Job Info
Position Title:
Academic Coach
Job Type
Exempt – Full Time
Department
Director of Academic Success
North Central University Mission Statement
North Central University is a dynamic Christian learning community educating students for lives of service throughout society, the marketplace, and the church. In keeping with its Pentecostal heritage and mission, NCU models and expects excellence in both academic practice and Christian faith.
Position Purpose
The Academic Coach role is a key connection for student retention and success for online and traditional undergraduate students. The Academic Coach takes a holistic and individualized approach to supporting students in three main categories: academic advising, success coaching, and teaching.
This role is the Academic Advisor for a population of Online students and Exploratory Studies traditional undergraduate students. Advising includes degree planning, course registration, coaching through challenges, and overall support. Success Coaching is woven into all aspects of the role, through the advising process, teaching, and coaching students through programed events and one one-on-one meetings to navigate the inevitable challenges that arise in the academic setting. Coaching will always focus on meeting students at their point of need and equipping and empowering them to successful outcomes. Teaching incoming new students in FYE and returning students who are on academic status is designed to bring strategic connecting points for students in the highest need of support.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Advising
- Coach and Advise Exploratory Studies (residential students) and a segment of the Online Undergraduate students (fully online programs)
- Proactive and responsive regular contact for individualized academic coaching to ensure students have access to personal connection, accurate academic information, degree planning, registration, support, guidance and advocacy
- Collaborative work interdepartmentally for the best student outcomes, this will include Faculty, Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar, One Stop or other offices as needed
- Equip students for understanding their academic plan and options in alignment with their goals and academic policies
- Individualized approach to degree planning and registration each semester
- Coach Exploratory Studies students toward uncovering their major selection within 30 credits
- Facilitate and regularly update the Online Orientation Course for Online Students to maintain up-to-date onboarding information, address needs, and Title IX tracking
Student Success Coaching
- Equip and empower students to find a way forward through their unique challenges
- Take a coaching approach to create a safe place for students to struggle, with curiosity help them to identify barriers, brainstorm options, and create action plans
- Assist students to understand and navigate the university systems
- Support degree planning, address course concerns, time management coaching, resilience development, and effective communication
- Reactive and proactive efforts for student support, success and retention
- Drop in help, midterm grade outreach, on-status outreach, alert outreach, etc.
- Collaboratively support programming for student success & retention
- Student Alert Coordination
- Lead the Alert outreach efforts for the department
- Check alerts daily, assign and/or follow up as needed to ensure the appropriate follow, process and resolution
- Collaborate on training other staff/faculty on the Alert process
- Tutoring Hub drop-in hours (all Academic Success Staff and tutors may be asked to share hours of coverage for the tutoring hub for student drop in needs)
- Retention and registration outreach
- Lead the Alert outreach efforts for the department
Teaching
- Co-Teach online FYE (both online coaches co-teach)
- Teach GS-160: Academic Skills Development
- Co-Teaching online Academic Success Course (both online coaches co-teach)
Job Qualifications
Minimum Education and experience
- A Bachelor’s Degree is required. Master’s degree preferred.
- Academic support and coaching experience preferred.
Knowledge, skills, and abilities
- Knowledge of online student needs and coaching processes.
- Knowledge of academic curricula and student degree planning.
- Knowledge of best practices in retention.
- Ability to execute coaching duties in online and in-person modalities.
- Sound communication skills in one-on-one and group settings and written correspondence.
- Ability to connect and serve effectively a diverse population of students.
- Ability to influence and provide accountability for positive behavioral choices.
- Ability to prioritize students’ needs with a commitment to providing an excellent and accurate student experience.
- Skilled in creative problem-solving, time management, and collaboration.
- This job requires continuous use of a computer and phone/video calls most of each day.
Working Conditions and Frequency
Environmental Conditions
- Daily exposure to repetitive motions of the fingers, hands and wrists.
- Position is located in an urban, Christ-centered environment.
North Central University employs qualified individuals regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, familial status, and status with regard to public assistance. Individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.
The aforementioned statements are not intended to encompass all functions and qualifications of the position; rather, they are intended to provide a general framework of the requirements of the position. Job incumbents may be required to perform other functions not specifically addressed in this job description.