Careers Job Description
General Description
PRI seeks a Writing Instructor to teach writing skills needed for specific Human Services professional tasks. The Writing Instructor will work with students enrolled in an exciting new Navigator Certificate program, which will begin in the 2019 spring semester (February 2019). The Navigator Certificate will be a partnership across several John Jay departments: operated by John Jay’s Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI), sponsored by Professional Studies, and taught by a team of John Jay faculty and other instructors. The intention of this 16-week Certificate program is to align instruction with the learning objectives of the John Jay major in Human Services & Community Justice. Students enrolled in the Navigator training will be working in or seeking employment in the Human Services field, and will have been involved in the criminal justice system.
About PRI and the Navigator Certificate:
The Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) is a center of research and action at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. PRI has a diverse portfolio of projects that focus on identifying what it takes for people to live successfully in the community after justice involvement and on increasing the effectiveness of the professionals and systems working with them. Capitalizing on its position within a large public university and recognizing the transformational power of education, PRI focuses much of its work on increasing access to higher education for people with criminal histories. PRI’s comprehensive and strategic approach includes direct service, research, technical assistance, and policy advocacy.
With support from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, the Prisoner Reentry Institute Career Pathways team is developing a new certificate training program for individuals with lived experience in the criminal justice system who seek employment and careers in human services. The training will prepare students to work with others who are also directly impacted by the justice system and to be effective human services professionals. The certificate program is also designed as an on-ramp to higher education.
To achieve these goals, the training curriculum will combine a theoretical foundation for human services work in a community justice context with experiential instruction in crucial skill areas. These skills have been identified by employer-partners and people working in peer mentor and other credible messenger positions as essential for success in the workplace.
- An introduction to issues of justice when providing human services: an overview of the development of the human services profession, ethics in the profession, and ways to meet human needs through the promotion of justice;
- Employability skills such as understanding workplace norms and culture, communication skills, and self-care;
- Foundational human services “hard skills” such as navigating and accessing social service systems and documenting services provided; and
- Use of technology in human services, especially mobile platforms.
Other Duties
Key Responsibilities:
In a group/classroom setting, the Instructor will teach core writing skills such as grammar, punctuation, and rhetorical strategies as they apply to professional writing for Human Services. The Instructor will provide samples of outstanding writing drawn from professional contexts to serve as models for students. The Instructor will also provide one-to-one writing coaching, supporting students in producing written coursework required for the Navigator training. The Instructor
The Instructor will join a team of John Jay faculty and consultant instructors who are collaboratively teaching in the Navigator Certificate program. Faculty and instructors will be asked to read key materials and to participate in a collaborative development process to ensure that all course components are integrated into a seamless experience for students. The Instructor will participate in planning meetings, track student attendance and assignment completion, and maintain ongoing communication with PRI about student attendance and progress. The Instructor will hold office hours specifically for Navigator students and have some informal contact with students to support the community-building aspect of the program (e.g. eat dinner before class with students occasionally, attend graduation). The Instructor will complete review of student assignments in a timely manner. Many assignments will relate to work and faculty/instructor review may have impact on student professional responsibilities as well as academic development (open to discussion on what the timeframe is).
The Writing Instructor will be responsible for developing writing skills that students need to be effective as human services professionals. Writing skill development will focus on student ability to obtain services and communicate with other professionals. Instructor will introduce students to outstanding writing and provide students with opportunities to practice their writing skills. Instructor will deliver up to nine hours of group instruction per semester designed to increase mastery of Human Services writing including:
- Navigation of services and access to services through requests for information and referral letters (both print and email)
- Assessment notes
- Case contact notes
- Other professional writing forms to be suggested by students
The Instructor will develop in-class and homework exercises to support writing skills development leading to mastery of these professional forms. The Writing Instructor will provide one-to-one coaching to support students in producing all required written work in the Navigator program (such as 1-2 page reflection essays and a longer paper with analysis and reflection about their field work).
Estimated time requirement per semester:
- Up to ten hours of group instruction
- Up to forty hours of one-to-one coaching
- Up to thirty non-teaching hours (grading , curriculum development, and student progress communication with PRI and/or other faculty)
Writing Instructor will be hired for December 2018-June 2019, with option to renew for July 2019-June 2020.
Qualifications
- Prior experience and demonstrated success teaching adult learners who have been disconnected from school or teaching adult learners in a correctional or criminal justice setting
- Proficiency in adult learning strategies
- Interest and availability for collaborative design and implementation. This is a new training program, and all instructors are asked to contribute their expertise and energy to the success of the program overall, as well as the success of the modules they are teaching
- Ideal candidate will have firsthand experience with writing as a human services professional
- Familiarity with Blackboard (John Jay online instruction platform) a plus
Please include resume with cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, as well as 1-2 samples of the kinds of writing you will be teaching in this program.
Top candidates for this position will conduct a demonstration lesson as part of the application process.
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and AccrualsAbout the Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award).
RFCUNY stands between CUNY’s principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Key Features
John Jay College Prisoner Reentry Instit
Part Time
$40.00-$50.00
Feb 15, 2019 (Or Until Filled)