Pathfinder
The Pathfinder program is a series of five free two-hour seminars designed to help students make a successful transition to university study. If you enrol in this program, you will work with facilitators to map out your individual approach to successful study.
In the Pathfinder program you will learn about personal academic focus, motivation, building on strengths, defining goals, overcoming learning blocks, managing challenges, and trouble-shooting problems. You will be helped to develop your own strategies for successful learning that you will be able to use not only in your university course but also in your professional career.
What students say about Pathfinder:
‘Pathfinder kept me going and not drop out. The best thing I got from it is understanding that it’s normal for new students to come up against roadblocks. The road-clearing strategies were really helpful and I know I can use them anytime I have problems.’ Local health science student
‘Meeting other students and sharing experiences was good. I learned good tips from other students and made friends. Time management techniques was also useful’. International CBS Student
‘This is my second year, but my friend went to Pathfinder in first semester and told me it would help my motivation problem. Wish I knew about it earlier. The goal-setting and structured reflection sessions were best.’ Local science and engineering student
‘I’ve wanted to come to uni for a long time, but the first two weeks were really bad for me and took away my confidence. I was going to withdraw but my lecturer suggested I try the StudyPlus program. From this I found out about Pathfinder. All the skills and strategies were useful. The best thing for me was the structured reflection and also finding a way of studying that works best for me.’ Local mature-age humanities student
‘This program is innovative and extremely effective. I enjoyed being part of the class and I will use the idea in first-year induction back at my own university.’ Associate Professor Chao Lidong, Xi'an Petroleum Institute, PRC (visiting scholar)
