Guided by Like No Other, Athabasca University’s (AU) strategic plan, AU’s approach to accessible yet transformative education and research is truly distinctive. Our academic mission is to remove barriers to post-secondary education for learners, regardless of their age, location, career, or educational background.
Based in the beautiful region of Athabasca, Alberta, AU is one of four Comprehensive Academic and Research Universities (CARUs) in the province. We are a public, board-governed, open, and online university serving more than 35,000 students across Alberta, Canada, and around the world.
AU seeks to be an agile and inclusive workplace in which all team members can grow, make their highest contribution, and each make a difference to our academic vision and mission.
Led by President Dr. Alex Clark, AU is embarking on an exciting new chapter. Drawing from five decades of growth in distance and online education, we aim to grow our position as Canada’s foremost innovator in flexible, online and accessible learning. With an inclusive Senior Leadership Team dedicated to empowering every team member to contribute, learn and thrive, AU stands poised for an exciting and ambitious next stage of development.
Athabasca University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is recruiting for a permanent full-time Write Site Coordinator.
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is the largest Faculty at Athabasca University and is home to a diverse community of educators, researchers, and learners committed to excellence in online education. As the Dean notes:
We offer a diverse range of courses and programs in education, distance education, humanities, interdisciplinary studies, and social sciences. Our undergraduate and graduate offerings are designed to equip you with critical thinking skills, information literacy, theoretical knowledge, and other essential competencies to navigate our rapidly changing world and deepen your understanding of both current and historical issues.
We are committed to fostering an environment of respect, inclusiveness, collegiality, openness, and cultural awareness, and furthering access, belonging, and accountability within the Faculty and beyond. Our Faculty includes accomplished scholars and instructors with expertise in innovative research and teaching, supported by a dedicated team of staff.
We take great pride in being a student-centered Faculty, focused on ensuring that your academic journey is rich, meaningful, and memorable.
The Position
The Write Site Coordinator is responsible for the overall coordination of the Write Site in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Working in a digital team environment, the Write Site Coordinator contributes to the Write Site's mission to support and encourage writers to develop confidence and skill in academic communications. The position collaborates and liaises with staff and faculty across the institution to provide writing services and supports to all AU students. As a writing specialist, the Write Site Coordinator coaches student writers at Athabasca University and provides timely, in-depth feedback on students' academic writing assignments. The Write Site Coordinator answers student writing inquiries and refers them to Athabasca University writing resources as appropriate, manages student and prospective student writing assessments, and provides a high standard of service to students while developing positive relationships with them.
The incumbent is responsible for the supervision and management of the Write Site staff and workloads, and for setting and modelling standards and guidelines for Write Site services. The Write Site Coordinator collects and analyzes Write Site statistics, oversees Write Site databases, and maintains the Write Site website and other writing resources.
This position requires outstanding interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills as well as organizational, time-management, and administrative skills. It additionally requires familiarity with asynchronous and synchronous online teaching, familiarity with writing centre work, the ability to work as part of a team, and familiarity with current writing studies literature. The incumbent is expected to demonstrate initiative and be capable of working independently and with minimal supervision.
Qualifications
- A minimum of a Master's degree in Writing Studies, English, Composition and Rhetoric or a related field is required.
- A minimum combined three years' experience in Academic Writing instruction at the college or university level, plus a minimum of two years' experience in college or university writing centre work, is required.
- In-depth experience working one-on-one with post-secondary and/or adult students to help them develop as writers across disciplines and at pre-university, undergraduate, and graduate levels is required.
- Experience and comfort in liaising with stakeholders institution-wide is required.
- Excellent presentation skills are required.
- Skill in dialogue, leadership, and conflict management is required.
- Familiarity with writing centre practices and asynchronous feedback or tutoring methods is required.
- The ability to build meaningful relationships with students, faculty, and staff in a digital environment is required.
- In-depth knowledge of writing skills, strategies, and resources is required.
- Knowledge of issues in academic integrity is required.
- Familiarity with current writing studies literature or best practices is required.
- Familiarity with learning strategies and/or needs of students with disabilities is required.
- Experience in distance learning and familiarity with digital delivery for both synchronous and asynchronous methods is preferred.
- Experience with diverse student demographics is preferred.
- ESL qualifications and/or experience are an asset.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills are required.
- Excellent computer skills are required.
This full-time position is located in Alberta.
A detailed job description can be viewed at: Write-Site Coordinator.
Application Requirements
Applications must be submitted through our online recruitment system.
Contact Information
For further information regarding this position, please contact Dr. Marc Nesca, Associate Dean by phone at 1-866-441.5459 or by e-mail marcn@athabascau.ca.
Athabasca First
Wherever possible, AU seeks to attract and hire qualified team members to reside in the Athabasca region. We will offer relocation assistance for the right candidate should you decide to relocate to the Town of Athabasca. As a resident of the town or county of Athabasca, you can choose to work on and from our beautiful campus in Athabasca.
To discover the Town and Region of Athabasca, go to: Visit Athabasca.
To Apply
To apply, please visit our Career Opportunities page.