mandates and enrolment targets. They develop relationships with counsellors, parents, and prospective students through presentations at local, national, and international University events and through email correspondence.
• Advisors are integral to the retention of students. They identify current student concerns and assess them for their effect on the Faculty’s and University’s mandate to recruit and retain the best students. They design, implement, and evaluate programs meant to address these concerns. These programs may include workshops, technical resources, and outreach programs. They may also include initiating cross-campus initiatives.
• Work with other units to develop programs to support student transition to university and other student development initiatives.
• Participate in ongoing development of University student information systems and services

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Other project work as required.
• Participates in the recruitment, hiring and training of other professional advisors and other staff as needed
• Recruits, Hires, and trains student staff.
• Participates in development of operating policy to improve efficiency.
• Conduct research and prepare briefs, data and reports related to advising services and the development and application of information technologies.
• Arts Academic Advisors participate fully in the strategic planning and preparation of promotional materials to support the Faculty of Arts promotional strategy.
• Sit on committees about university initiatives as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

• Failure to manage sessional evaluation system will result in incorrect information provided to students (including regarding their ability to continue at the university), prevent or delay correct registration, potentially delaying graduation or affecting students’ access to academic programs.
• Failure to manage degree audit system can result in students failing to meet graduation requirements and being delayed in graduation or allowing students to graduate without meeting Faculty requirements, potentially affecting the reputation of our graduates and the University.
• Failure to adapt proposals for curriculum change to current faculty requirements and technological system requirements may result in confusion or misinformation about program requirements and fewer students being able to take or complete programs. This would potentially damage the reputation of the Faculty and/or the Department. Also, if insufficient numbers of students enter or complete new programs, these programs may fail to be financially viable.
• Advising decisions directly affect the quality of student undergraduate experience. Poor performance including inefficient or uncaring service affects the reputation and credibility of Arts Academic Advising, the Faculty of Arts and the University thereby endangering the Faculty’s enrolment goals.
• Errors in judgment, poor advising, and/or inconsistency in decision making could have significantly negative financial, academic, and personal consequences for students, including serious difficulty in attaining their educational goals and even delay in graduation.
• Failing to establish a positive, interculturally-sensitive advising relationship with students or to identify the effect of a student’s health on their studies can adversely affect the success of the advising relationship, contribute to the failure of Arts Academic Advising Service’s mandate to support students, and damage the University’s future relationship with the student as an alumnus.
• Failing to identify the effect of a student’s mental health on their studies can result in a delay of proper support services and a negative experience of the University.
• Uncollegial behaviour can affect relationships between units and delay services to students as well as advances in programs and technology.
• Administration decisions directly affect the Advising Office’s ability to operate efficiently. Errors in decision making have a serious negative affect on the Office’s ability to carry out its program and service responsibilities.
• Failures in one or all of the above may result in students leaving the University.

Supervision Received

This position works independently and within a team environment under the general direction of the Associate Director and Business Solutions Analyst.

Under minimal supervision, the incumbent has the has the authority to exercise judgment and make important decisions and provide services on matters of varying complexity in accordance with University policies and best practices in student services.

Supervision Given

This position may supervise clerical staff and/or student workers (peer advisors, co-op students, work-study students). This position may also supervise other academic advisors for specific projects. Other Academic Advising staff regularly consult the Academic Advisors.

May provide supervision as project leader of individual projects as they come up. May provide leadership to staff in other units for processes related to Arts sessional evaluations and degree audit programs.

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of four to five years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Bachelor’s degrees such as those offered by the Faculty of Arts preferred (ie, BA, BFA, BIE, BMUS, BMS, BSW). Minimum of four to five years of related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ability to take abstract ideas and quantify them for technological solution. Ability to use a systematic approach in solving problems through analysis of problem and evaluation of alternate solutions.
• Meticulous, resilient, curious, and creative.
• Ability to provide leadership as required for projects. Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines. Ability to handle stress within a multi-faceted work environment. Ability to manage multiple projects within a rapidly changing environment.
• Experience in post-secondary advising or counseling and administration required (UBC experience preferred).
• Ability to demonstrate diversity competencies in one-to-one interactions (with students and colleagues) and in group settings.
• Demonstrated experience and commitment to equity and diversity.
• A skilled listener, with the ability to identify and respond to sensitive issues with empathy, diplomacy, and respect.
• Proven ability to use an inclusive approach to develop and cultivate effective working relationships with University students, faculty, staff as well as members of the external community.
• Ability to independently exercise superior judgment to make important decisions on matters of varying complexity. Experience with interpreting, applying and advising on policies and procedures; ability to design policy. Attention to detail; excellent research skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication (verbal and in writing), and presentation skills required. Ability to communicate clearly and diplomatically to others regardless of their status or position. Ability to create and follow highly detailed instructions and processes.
• Fluency in French, a South East Asian language, Mandarin, or other languages preferred.
• Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment with a minimum of supervision, and to adapt to different learning styles.
• Excellent personal computer skills including standard office software and internet tools required. Experience applying technology to improve student or client services an asset. Knowledge of SIS/SISC an asset.
• Ability to travel outside UBC. Valid BC Driver’s License.