The 5 Ws of the Portal Pathfinders

Posted on Thursday, September 12th, 2024

Thor, the mascot of Algonquin College Athletics, and four learners are smiling and hugging each other.

Nowadays, when we need technical support, we go online and look for tutorials, articles, forums, chatbots—anything that can help us better understand what we’re trying to do. There are times, however, that instead of scouring the web, what we really need—and want—is another human being who’ll listen to us, understand our issue, and help us solve it.

We at the R3 Project understand this! Yes, we’re preparing a plethora of online help materials covering every imaginable task in the new Thesis Student Portal. But we’re also partnering with other teams in the College to deliver the Portal Pathfinder Program and offer more personalized help to learners.

 

What is the Portal Pathfinder Program?

Thesis Portal Pathfinder logo. The Portal Pathfinder Program is a peer-to-peer mentoring program that will help learners transition to the Thesis Student Portal. This means that learners can turn to more experienced learners for one-on-one guidance about the new portal.

 

Who are the Portal Pathfinders?

Avatar of a student Portal Pathfinder Portal Pathfinders are learners who receive special training so they can answer questions related to the Thesis Student Portal, direct people to help resources, and gather feedback from the community.

Like the employee-led Change Champion Network, Portal Pathfinders aim to facilitate a smooth transition to Algonquin College’s new Student Information System (SIS).

 

Why do we need Portal Pathfinders?

Avatar of a College employee When the Thesis Student Portal goes live, College employees will be busier than usual balancing their typical duties, training in the new SIS, and advising learners. Portal Pathfinders can alleviate this pressure and provide additional support to learners during this phase, especially to those who might feel more comfortable seeking help from peers.

 

When will the Portal Pathfinder Program begin?

Icon of a calendar Recruitment and training of Portal Pathfinders will begin during the User Testing phase of the R3 Project (also known as User Acceptance Testing) and continue until the Thesis Student Portal goes live. After the go-live date, Portal Pathfinders will be available to the College community for the duration of the transition to the new SIS.

 

Where will the Portal Pathfinders help learners?

Algonquin College logo including Ottawa, Perth, and Pembroke Our goal is to have Portal Pathfinders stationed in high-traffic locations on the Ottawa, Perth, and Pembroke campuses to offer in-person support.

 

Using the web to solve issues is great, and we’re working very hard to make sure our online help suite is as comprehensive as possible. But we also recognize the value of talking face-to-face with someone who’s friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to help—just like a Portal Pathfinder.

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Are you excited about the launch of the new Thesis Student Portal? Let us know by sending us a message. And before you go, make sure to sign up for the next R3 Showcase Event to learn more about the R3 Project!


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