Amber Van Harskamp
Southbank,VIC
Summary
Empathetic student service professional and passionate educator with a background in tertiary education, and qualifications in behavioural science and law. Has over 15 years of experience working in customer-facing roles with the last 7 years providing quality service and education to predominantly international students in person and through digital channels. Enjoys leveraging cross-disciplinary background and skillset to perform in challenging environments with excellence. Genuinely relishes fostering relationships with internal and external stakeholders to achieve mutually favourable outcomes.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Academic Skills Advisor
RMIT University
06.2023 - Current
- Negotiated, created, and delivered embedded workshops aimed at enhancing academic writing and study skills to vocational and higher education students.
- Provided one-on-one support to students in-person and online assisting them in the areas of English language, academic writing, referencing, and study skills.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary colleagues for effective delivery of core services.
- Provided administrative and academic assistance for RMIT's Introductory Academic Program for DFAT Australia Award students.
- Designed and developed digital learning objects in line with digital pedagogy, branding requirements, and accessibility considerations.
- Assisted in the creation of a Power BI data dashboard to capture service delivery across the RMIT Library's Learning Team.
- Leveraged knowledge of RMIT administrative structures and policies to inform and connect RMIT Library's Learning team.
- Participated actively in several specialised RMIT Library projects and working groups.
Student Services Officer
RMIT University, Melbourne City Campus
10.2022 - 06.2023
- Providing students with support at all stages of the student lifecycle via several service channels (face-to-face, portal, over the phone, webchat).
- Liaising effectively and efficiently with internal stakeholders to identify and resolve student enquiries, prioritising, monitoring and escalating where necessary.
- Using ServiceNow to record interactions with students and send comprehensive follow-up emails to students.
- Communicating university policies and procedures in clear and simple terms to students and other external stakeholders to maximise understanding.
Resources Coordinator / ESL Instructor
ILSC Education Group
08.2022 - 10.2022
- Facilitated orientation days to welcome new students, complete documentation, and assess their language ability for class placement.
- Administered formative and summative assessments to evaluate student progress.
- Counselled students concerning their progress and course choices in line with their learning goals.
- Used Ody to maintain accurate and complete records of student progress and attendance.
- Used student needs analysis to inform lesson planning.
- Provided guidance to teachers in resources and materials choices to best support syllabus requirements and learning outcomes.
- Collaborated with internal stakeholders to discuss materials and resources needs, including books, subscriptions, eBooks, and stationery.
- Organised primary and supplementary materials in a logical manner on campus SharePoint.
English Language Instructor
Greenwich English College
08.2017 - 08.2022
- Developed and maintained effective relationships with staff and international students of varying backgrounds to create positive learning experiences.
- Delivered quality lessons with a focus on communicative methodology to multilingual classes in face-to-face, online and hybrid delivery formats.
- Created learning materials/objects for face-to-face, online, and hybrid delivery.
- Produced curriculum, sourced materials and created lesson plans for new courses, including English for Vocational Studies.
- Provided students with feedback on writing tasks in line with marking rubrics for internationally-recognised English proficiency exams, primarily IELTS and Cambridge.
- Monitored comprehension of material among students and adapted teaching strategies to address gaps in learning indicated by data from digitised tests, and performance on formative tasks.
- Counselled students regarding their progress, behaviour and study plans.
- Facilitated student events, including Open Days and student parties.
- Ensured students were informed of examination registration dates and their procedures and policies.
- Invigilated and provided administrative support during OET, Cambridge and TOEFL examinations.
- Integrated technology into classroom to improve administrative processes and learning outcomes.
- Delivered several PD sessions and mentored newly-qualified teachers.
- Assessed suitability of materials for an online self-directed exam course (PTE) and edited visuals and script to improve quality of course.
- Created engaging and technology-focused lesson materials for an online intensive course delivered to Thai high school students.
- Set up and maintained LMS for smooth transfer of course materials to students.
English Language Teacher
Wall Street English
03.2016 - 04.2017
- Instructed and facilitated a variety of class sizes and formats (1:1, 1:4, 1:10, 1:60).
- Collaborated with fellow teachers to organise monthly student events.
- Established a Reading Club for advanced students.
- Assessed work of adult students to evaluate progress and provide constructive feedback for improvement.
- Guided students regarding study habits, goal-setting and motivational concerns.
- Encouraged and monitored student engagement through social media channels.
Education
Bootcamp - Data Analytics And Visualisation
Monash University
Melbourne, VIC10.2021
Diploma - Certificate in English Language Teaching To Adults
South Australian College of English
Adelaide, SA06.2015
Bachelor of Laws -
Flinders University
Adelaide, SA05.2015
Bachelor of Behavioural Science -
Flinders University
Adelaide, SA05.2015
High School Diploma -
Adelaide High School
Adelaide, SA11.2007
Skills
- Sophisticated intercultural awareness
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Resource mapping and creation, including digital learning objects
- Meticulous attention to detail and honed editing skills
- Resource sourcing and adaptation
- Self-motivated
- Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills
- Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Zoom, Slack, Adobe Creative Suite, ServiceNow
- Instructing and presenting in person / online / hybrid
- Data analysis and visualisation (Excel and PowerBI)
- Creating and facilitating positive learning environments
Timeline
Academic Skills Advisor
RMIT University
06.2023 - Current
Student Services Officer
RMIT University, Melbourne City Campus
10.2022 - 06.2023
Resources Coordinator / ESL Instructor
ILSC Education Group
08.2022 - 10.2022
English Language Instructor
Greenwich English College
08.2017 - 08.2022
English Language Teacher
Wall Street English
03.2016 - 04.2017
Bootcamp - Data Analytics And Visualisation
Monash University
Diploma - Certificate in English Language Teaching To Adults
South Australian College of English
Bachelor of Laws -
Flinders University
Bachelor of Behavioural Science -
Flinders University
High School Diploma -
Adelaide High School
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