Neag School faculty and staff will periodically post open graduate assistant positions on this webpage. Please check back for new openings.

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Type of Assistantship: Research

Supervising Faculty/Staff Member: Timothy Smagacz, UConn's Center for Students with Disabilities

Hours per week: 20

Start and End Dates: Aug. 23, 2026 - Jan. 6, 2027

Duties:

Beyond Access (BA), the Center for Students with Disabilities' fee-based enhanced services program, is seeking candidates for 2 Strategy Instructor positions. A Strategy Instructor manages a caseload of students enrolled in the BA program. Students attend weekly meetings with their assigned Strategy Instructor over the course of the semester. BA participants work with their Strategy Instructor to create up to three goals in areas of interest and need. Strategy Instructors develop individualized tools, strategies, and approaches to promote skill development, support well-being, and prepare for long-term success. Our purpose is to support students in reaching self-selected goals in these and other areas over the course of a semester. Beyond Access provides semester-long support to students as they reach self-selected goals in many areas. For more information about BA, please visit our website.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Manages a caseload of assigned students within the BA program providing one-on-one strategy instruction to meet students’ established goals;
2. Presents students with individualized learning strategies supporting executive function skills (e.g., time management, organization), academic skills (e.g., notetaking, test-taking, studying), social engagement, stress management, and other related areas;
3. Promotes student development and self-determination in social, emotional, academic, and daily living realms; encourages and promotes goal setting with students;
4. Guides students in connecting with campus resources (e.g., using approved accommodations, navigating UConn procedures, utilizing tutoring centers and academic resources);
5. Records detailed confidential case notes in CSD’s database;
6. May assist and support other BA Strategy Instructors, including meeting with their students as needed;
7. May plan, coordinate and manage BA study halls and social groups based on program participants’ needs. These events are typically on a small scale, and Strategy Instructors may be responsible for securing space, developing themes, and facilitating groups;
8. May assist with operational functions at the CSD such as: answering phones, greeting students and visitors to CSD, copying and filing, exam administration, proctoring exams, scribing or reading exams, hiring notetakers, and other related duties;
9. May assist with supporting special projects which may be ongoing and require planning, coordination, and supervision.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must be entering into or currently pursuing a master’s degree in special education, psychology, social work, or another related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with students in K-12 and/or higher education.
• Experience working with individuals with disabilities, particularly individuals with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, and psychiatric conditions.
• Experience identifying and teaching strategies to support learning, social engagement skills, and executive function skills.

Location: These two GA positions are in-person at the Storrs campus.

To indicate interest: Qualified candidates should email a resume and cover letter with the subject line ‘Strategy Instructor GA’ to Tim Smagacz, Assistant Director for Operations, at timothy.smagacz@uconn.edu.

Open Until: April 1, 2026