Responsibilities: Pathway Team Member

Quick Facts on Time Commitment

  • Most weeks will contain no Pathway work. Total time is likely to be 0-3 hours per semester.
  • Offer feedback/advising to students via email or 1:1 meeting – ~1-3x a year per student assigned to you (if your Pathway is set up that way. In some Pathways, Liaisons do this work).
  • Represent the Pathway at events – 1-3 times a year. Events are 1-2 hours each, but responsibility is typically shared among the faculty/staff team (often the liaison does most or all of this).
  • Interact with Pathway Liaison about decisions – possibly a few emails a semester plus a meeting as needed (~every few years).  

Description of Specific Tasks

1. Serve as a resource, advisor, &/or mentor for Pathways students on their Pathway and career journey:

  • Receive student reflections and provide feedback via in-person meeting or email. Communicate approval to Pathways Coordinator, who will mark it in the PATH class Moodle.
  • Discuss students’ EL plans and goals with them, advising them on alignment with interests and career goals. Offer verbal approval to the student once an experience has been decided on. Review the student’s EL Approval Form and notify the student and Pathways Coordinator of your approval of the experience for Pathway “credit”. Most Pathways require only one such EL.
  • Upon student request: assist in their reflection process about career goals, self-assessment, and Pathway/career experiences. Help students articulate their passions and skills in clear, meaningful ways.

Notes:

  • Some teams divide up the students and assign a few students to each Team member as advisees. In some cases, the Liaison does most/all of this work.
  • These conversations happen at Pathway events planned by others, through student-made appointments, and via student-initiated electronic communications (email or Microsoft Teams). Typically, you will only need to respond to, not initiate, this contact.

2. Assist the Liaison in Decisions that Steer the Pathway

Work with the Liaison to develop/sustain a Pathway that will effectively guide students in their career exploration with the best resources the College of Wooster has to offer. Generally, this would include changes to course lists, Pathway name, or wording used in marketing, in addition to recruiting new team members when needed, etc.

3. Participate in Occasional Pathway Events

…as requested by the Liaison (the Pathway Coordinator and Pathways Peer Advisors handle event logistics):

  • Typically, 1-2 members of a Pathway team are asked to be present during Pathway-wide events to connect with and advise students and answer questions about the Pathway. Often team members take a half-hour or hour shift rather than staying for the full event (often two hours). There is usually one such event each semester.
  • Optional – Assist the Liaison with additional Pathway-specific events for community-building and professional development. Generally, there are 0-1 of these events per semester.
  • Optional – Participate in Pathway field trips to locations relevant to this Pathway (could be combined with other class or org trips). Rarely done.

4.Share the Pathway with potential students when the opportunity arises

Help market the Pathway by sharing it with students and/or classes who might find it to be a helpful career development opportunity. 

Optional: Identify Resources & Events for Students

If you observe career resources or campus events that would be relevant to students, share them with the Pathways Coordinator, on the Pathway Team, and/or with your liaison. These could include: campus events/speakers, LinkedIn courses, alumni connections, organizations for ELs, industry resources, internship and job opportunities, etc. These may be added as resources on our website and/or shared on the Pathway Team.