Orientation ideas
I have found a few ideas that, if added to our current orientation, will enhance the experience for incoming students. I like the idea of inviting current students to "circulate" in the meeting room before the actual orientation starts.
I also agree with the concept of having fun and engaging activities but not making them too corny. Maybe a Jeopardy type game with fun facts about the school...
When I started my BSN program, they had us play student/faculty bingo on the first day of orientation. Basically, you had 30 minutes to walk around with a bingo card and talk to people. Each square on the card had a random fact and you had to find the person that the random fact corresponded to. Facts were usually accomplishments or awards or previous jobs or travel experiences. For example, a square might say: "find the person who was head of her cheerleading squad in high school", "find the person who performed the national anthem in front of a full stadium", "Find the person who spent four years in Thailand in the peace corps", "Find the person who had open heart surgery at 6 months of age", "Find the person who has served 8 years in the marines", etc. Everyone has something interesting about their past and it was a great way to personalize and get to know our fellow classmates and professors. The only thing I am not sure of is whether we approved those things ahead of time. It seems like a violation of privacy if we did not but I can't remember. Anyways, it was the most effective getting to know you exercise I have ever been involved with.
Nicole,
Great idea! Providing opportunities for students to meet each other and those related to their major makes a huge difference.
Susan Backofen
I started a pre-orientation called Meet and greet prior to orientation. In the Meet and Greet the student meet all staff and faculty in their program. It is program specific and the students have open forum to ask any questions including the Instructors and their background. This has made a big difference in my retention.
We also provide an orientation in the specified program...not just the school... it is a lot of fun! Sometimes we are a little corny...but we all get important information from the icebreakers
Tracy,
I agree. And in an effort to be helpful, students and alumni sometimes respond without really knowing the correct answer
Susan Backofen
I think having graduates or current students attending orientation is so important, but from past experience I do recommend having a staff or faculty member in the room as well. Students sometimes get asked questions that are difficult for them to answer or are concerning school policies. It's always good to have someone close by to step in if need be!
