1. Slide 3: Summary of Faculty Tasks
Python 2 Thesis Support
For Faculty Advisors, Department Chairs, and Chair Delegates: Approving Theses Using the Python Thesis Dashboard
Typo, the TPO Dragon
Slide 2: Summary of Student Tasks
Slide 3: Summary of Faculty Tasks
Slides 4–21: Illustrations and details

2. Python 2 Thesis Support
STUDENTS’ FINAL PREPARATION FOR FACULTY APPROVALS
Student has completed a Final Draft thesis that his or her advisors are ready to approve. This draft is in the Thesis Template and starts with the Table of Contents. We’re body of the thesis.
Student has finalized the thesis title and abstract on the Python Thesis Dashboard and output the First 8 Pages of the thesis from Python. The “First 8" contains the Cover Page, Title Page, SF-298 for DTIC, and the Abstract, each separated by a blank page. The data for the First 8 comes from Python. (After the TPO Final Review, TPO will merge the body document with the First 8 pages to become one ready-for-publication document.)
Student uploads two documents to the “02 Advisor-Chair Review Files” folder on his or her thesis SharePoint (SP) site: the body and the First 8. He or she should have pasted the SP site’s URL into the bottom center of the dashboard, creating a hyperlink. He or she should have given all final approvers permission to access the SharePoint site.
If advisors and/or chair prefer a hard copy version of the thesis body and First 8, the student should deliver these documents to them.
Student creates Thesis Release and Approval Form by clicking on the dashboard’s “TRAF” link under Document Creation and Approval Routing. The data for the TRAF comes from Python. Student reviews the form for accuracy, then clicks on the Start Document Routing button in the form’s Student Approval and Release section. If edits are needed before routing, the student closes the TRAF and returns to the dashboard to make edits.
Ask advisors to review the dashboard and documents before routing the TRAF! 2

3. Python 2 Thesis Support FACULTY APPROVALS 3
Faculty member receives notification, stating that the student’s Thesis Release and Approval Form (TRAF) is ready for his or her approval. Approvals are routed in the order displayed on the TRAF (advisors, then PO if GSEAS or OR, then Chair). With this form, faculty and POs are approving three things (hereafter faculty member or advisor):
TRAF (data came from Python)
First 8 Pages of the thesis (data came from Python)
Body of the thesis (hard copy or on SharePoint site)
Faculty member clicks on the ’s hyperlink, which takes him or her to the Faculty Thesis Inbox. Or, find the student’s dashboard using Thesis Search. From Thesis Inbox, you can click on the link for the TRAF, dashboard, or thesis SharePoint site, which holds the student’s two final-draft documents in the “02 Advisor-Chair Review Files” folder.
If the faculty member finds errors, he or she should ask the student to make changes, upload new files, and announce when they are ready for re-review. Reviewers use the TRAF’s Approve or Reject button, entering a comment about the problem, and selecting Reject. This stops routing. The student and advisors are notified, and the student must start the routing from the beginning.
The first two advisors complete the Capstone Assessment before clicking on Approve or Reject.
All approving parties are notified via when TRAF routing is complete. The student is notified as each approver takes action on the TRAF.
All approving parties are sent the Thesis Accepted when TPO has finalized the documents for publication. This notification also goes to the ed tech, PO, AA, and military service rep. 3

4. Python 2 Thesis Support
The thesis dashboard’s Requirements Status section should look like this—with the first 5 milestones completed—when it’s time for the student and department to approve the thesis using Python’s Thesis Release and Approval Form (TRAF).
Some departments have dates by which the chair must receive the thesis for review. Some do not.
Education Advisors have permissions to update this due date by curriculum in a Python table, or here in the student’s dashboard.
If there is no set date, education advisor can enter N/A in the table or here for individual students.
The student marks this task Complete.
The student has updated his or her EDD to match military orders received.
Doing so changed the Thesis Accepted due date—the date by which TPO must finalize the thesis for publication.
Auto-fills
Student enters
Auto-fills 4

5. Python 2 Thesis Support
When it’s your turn to approve the thesis, you’ll receive an notification with a link to your Thesis Inbox. An assigned item awaits you.
Click on “TRAF” to go directly to the form. At the top of the form, you can navigate to the dashboard if you’d like.
Click on “Dashboard” to review thesis data, enter Compliance section completion dates, and access files on the student’s SharePoint site. Then, open the TRAF from the dashboard.
Or, from the top of the TRAF, you can navigate to the dashboard as needed.
Proofread the title carefully! What is in Python ends up on the thesis itself.
Ask the student to make edits in the dashboard, if needed.
This tells you what role you’re in for this particular approval request. 5

6. Python 2 Thesis Support
If you navigated to the dashboard, click on the SharePoint hyperlink to download and review the student’s First 8 Pages and thesis body one last time.
From the dashboard itself, access the student’s SharePoint site from either the bottom center or top right of the dashboard.
The student must have granted you access to his or her SharePoint site.
With SharePoint:
PC users are advised to use IE or Chrome.
Mac users are advised to use Safari or Chrome. 6

