What it does
When a learner submits a portfolio entry, permitted reviewers read the narrative and tags, write one learner-visible feedback note, and either validate the entry (Validated / reviewed) or request changes (Needs Revision). Every decision is kept as permanent history on the entry.
Who it's for
Faculty who supervise learners, assigned mentors on mentor groups, and program staff with portfolio review permission.
How it works
The queue's scope depends on the program's portfolio settings. Competency-evidence programs use faculty supervision. Formation-identity programs use advising-group mentors. On the Assess page, portfolio work appears in one of two collapsible panels, based on those settings:
Awaiting Review (competency / permission + supervision) — submitted entries from learners you supervise.
Mentorship · Portfolio (formation / advising-group mentors) — submitted mentor-visible entries from your mentees only. It shows mentee context counts and a Notes shortcut to the learner's profile notes.
Choosing Validate or Review on a row opens the split review page. Entry content and history sit on the left. A single feedback field and decision sit on the right.
Outcomes:
Validate / Reviewed — Looks good — seals the entry as Validated (institution-vouched). Feedback is optional.
Request changes / Needs Revision — returns the entry to Working for the learner. Feedback is required.
Program administrators with program-manage permission also see Portfolio pulse on Assess. It shows prescribed completion percentage, pending validation count, mentors inactive beyond a fixed window, and requirement gaps. A Configure prescribed sheet sets required entry types and minimum counts. The pulse is not a leaderboard by volume.
Confidential longitudinal notes belong in Notes on the learner profile, not the validate form. There is no confidential review field or entry flag checkbox on the Year-1 surface.
Before you start
You need portfolio review permission in the learner's program. Formation programs also require you to be an assigned mentor of that learner, unless you administer the program.
Only submitted, mentor-visible entries reach your queue. Private entries and drafts never appear, so there is nothing to review until the learner submits.
Decide your feedback before choosing Request changes — the field is required for that outcome and blocks submission until filled in.
Do this
Open the Assess page (
/assess) → you should see the Awaiting Review panel (competency mode) or Mentorship · Portfolio panel (formation mode). Each shows a pending-count badge.Expand the panel if it is collapsed. Select Review (or the row's open action) next to an entry → the split review page opens with the entry's content on the left.
Read the narrative and any domain or competency tags on the left side of the page → you should see the entry as the learner submitted it.
On the right side, enter your note in the Feedback for learner field (formation) or Feedback field (competency). It is required if you plan to request changes, optional if you plan to validate → your text stays in the field as you type.
Choose a Decision in the right-side panel: Validate — move to Validated (sealed) or Request changes — stays Working (formation); Reviewed — Looks good or Needs Revision (competency) → your choice shows as selected.
Select Submit (formation) or Submit Review (competency) → you return to the Assess page and the entry leaves your pending queue.
You're done when
✓ The entry's status shows Validated/Reviewed or Needs Revision on the learner's portfolio.
✓ Your feedback note appears attached to the entry, visible to the learner.
✓ The entry no longer appears in your Awaiting Review or Mentorship · Portfolio pending count.
Boundaries and limits
Reviewing requires portfolio review permission in the learner's program. Formation programs also require the reviewer to be an assigned mentor, unless they administer the program. Both checks run again when the review is saved.
In permission + supervision mode, reviewers see submitted mentor-visible entries from their whole supervision scope. That breadth is intentional for competency programs, not a missing deny. Formation mode (advising-group mentors) stays mentee-scoped.
Only Submitted, mentor-visible entries appear in mentor and faculty queues. Private entries are never mentor-visible. Drafts never appear.
Requesting changes without feedback is blocked — both in the form and at the data level.
Reviews are permanent: they cannot be edited or deleted after submission, by anyone.
Mentorship queues are mentee-scoped; having review permission alone does not expose another learner’s submitted entries in formation mode.
Competency Awaiting Review lists up to 100 pending entries at a time from supervised learners.
Validating seals custody; learners cannot edit or archive validated entries.
Common questions
Q: Why don't I see a learner's entry in my queue? A: In competency mode you see entries from learners you supervise. In formation mode, only from your assigned mentees. Private and draft entries never appear.
Q: Can I change my review after submitting it? A: No. Reviews are permanent. If the entry needs another look, ask the learner to revise and resubmit. That starts a new review.
Q: Where do I keep confidential mentoring notes? A: Use Notes on the learner's profile, opened from the mentorship queue's Open notes button. Validate feedback is always learner-visible.
Q: Does validating an entry notify the learner? A: It moves to Validated or Reviewed on their portfolio with your feedback attached. Check your program's notification setup for whether an alert is also sent.
Q: Can two faculty members review the same entry? A: Each submission gets one decision, then it leaves Submitted status. A different reviewer can take the next round after a resubmission. Past reviews stay visible.
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