Paula Schwartz

· Developed and led the WELC Practicum project in collaboration with the MPEd TESOL program in the Faculty of Education:

- Pre-screening, shortisting and selecting candidates.

- Planning and organizing class observations and micro-teaching sessions.

- Providing feedback, mentoring and writing official reports.

- As a result, over 100 international students were equipped to apply for teaching certifications in Canada.

· Enhanced student engagement by supervising and coaching 35-40 International Graduate Students per term while they tutored WELC students.

- As consequence, each term an average of 5 graduate students were able to find jobs and/or get certifications which required teaching experience and 75% of at-risk WELC students successfully passed their levels after a full term of tutoring.

· Fostered and maintained partnerships with stakeholders across campus to evaluate the needs of international students, and to develop processes that will support them.

- These partnerships led to the creation of new academic programs EASE and RISE Academic Writing, which allowed students to continue their academic path at Western.

· In partnership with Western International, provided WELC students the opportunity to attend study permit and immigration information sessions, as well as others such as campus life, volunteering, and life in Canada.

· Spearheaded the WELC Human Library project, in partnership with WELDON, CTL and Lissette Ochoa during International Week 2024.

- The event gave WELC students the opportunity to share their journey and contribute to the Western community while nhancing their academic success. The event had an estimated 100+ visitors.

· Provide WELC director with data-driven recommendations to inform strategic decisions.

· Comprehensive use of PeopleSoft and Salesforce to collect, manage, and analyze data, as well as to generate reports.

· Collaborating with Western International created and implemented a support plan for participants of the Scholars at Risk program and their families.

· Adressed issues of low participation and performance by designing the “Early detection + Intrusive Mentoring” system which helps promote WELC students’ success and academic excellence as well as sense of belonging.

• Responsible for WELC students Pre-Orientation online sessions to foster a sense of belonging and to motivate students prior to their arrival in Canada.

• Spearheaded the development and execution of four Orientations per year at WELC.

- Successfully welcomed and onboarded an average of 300 new students during intakes held in September, January, May and June.

- Lead and supported a team of instructors, staff and volunteers.

- Liaised with Western International and housing to provide presentations to WELC students.

• Supervised the timely development and implementation of the online component for both the Boost and EAP programs, ensuring students practice self-discipline, time management skills as well as independent work.

- The online component has reportedly helped improve students’ grades, digital literacy and time management.

• Collaborated with Undergraduate Recruitment and Admissions, and Western International to implement seamless recruitment of academically admissible International Students to be accepted at WELC to improve their English skills in preparation for academic programs at Western University.
• In tandem with SGPS participated in recruitment fairs with CALDO – a gateway for Latin American students to pursue their studies in Canada – and other virtual fairs in East & South Asia, Africa & Middle East.
• Project manager in the development and implementation of workshops to support International Graduate students at the Faculty of Education. - Professors reported that participating students were able to engage more productively in class and produced written material on par with their standards.

• Taught lessons encompassing range of skill-building activities for speaking, writing, reading and listening.
• Fostered a positive learning environment by encouraging students to actively participate in individual and group activities.
• Built relationships with students of diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds.
• Developed lesson plans to teach course materials according to schedule.
• Conducted assessments to evaluate student progress and adjusted instructional strategies to meet varied student needs.
• Created assessment instruments to evaluate student performance levels.

· Developed Writing Course curriculum and outline for international master’s and PhD students at the Faculty of Science so that they meet the standards of Canadian universities.

· Facilitated groups of Korean students with reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities in class, as well as in social activities.

· Taught medical students from China and Ethiopia to develop the skills needed to deliver efficient and engaging presentations at conferences. Discussed the cultural expectations and norms in the Canadian university classroom to help them to successfully engage and participate in the medical portion of their program at Schulich.

Instructor in all programs offered by WELC: Academic English Program, Boost Program, Academic Writing for Graduate Students, Science Communications, Short Term Programs and Schulich Summer Program for International Medical Students.

• Contributed to development of syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes and class discussion topics.
• Maintained a safe environment for all students while adhering to university policies and procedures.
• Acted as a liaison between students and faculty, facilitating communication and understanding.
• Graded exams, assignments and essays and recorded grades.
• Delivered a lecture, comparing Canada to other countries in the field of Political Biology, raising awareness to the importance of understanding and respecting cultural differences.

· With a focus on business growth, planned and led a partnership with Colegio Medianeira to open a new branch of Talken English School to serve their students. As a result, the new branch currently occupies its own building in Colegio Medianeira and has over 400 students.

· Responsible for hiring and training instructors and staff members.

· Organized orientation sessions, created class schedules, and managed room bookings.

· Used tools such as instructor and program evaluations and focus groups with students to maintain program quality standards.

• Directed activities of admissions, registration and career services departments.
• Assisted with budget planning for educational resources such as textbooks or software licenses.
• Established policies and procedures and made modifications based on analysis of operations, performance and other research information.

• Planned, developed, prepared material and delivered training sessions for new teachers to the kids´ course covering the demand for new teachers.
• Taught students at all levels, helping them develop the four skills to achieve goals such as, getting a competitive job, getting into International universities, achieving specific scores at International tests.

• Provided support for staff members and students in all programs. Responsible for recruitment, hiring, training and coaching of new instructors, as well as curriculum development, intake and orientation
• Managed academic programs and curriculum development.
• Directed activities of admissions, registration and career services departments.
• Planned professional development activities for faculty members related to current trends in the field of education.

• Prepared and delivered Science classes from 3rd to 8th grades using Portuguese as medium.
• Monitored students' progress and communicated with parents about their child's achievements and areas for improvement.
• Provided individualized support and feedback to students to promote academic growth.
• Cultivated collaborative and innovative learning environment to meet each student's unique educational needs.
• Delivered clear, informative lectures on subject matter framed to meet state standards.
• Developed and implemented hands-on science lessons for students of all ages.
• Facilitated student success and academic growth new curriculum implementation.