7. Python 2 Thesis Support
To review documents, you can also navigate to the student’s SharePoint (SP) site from your Thesis Search feature. This link appears after the student has added the SP URL to his or her dashboard. 7

8. Python 2 Thesis Support The SharePoint site will look like this.
The site’s library of documents is located beneath this introductory text. 8

9. Python 2 Thesis Support
The student should have placed two files in the “02 Advisor-Chair Review Files” folder. Double click on the folder to open it.
This is what the files will look like (albeit with your student’s name in the filename).
Click on the filenames to open them.
The first file is the body of the thesis. Normally, it is in Word format. LaTeX users will submit a PDF.
The second file shows you the First 8 Pages of the thesis as produced by Python.
Any changes for the “First 8” must be made in Python by the student! 9

10. Python 2 Thesis Support
When ready to record your approval of the thesis and any data found on the dashboard, return to the student’s dashboard and click on the TRAF to open this auto-populated form. 10

11. Python 2 Thesis Support
The design and content of the TRAF are based on the PDF form that was in use through March 2018.
You will recognize most features and wording.
The next slides highlight a few features.
Review the following carefully before approving the thesis:
TRAF
First 8 Pages
Thesis body
The student has started the routing for approvals. 11

12. Python 2 Thesis Support
Review the TRAF’s Thesis Information carefully. If changes are needed, ask the student to stop routing, make edits on the dashboard, and re-start routing.
Click on the underlined items to open the review windows, as needed. 12

13. Python 2 Thesis Support
Click on the underlined items to open review windows, as needed. 13

14. Python 2 Thesis Support
Review the TRAF’s Specialized Requirements carefully. This data is also from the dashboard.
Click on the underlined item to open a summary window. To review restriction options not selected, visit the Security section of the dashboard.
You can stop routing by “rejecting” instead of “approving” the thesis under Faculty and PO Approvals on the TRAF. Or the student can stop routing, then make the edits you request. 14

15. Python 2 Thesis Support
As on the PDF form, you can use Python’s TRAF to request to place the thesis on Hold from distribution. Click on “Edit hold settings” to place the thesis on Hold.
Reasons for Hold can be found under the blue “i” circles.
Fill out the information in this expanded view, then click ”Save Thesis Hold Data.” 15

16. Python 2 Thesis Support The student(s) approved first.
Then, advisors and chairs approve in the order listed. Each is notified in turn via .
NPS requires two Capstone Assessments per thesis.
Normally, the first two advisors submit Capstone Assessment forms by clicking on the blue “Submit Capstone Assessment” button.
If only one advisor completes an assessment, then the chair is asked to complete one.
Once completed by an approver, Python allows that individual to select the “Approve or Reject Document” button. 16

17. Python 2 Thesis Support
Non-NPS advisors need a delegate to record the advisor’s approval. This is usually an ed tech, who has an record of the non-NPS advisor’s approval.
Delegates, if designated in Python for NPS faculty or program officers, can enter approvals for the primary.
While the delegate does NOT receive an action-needed notification , the delegate’s Thesis Inbox lists the action under “Delegate.”
No action is needed by the delegate if the primary is available. The primary needs to ask the delegate to act for him or her.
Regardless of who approves the thesis via the TRAF, the action item disappears from Thesis Inboxes once completed.
The TRAF records who approved in Python, whether the primary or the delegate. 17

18. Python 2 Thesis Support
The top of the Capstone Assessment looks like this. Basic thesis metadata is provided.
A link to the assessment rubric is available as well. 18

19. Python 2 Thesis Support
The bottom half of the Capstone Assessment looks like this. Space for comments is provided. When done, click “Save Assessment Responses.” 19

20. Python 2 Thesis Support
When all approvals are complete, the approval section of the TRAF looks like this.
Whoever completed the Capstone Assessment will be able to view his or her assessment answers from the student’s TRAF, even at a later time.
Others should not be able to view the assessor’s responses. 20

21. Python 2 Thesis Support
In addition to the TRAF itself, the dashboard records TRAF completion in three places:
Student enters
Auto-fills 21

22. Python 2 Thesis Support
It’s easy to check review status using the dashboard’s Thesis Workflow Summary section.
IN-PROCESS
Click here for details (see next slide) 22

23. Python 2 Thesis Support
The two categories circled below display who has logged their approval (Approvals Received) and who still needs to do so (Approvals Required) for either the TPF or TRAF.
Program officers, academic associates, and department chairs often have delegates entered elsewhere in Python to help manage a myriad of tasks.
On the dashboard, users can click on (Delegate) to see who has been given that delegate role by the department.
The right-hand “Assigned Date” column allows for an easy check of when the primary was sent an action-needed notification. 23

24. Python 2 Thesis Support 22