Learning Skills Counselor
 
UCI Series Concepts

Class Specifications - A.35
Principal Learning Skills Counselor (4414)
Senior Learning Skills Counselor (7911)
Senior Learning Skills Counselor - Supervisor (4419)
Learning Skills Counselor (4416)
Assistant Learning Skills Counselor (4417)

August, 1976
 
SERIES CONCEPT

Learning Skills Counselors offer learning skills assistance to students to
enable them to become independent, self-confident, and efficient learners;
and perform other related duties as required.

Incumbents in this series have the responsibility for aiding students in the
development and maintenance of such varied learning skills as reading,
writing, study, and  test-taking techniques. Incumbents in these positions
should possess a broad knowledge of what constitutes competent and creative
skill usage at various academic levels and must be proficient at guiding
students of diverse educational backgrounds to levels of skill development
consistent with university-level standards of satisfactory performance.

Incumbents typically, interview individual students, diagnose their
respective learning problems, devise methods to solve those problems, and aid
students during the process of solution; plan and conduct learning skills
group workshops; develop, test, and evaluate new materials, approaches and
programs; identify research problems and/or develop research proposals of a
programmatic, evaluative or institutional nature; maintain liaison with other
campus units and academic departments; develop, plan, and/or conduct
appropriate outreach activities; and may participate in the selection and
training of learning skills assistants.

Positions in this series are distinguished from positions in the counseling
services series in that they do not normally offer vocational and
psychological consultation. They are distinguished from positions in the
advising services series in that the primary responsibility of learning
skills counselors is to assist students in the development and maintenance
of a variety of learning skills.

The Learning Skills Counselor series consists of four levels with the
distinction between levels based on the scope and complexity of learning
skills functions and the degree of supervision exercised.

CLASS CONCEPTS

Principal Learning Skills Counselor

Under general direction, incumbents are assigned responsibility for developing
and directing programs and activities in the area of student learning skills
assistance that are campus-wide in scope and impact. Incumbents typically
establish administrative and professional policies, procedures and standards
for a learning skills assistance unit; interview and select prospective
employees; assign and coordinate staff workloads; supervise and evaluate the
performance of lower level learning skills counselors and/or learning skills
assistants; coordinate in-service professional staff training programs; and
are assigned responsibility for the development and administration of the
department's annual budget.

Incumbents may develop and evaluate new materials, approaches, and programs;
may identify research problems and develop research proposals; and may
establish and maintain appropriate liaison with other departments and
outreach activities.

Senior Learning Skills Counselor

Under direction, incumbents assist in the development and direction of programs
and activities in the area of student learning skills assistance that are
campus-wide in scope and impact. Incumbents may act as principal assistants to
higher level learning skills counselors, typically with limited authority to
develop and direct a campus-wide program and, in addition, may provide
individual and/or group assistance to undergraduate and graduate students with
difficult learning problems. Incumbents typically assist in the development of
new materials and programs; design and conduct appropriate liaison and
outreach activities.  They may be assigned continuing responsibility for
coordinating programs and may select, train and supervise lower level
learning skills counselors and/or learning skills assistants.

Senior Learning Skills Counselor - Supervisor

Performs range of duties outlined in the Class Concepts for Senior Learning Skills Counselor
and, in addition, meets the HEERA requirements for designation as a supervisory employee.

Learning Skills Counselor

Under general supervision, incumbents perform difficult professional work in
providing individual and/or group assistance to undergraduate and graduate
students with learning problems. Incumbents typically conduct appropriate
liaison and outreach activities; may assist in the development of new
materials and programs, and may assist in the training of learning skills
assistants. Incumbents may in addition perform the range of duties outlined
in the Series Concept.

Assistant Learning Skills Counselor

Under supervision, incumbents provide individual and/or group assistance to
undergraduate students within limited areas of learning problems. Incumbents
perform the majority of duties described in the Series Concept, typically
within established procedural guidelines. This is the entry level in the
professional series; however, positions may be assigned to this level on a
continuing basis.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Principal Learning Skills Counselor

Graduation from  college with major work in a related field and six years
of related experience in a college-level student support service, preferably
in a learning skills service, or an equivalent combination of education and
experience; knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance
of the duties assigned to the position.

Senior Learning Skills Counselor/Senior Learning Skills Counselor - Supervisor

Graduation from college with major work in a related field and four years
of related experience in a college-level student support service, preferably
in a learning skills service, or an equivalent combination of education and
experience; knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance
of the duties assigned to the position.

Learning Skills Counselor

Graduation from college with major work in a related field and two years
of related experience in a college-level student support service, preferably
in a learning skills service, or an equivalent combination of education and
experience; knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance
of the duties assigned to the position.

Assistant Learning Skills Counselor

Graduation from college with major work in a related field or an equivalent
combination of education and experience; knowledges and abilities essential
to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Note:  A Master's degree in a related field may be substituted for one year of
       the required experience.