Job Type:
Staff
Job Description:
The Learning Specialist assists with the University’s learning enhancement program, serves as a learning support resource for students and faculty across KCU colleges and programs, and helps ensure effective delivery of student learning services. The position works collaboratively under the direction of the Director of Learning Enhancement to ensure access to learning support is integrated, responsive, and equitably available to students across the University.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
- Engage students individually and through group learning activities, providing evidence-based strategies related to learning processes, knowledge acquisition, retention, retrieval, application, and self-regulated learning
- Apply evidence-informed principles of learning, cognition, memory, metacognition, knowledge acquisition, retrieval, and self-regulated learning when supporting students
- Work confidently across disciplines and unfamiliar subject matter by leveraging expertise in learning frameworks, inquiry skills, and collaborative problem-solving while forming partnerships that help bridge technical domains
- Partner with academic programs to understand their curricular milestones and assessment models to effectively deliver targeted learning enhancement strategies that complement direct faculty instruction
- Build productive, student-centered relationships by communicating effectively, establishing appropriate expectations and boundaries, and collaborating with students, faculty, academic leaders, student-affairs colleagues, and other University partners
- Help students identify patterns in their learning, recognize barriers to performance, and develop strategies that promote understanding, retention, retrieval, application, and transfer of knowledge
- Use academic coaching techniques, including questioning, reflection, goal setting, feedback, and accountability, to help students develop greater independence, self-awareness, and ownership of their learning
- Provide both proactive and responsive support, including assistance for students seeking to optimize their learning as well as students experiencing academic difficulty
- Use student performance information, reflection, and other available data to guide conversations, interventions, goal setting, and follow-up
- Evaluate the effectiveness of learning strategies and interventions using student performance information, reflection, feedback, and other available data, adjusting approaches as needed to support student progress
- Develop and facilitate learning-focused workshops, resources, and programming that can be applied across student populations and academic programs
- Maintain current knowledge of evidence-based practices in learning science, academic coaching, student success, and emerging approaches to supporting learners across diverse academic programs and environments
- Maintain student records in compliance with FERPA and keep accurate documentation of sessions, meetings, and other communications as appropriate
- Contribute as an active member of and collaborator for the Learning Enhancement team
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in counseling, education, or related discipline. Master’s degree preferred
- Five years of experience working with students in graduate, professional, health professions, or other academically rigorous educational environments
- Experience supporting learners across multiple academic disciplines or professional programs
- Knowledge of assessment, academic-performance data, learning analytics, or early-alert/student-success systems
- Experience developing educational resources, workshops, curricula, or scalable student-learning interventions
- Familiarity with the academic demands and learning environments associated with health profession education and/or graduate programs
Physical Requirements
- Physical dexterity sufficient to use hands, arms, and shoulders repetitively to operate a keyboard and other office equipment, use a telephone, access file cabinets and other items stored at various levels, including overhead
- Ability to speak and hear well enough to communicate clearly and understandably with sufficient volume to ensure an accurate exchange of information in normal conversational distance, over the telephone, and in a group setting
- Ability to continuously operate a personal computer for extended periods of time (4 or more hours)
- Mental acuity sufficient to collect and interpret data, evaluate, reason, define problems, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, make valid judgments and decisions
Equal Opportunity Employer
KCU is committed to promoting an equal employment opportunity workplace. Equal opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, genetic information (GINA), physical or mental disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, ancestry, military and/or veteran status, and/or any other status protected by applicable Federal, state or local law.
Annual Security Report
KCU is committed to providing a safe campus for students, faculty, and staff. Our annual campus security report lists campus crimes and statistics for the campus and public areas around campus for the last three years, in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
Thank you for your interest in a career at KCU!
