Every department is involved to one extent or another. Program Directors are involved the most in that they spend more time and provide more content to the new students. Student Ambassadors also participate in helping make the new student feel a part of the organization immediately.
Yes, I love your idea of having student ambassadors attend. They can answer many questions and ease students' fears.
We involve all departments for orientation. Financial Aid, Student Services, Career Services,
Education Manager, Clinic Manager and Instructors. We include Admission Representatives because they are familiar faces for the new students. We start orientation with a powerpoint which includes a photo of the person in that department, info about that department as well as office hours. We have also found it helpful to have to give copies of the presentation to students so they will have something to refer back to.
The Student Success Services Department has the most interaction with students aside from Admissions. The SSS team is comprised of Success Coaching, Advising, Tutoring, Career Services, and Disability Services.
Currently the SSS team is the most involved in the orientation with new students. In addition to the orientation provided online for students to go through, a week before classes start students are assigned a Success Coach who is one of their points of contact at the school. The Coach reaches out to their new students to discuss the following:
•Student/Coach partnership – what it looks like and what students can expect
•Goals and motivations for attending college
•Policies/procedures
•Classroom expectations/tips/tricks
•Time management
•Available resources – tutoring, disability services, career services, etc.
Each student who attends the college will only be working with a few individuals as their points of contact. They have a Coach, Financial Aid Advisor, Scheduler, and specific Tutors for courses in which they are registered. Our Coaching and Admissions teams are the two main departments informing students of the available resources. I believe the next step in making our orientation well-rounded is to directly involve the other departments.
We invite faculty, a couple of current students and usually one graduate to attend orientation. They talk briefly about their expierience at school and are available for questions if needed. All of our staff also attend and mingle as the students move from room to room.
The front desk plays a large role in student interactions. We have the front desk staff welcome students as they walk in and help direct them to where they need to be. They also introduce themselves at orientation.
Jennifer,
This sounds like a wonderful program!
Susan Backofen
Chan,
I agree. It adds a great deal of credibility and allows students to be more comfortable.
Susan Backofen
Glenda,
Great! Glad to see that faculty are involved.
Susan Backofen
Our admissions department heads our orientation. As the Student Services Coordinator and Registrar, I subtly let the student know that "the torch" has been handed to me from their admission representative in the day-to-day nurturing of their student lives in my caveat to speaking to them more about my role.
Our orientations are attended by several staff members from Student Services/Registrar, Financial Aid, and Admissions departments on campus, The Campus President and Director, current students and/or alum. We work in stations to greet and assist our candidates.
Finance/Financial Aid will greet the students and be available to collect payments or answer any related questions, I will provide information and answer to F.A.Q. handouts, along with their student schedules, and collect emergency contact and demographic surveys from them, Admissions and the Campus Director help in taking care of uniform orders and handing out their texts and kits. Recently the Campus President has offered to help me take photos of the students for their student I.D.'s at the very end of the stations. He interacts personally with each student and is light-hearted and fun while preparing them to pose for their pictures.
We are then more formally introduced and give a welcome greeting and short bio. The administrators will take a few addition minutes to let students know in more depth, how we are able to serve them in their success to becoming professional licensed massage therapists.
The Campus Director and student or alum volunteers take over and lead ice-breakers, activities and demos to engage our candidates that clearly leave as students. One activity they do while their fellow students are visiting our stations, is to complete a “cloudâ€. In this cloud we provide to them. They will share what brought them to decide to pursue an education in massage therapy and what they hope to gain in their education, and career. With the student’s permission, we display them on a board on campus during their first term. This is especially helpful information for Student Services in order to understand and speak to their visions and goals from the start, if/when students later experience doubts and struggles.
Our Career Services department is located in our Illinois main campus, offsite. Contact names and numbers for all of our key personnel are provided to the candidates in orientation materials. Our Career Services is available and active on campus throughout the student's program and during and after graduation.
orientation happens with every department at my school. We also include current students to speak and meet informally with our incoming students so that the new students can ask questions of their peers. Having new students speak with current students instead of authority figures makes the new students more comfortable if they have questions they might not otherwise ask.
students are given a go to person or help in orientation. Career services speak on creating website for your business, business cards, graduating & licensure and resume building.
this helps student stay focus on why their in school.
The Admissions meet and get student to Orientation and intro all of the departments. Campus Director, Edu manager, student svcs, F/A, bursar, career svcs, academic advior, T/A and the dept of the programs.
student interact more with all of us.
but because the instructors are the frontline, we use them in our orientation. Who better to speak on the business and career goals.
The Instructor speak on the program, schedules, uniforms,give student tours of the classroom and lab as well as the clinic.
Wendy,
Wonderful! What are the criteria for your ambassadors? Do you have a special training you require them to complete?
Susan Backofen
I use student ambassadors every quarter. The new students respond really well to this and appear to be very comfortable asking questions/gathering information.
I think that it is a great idea that you have Student Ambassadors taking part in orientation. They can add a "seasoned" student perspective to the orientation. This can make the new students feel more at ease.
In addition to the Admissions dept., we have Student Services, Financial Aid, and Career Services participate in an hour long opening presentation. Then the remaining time the students are led only by Student Services. I like the idea of progressive orientation, where groups of students move from one department to another, increasing their interaction and developing the sense of belonging at the institution. I also am going to suggest we include faculty in our Orientations, something we currently do not do.
Linda,
That sounds like a great format!
Susan Backofen
We also provide our students with a book bag and we include a flash drive along with the other materials. This sets for tone for the work they will be doing and has been well-received.
Our student services department goes in-depth with the resources we are able to provide our students. Our academic advisors have break-out sessions with the students during orientation to introduce themselves and answer student questions on program specifics.
