Ongoing Orientations
Since our program is so long with little regular departmental interaction with students, do you find a benefit in giving some type of orientation, on day one of your class, that re-affirms the student’s goals & where help can be found? If so, how do you present it?
Re-visiting information given is always help and useful when responsibale for knowing its value
On my first day of class I go over some key facts, class formats, tutor services and most important what I will expect from them and what they shall recive from me.
It appears to me that my students enjoy the honeymoon of attending college--some being the first in their family. However, the honeymoon soon wanes. This, for me at least, is at about the end of week three to the beginning of week four. By this time tests, homework and the routine of attending college has begun to set. We our fortunate at my college to have a class that every student takes dealing with stress, goals, reason(s) for being in school, procrastination, study habits, test taking, among other college topics of concern to students. Bonding is of prime importance. In order to discuss each student's goals, frustrations, positive self-talk as well as saboteurs in their lives. I have speakers come into the classroom and share with my students. After the speaker leaves, we have time to point up important points made by the speaker on how the subject presented impacts each student. This type of activity can be done in groups, panels, singularly in written or oral format. This is very interactive, and the students tend to be able to relate to other and benefit from this opportunity. This aapproach is just one that I use in my class as an ongoing orientation in an effort to retain students primarily for their benefit in the long run and improve retention for the college.
Dean--
Determining the student's goals is a very important piece of knowing how to retain them and keep them motivated. Do you do anything specific with this information?
Susan
Yes I do think is a benefit to provide more information than only what the the class about. The goals they should seek along with where they can go if any assistacne that me be needed. Such as different departments and loction of places of interest.
Absolutely. If the students do not see how they fit in to your class, they do not know how they will fail. If they do not see the connection between your class and the bigger picture, then they think that they do not have to build from class to class, and they will tend to dump the info that they learned in their class, as soon as the new schedule goes up.
On the first day I reinforce that their decision to be a tech and a student is a good one. I connect to them by sharing my personal experiences a a student and tech. I question them as to their motivations and I challenge them to expand their horizons so that their expectations are more in line with what they will recieve from me and my class.
I like the idea of spending time at the end of one rotation to prepare the students for the next rotation.
Excellent! Many of us overlook the importance of parents in helping with retention. I think your program does a great job of preparing them.
Susan
Actually during orientation week when the parents are present we have a short PowerPoint presentation that explains what the Success Track program is about. We also go over the three sessions their son or daughter will be attending while they are at our campus. We also inform them that upon Graduation, your son/daughter will not only have completed the 30 hours of the Success Track Programs, they will also leave with a proven track record of professional behavior that they will be able to bank on
steve-
We are always taught that the first day of the class is orientation day. We give them rules, aspectation, and what they should get out of the class. If they need guidance and help, we are always obligated to point them in the right direction.
Michael--
Sounds like a great program and I really like the theme that keeps things tied together.
Do you have a separate session for the parents at some point?
Susan
Like most schools our new students attend orientation week where they and their parents find out about the various departments and there purpose the week before their first class starts.
We also have our student’s attend Success Track sessions three different times during their time here at our campuses.
The first session “Jump Start†happens the very first and second day of their first class. This provides the student an opportunity to meet and get to know their classmates and instructors. We use this as a high octane start to their first experience at our campuses where we set expectations and make them aware that they need to develop certain skills and inform them of tools that are available in order to succeed. We have activities through out the two day event that gets everyone involved and working as a team. We introduce them to professionalism by using a simple affirmation: “I am a Professional Technician, the Best of the Best†and demonstrate the purpose of this in their future work environment. They are also introduced to the campuses policies and procedures during this time, various staff members from each of the student services departments are usually scheduled to stop by and explain what their department can do for the student’s and their hours of operation. This is also when the student receives his/her copy of the student’s success book along with their textbook and folder.
The second session “Pit Stop†occurs about the third of the way through their schedule of classes. During this two day event the student is introduce to dealership operations, Flat Rate, and how business decisions that are made affect realistic circumstances in a simulated dealership environment. Professionalism is emphasized and the application of what they have learned so far at our campus is applied in the simulation. We also want to use this as a time to reinforce the student’s course or goals on their career path. We also try to identify if a student is struggling and what if anything we can do to help him or her with.
The third or last session is called “Victory Lane.†This event occurs near the end of the student’s schedule. During this two day event we want to review and reaffirm the student’s successes he or she has had at our school, prepare them for the transition from school to work, develop a strategic plan for their future success, and inform them of tools available to them in the future.
It use to be when the students arrived at my course most of the students were either graduating after that class, after the very next class or within a few classes so they are excited about graduation and looking forward to entering the job market. Then our curriculum eliminated all existing prerequisites for this course so now I could have a student in class that this course could be their second class.
I usually ask who’s graduating soon and who has been at our campuses for only a short time. That way I get a feel of how long my class has been attending classes and choose the long or short version of our presentation on the students Keys to Success. I do not cover any direct part of what each department does during this class presentation but if I hear that a student is struggling with a certain area in their life that one of the student services department can help them with I will mention it to them.
Each Wednesday the instructors are asked to read to their class the Wednesday Announcements. The students are made aware of any up coming events, recruiters visiting our campus looking for future employees, scholarships or grants that are available to students, discount tickets that are available for certain activities, or anything that is available to make them a success here at school.
yes i agree i tellthe students how the school can help them on a daley bases
The orientation process reaffirms the student commiment for what he/she is undertaking in each class. It is essential that some form of orientation take place to establish the rules and content of the class. With out the expectations from the instructor the students will be lost.
I give a lot of positive reinforcement during my orientation. I find that a lot of stress can be seen in the faces of the students that are going through the electrical program. And I break the time up by giving everyone a walk to the lab area to continue the orientation.
I try to put the class at ease and leave them with the feeling that they have nothing to fear.
By the time students get to my class, they are near the end of the core education program, so spending much effort on campus orientation has little benefit.
Generally what I see is that they have a bad case of “Senioritis†and are even considering dropping some of the post-graduation advanced training programs just so they can go home.
On the first day of class, while doing roll call and making my seating chart, I ask them where they are from, what their passion is, what they plan on doing after they graduate and if they have are enrolled in any advanced training programs.
I jot all this down on my seating chart so I can give each student words of encouragement that applies directly to them throughout my course.
Then I tell them how none of the advanced programs were available when I attended school and how many years it took me to reach certain certification levels. Then I explain how they can get those certifications in 12 to 16 weeks in most of our advanced programs.
I refer regularly to the people they can talk to about these programs and how our Graduate Employment Department can help them.
Many students are stressed out and exhausted from the long days of school and work. Encouraging them to stick it out just a little longer reminds them it will be worth the effort when they finally realize their dream and graduate school
Leonardo--
Explaining the history and reaffirming the programs and services really helps to build credibility and confirms they made the right choice. Great!
Susan
We do a half day orientation here at Ford FACT. We start of with a brief history of FACT. This also gives us an opportunity to explain our programs expectations and answer any questions that the students may have. We provide small snacks and sodas and start the team building portion of our program. This is also a great opportunity to reemphasize why they chose this program and remind them why they are here.
