Grad Pathways Skills Development Course | Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

Grad Pathways Skills Development Course

The Grad Pathways Skills Development Course was developed to facilitate graduate students' development as a researcher but also as an individual, and to provide them with the tools to reach their full potential.  Students will receive a Record of Completion when they have completed all course components. 

Within this course there are four (4) Skill Modules;

1. Research and Teaching,

2. Communication,

3. Wellness,

4. Career and Leadership.

Each of these Skill Modules contains 2 submodules, [1] Course Sessions, and [2] Supplemental Content. All videos/links included in the Course Sessions submodule will include, in addition to the description, a short Course Assignment. In order to receive a Grad Pathways Skills Development Record of Completion students must complete and submit:

1. Four Course Assignments with one Assignment from each of the four Skills Modules (Research and Training, Communication etc..)

2. Four Elective Assignments, which can be from any of the four Skills Modules, with any number of assignments being completed across all Skill Modules (i.e. 2  Elective assignments from Wellness and 2 from Communication, OR all 4 from Career and Leadership)

3. A Concluding Assignment consisting of a short reflective essay and a form documenting a minimum 30 minute consultation with a consultant of your choice (e.g. faculty advisor, career advisor, writing specialist, etc).

A Record of Completion will be provided to students who have completed the course at the end of each semester. The deadline to receive a Record in a particular semester is May 1 for Winter, September 1 for Summer and January 2 for Fall.

There is no time limit to complete the course.  Students can work at their own pace and participate in sessions that are of most interest to them.  Offerings will be added each semester as they become available, so students are free to wait if they do not see a session they want to attend in a particular skill.  If the course is not completed within a single semester, assignments will carry over into future semesters.  Students will receive a Record of Completion at the end of the semester during which they complete all course requirements. 

This course was developed with the intention to help further develop and refine students' professional and personal skill sets - what you get out of the course depends on the work and effort you put into it.  Therefore, attendance and completion of the corresponding assignments are based on an 'honour code', however course engagement (i.e. attendance to Course sessions) will be monitored.

To register for this course, login to Courselink and choose "Self-Registration" in the navigation bar at the top of the homepage.  A list of resources in which you can self-register will be provided.  Choose the link for Grad_Pathways_What_path_will_you_take and a window will open containing a "Cancel" and a "Register" button at the bottom.  Click "Register" to be automatically registered in the Grad Pathways resource.  Go to the "Resources" tab to see the resources in which you have registered.  Note that 1-semester credit courses in which you are enrolled as either a student or a GTA will not appear under the Resources tab.  You must choose the tab for the appropriate semester (e.g. Fall 2020) to see your other courses.

Questions or Comments on the Skills Development Course can be sent to gradpath@uoguelph.ca

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