Special Matter Specialist – BOT

The College of Engineering invites applications for a Special Matter Specialist for the Back on Track (BOT) programming in Engineering.  BOT is a pilot program to support students who have received faculty actions.  This position will provide assistance to the Engineering Student Centre for the preparation and implementation of the BOT program.

Start Date & End Date:  May 11, 2024 – August 31, 2024

Rate of Pay:  Please refer to the Non-Unionized Employees Handbook guideline, available at:

https://careers.usask.ca/agreements/compensation/salary-ranges.php#NonUnionEmployees

Required Hours of Work:

Due to its nature, cannot be scheduled, anticipated, projected, and may be of very limited duration/brief or irregular periods.  Therefore, there are no guaranteed hours of work for casual appointments.  The hours of work will be communicated by your supervisor and will fall between May 11, 2024, and August 31, 2024.

Duties:

In the appointment of a Special Matter Specialist, your general duties and responsibilities will be as follows:

• Provide personalized mentorship/guidance for students completing the Back on Track (BOT) requirements.
  • Canvas access and other technical issues
  • Provide guidance to students as they complete self-reflection exercises and academic plans and goals, as needed.
  • Help students connect with relevant resources and services.
  • Be available for a consultation with students at a scheduled time.
• Collate or develop relevant resources and update Canvas.
• Help advisors track and monitor student progress.
• Marking of assignments
• Provide other BOT support as needed.
• Develop and update course materials including finding new material/resources and updating modules on Canvas, collaborating with various units across campus and Engineering advisors.
• Provide leadership to fellow assistants including making schedule for drop-in help sessions, mentor newly hired assistants, chairing meetings with assistants/advisor, primary contact between advisor and assistants.
• Collected and presented data on outcomes of BoT – draft final report summarizing BoT activities and recommendations to present to ADA.
• Reviewed and compiled survey results.
• Oversee ‘manual tasks’ such as student progress tracking on Canvas and spreadsheets, uploading and commenting on revised documents/assignments, provide feedback to students, tracking/marking/notifying of course completions, inputting ‘excused’ modules, coordinating reminder emails/messages, take on extra marking as needed, coordinate emails for incomplete progress.
  • After student completes advisor appt: Receive signed advisor plans by email, transfer students’ selected modules to tracking spreadsheet to mark specific assignments as excused. Also mark the signed plan assignment as complete. Upload only the changed students’ rows to Canvas as CSV, then comment on each plan in speed grader with comment re-explaining situation and uploading their signed plan.
  • Final feedback: Copy feedback anonymously to spreadsheet
  • Course complete: Notice when course is complete in the full gradebook, change hidden “course complete” assignment in Grades to complete, email student about completion and cc advisor, mark as complete in advisor’s spreadsheet, advisor removes registration hold.
  • Early optional modules: mark “advisor signed” assignment as excused, write comment about temporary, send email explaining situation. When uploading signed plan, make sure not to overwrite any of their previously submitted assignment grades.
  • Reminders: checking gradebook for students only missing assignments to move on, leaving a comment reminder. Some reminders to book advisor appointment to students without the signed plan. Occasional checking of available timeslots and announcing them to get students in quicker.
  • Extra marking: occasionally when student was only missing 1 assignment to move on, and it had been a few days waiting.
  • Email students that they did not complete the course.

Qualifications:

You must be registered in a graduate degree program at the University of Saskatchewan. Previous experience in student mentorship and the Learning Management System, Canvas, is preferred.

To apply:

Interested applicants must include the following in their application: cover letter and curriculum vitae.  Inquiries for this position can be directed to Shazia Chakraverty, Student Academic Advisor, via [email protected] .

Department: Engineering Student Centre
Status: Term, 4 months
Employment Group: Research Positions – Non-union

Shift: Hours and schedule will be communicated by your supervisor 
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $20.37 – 27.56 per hour. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience. 
Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 4

Posted Date: 3/15/2024

Closing Date: Until filled 
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: May be eligible for hybrid work under the terms of USask’s Alternative Workspace Guidelines

The successful applicant will be required to provide the following current verification(s) where ‘Yes’ is indicated below. Further information is available at: https://careers.usask.ca/tips-for-applying.php

Criminal Record Check: Not Applicable
Driver’s License and Abstract Check: Not Applicable
Education/Credential Verification: Not Applicable
Vulnerable Sector Check: Not Applicable