Pathfinder

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Pathfinder is a platform designed to support graduate students enrolled in multi-year, research-based programs. It enables students and their supervisory committees to document academic accomplishments and collaboratively plan for successful degree completion.

Originally conceived as a way to digitize the progress reporting tools used by graduate programs, the Pathfinder Project has evolved into a comprehensive portfolio system that reflects each student’s unique scholarly journey.

The Pathfinder Portfolio offers a holistic view of graduate student progress across Western University’s diverse programs. It integrates data automatically retrieved from institutional systems with manually entered information that captures individual academic experiences.

pathfinder imageAutomatically Retrieved Elements

Data automatically populated into Pathfinder include:

  • Coursework
  • Program Milestones
  • Financial Support

Manually Documented Elements

These require input from students, supervisors, or program staff:

Scholarly Activities

Contributions that demonstrate academic and creative output including:

  • Publications: Include full citations, journal names, and publication dates.
  • Artistic Contributions: Describe the work, medium, and exhibition or performance details.
  • Intellectual Property: List patents, software, or other IP with registration or licensing information.

Conference Participation

Engagement with academic communities:

  • Conference Name
  • Date and Location
  • Role: Presenter, panelist, attendee, organizer
  • Presentation Title (if applicable)

Academic Travel

Travel related to research, collaboration, or professional development:

  • Purpose: e.g., fieldwork, conference, research visit
  • Destination
  • Dates
  • Funding Source (if applicable)

Thesis Progress

Key milestones and progress toward degree completion:

  • Thesis Proposal Approval Date
  • Supervisory Committee Members
  • Progress Updates: e.g., data collection, analysis, chapter drafts
  • Expected Completion Date
  • Challenges Encountered and Supports Accessed

 

How Pathfinder Works

Submitting Your Portfolio for Review

At designated times during the year, your program will determine it is appropriate for you to submit your Portfolio for review.  An email from your program sent to your Western email account will inform you that your Portfolio can now be submitted for review and an option to submit your Portfolio will be present within the Portfolio itself.

How to Submit Your Portfolio

After receiving a request to submit your Portfolio for review, an option to submit your Portfolio will now be present in the menu.  Once you are ready to submit your Portfolio, follow these steps to ensure it is submitted:

  1. Select "SUBMIT PORTFOLIO" from the main Pathfinder menu
  2. Review the inventory of items you are about to submit in the Pre-submission Summary
  3. Once you confirm the inventory of your submission, select "Advance to Confirmation Page"
  4. Review the content of your submission on the Confirmation page
  5. If you have completed your review and are ready to submit the Portfolio for review, select "Submit Portfolio for Review"
Once this action is complete, your submission has been received and your Supervisory Committee will receive an email shortly alerting them to review your submission.

Supervisory Committee Review

Once you submit your Portfolio, your Supervisory Committee will be informed that your Portfolio has been submitted and can be evaluated.  Your Supervisor(s) and Committee Members will have an opportunity to review your plans and progress and comment.  If your Committee determines something is amiss in your Portfolio, they may return it to you with comments on what needs adjustment.  Once your Committee is finished their review, a designated member of the committee (normally your Supervisor) will close the review period and pass your Portfolio over to your Graduate Chair for evaluation.



How the Supervisory Committee Reviews your Portfolio

After submitting your Portfolio for review, your Supervisory Committee Members will receive an email requesting that they review your Portfolio.  This email includes an individual link for each of your Committee Members to access a listing of Portfolios requiring their attention.  Committee Members can follow these directions to view and comment on your Portfolio:

  1. Select the link included in the email connecting each Committee Member with their unique view of their supervisory responsibilities
  2. Review the students who have submitted a Portfolio for review
  3. Select a student's Portfolio of the Provide Feedback option to view their submission
Each committee member has the opportunity to provide feedback to you.  Once the review is submitted, the information you have provided, alongside the feedback collected from your committee is provided to your Graduate Chair for review.

Graduate Chair (or equivalent) Evaluation

A Portfolio that has been reviewed by your Supervisory Committee will be passed along to your Graduate Chair (or equivalent) for evaluation.  Your Graduate Chair (or equivalent) will evaluate the feedback that your Committee has provided to ensure it is sufficient and appropriate.  They will have the capacity to provide you feedback as well if they choose.  Once your Graduate Chair (or equivalent) has completed their evaluation of your Portfolio, the content of your Supervisory Committee review and Graduate Chair evaluation will be passed back to you for acknowledgment.



How the Graduate Chair (or equivalent) Evaluates your Portfolio

After your Supervisory Committee submits their feedback for your portfolio, your Graduate Chair (or equivalent) will receive an email requesting that they review your Portfolio.  The Graduate Chair is asked to review your portfolio and ensure that the feedback provided to you by the Supervisory Committee is sufficient and appropriate.  This email includes a link that connects them with a listing of Portfolios requiring their attention.  The Graduate Chair (or equivalent) can follow these directions to view and comment on your Portfolio:

  1. Select the link included in the email connecting the Graduate Chair (or equivalent) with their unique view of students that require their attention
  2. Review the students who have submitted a Portfolio for review
  3. Select a student's Portfolio of the Provide Feedback option to view their submission
  4. Review the content provided by both the student and supervisory committee
  5. Provide feedback 
  6. Submit their evaluation
Once the evaluation is submitted, the information you have provided, alongside the feedback collected from your committee are provided to you for your review and feedback.

Submitting your Acknowledgement

An email will alert you that your Portfolio has progressed through both the Supervisory Committee review and Graduate Chair evaluation and is now available for your acknowledgment.  Any feedback these groups provided will now be available to you.  Pathfinder will ask you to acknowledge the content of the report, whether you have met with your Supervisor(s) to discuss the report and if you believe the report is an accurate reflection of your progress and plans for the next phase of your studies.  If you disagree with the feedback you have received you will have the opportunity to share this feedback if you so choose.  After your acknowledgment is received, the content of the review will be archived for you and the submission process is complete.

Reference

Senate Academic Policy, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Assessing Student Progress in Multi-Year Research-Based Programs: