I couldn't agree more! One of the things I work hard to do is to learn the students' names. This is definitely a work in progress on my part but it really makes the students feel special.
It probably is...but the thought of me doing the mechanical things is painful for me. That should be a lesson for us to always appreciate where students are coming from. Designing an orientation that addresses different learning styles and personalities is a challenge but very effective if you can incorporate those theories.
Susan
That's is worth some thought. The more hands on the better.
It seems almost painful for some of them...
Tony--
TOO FUNNY! Perhaps you should have them design a new motor or something!
Susan
Depending on the session topic (Goal setting, applications, interviewing, hidden job market, etc) The students role play and critique one another.
Interviewing is the most time consuming due to the level of information required to be clear before and after the mock interview sessions.
When asking a room full of mechanics to role play - imaginations have to be encouraged A LOT! ;)
Tony--
Don't get discouraged...retention is a process! Even after you implement a good system you will always be looking for ways to improve it.
The Career Services workshops sound like a great idea. What type of work do they do in their groups?
Susan
I want our instructors to do more of the 'meet/greet' activities, but the consistency is an issue here.
We use the Career Services workshops to help student get to know each other and work in groups. This has helped fill this void some what. We have a long way to go...
Christine--
Food is always good! If you want interaction and attendance, it is generally the best way to get people to interact. It's a wonderful opportunity to informally ... and formally ... talk with students and take their temperature on issues.
Wonderful!
Susan
Matthew--
GOOD
FOR
YOU!
It is very impressive to have a Director so committed to interacting personally with students. This is such an important thing to students and sets a wonderful example for your employees. Exceptional customer service starts with a commitment from the top.
Kudos!
Susan
I make sure that I visit each classroom each day the first week of class -just to stop by and say "hello" and ask how the students' experience has been so far. I ask if they have any questions and if so to please bring them to me personally so that I can direct them to the proper department or person. If I am able, I try to resolve as many questions or problems as I can personally, so that the students see that the Director of the school cares about each of them and is directly involved in every facet of their education.
We have gotten alot of mileage out of activities with food, such as an Ice Cream Social hosted my Admissions reps to connect with their students, or an New Student Meeting in which a survey is completed, questions answered, and of course pizza is eaten...both of these solidify relationships and resolve conflicts that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Jessie--
Great ideas...especially keeping Admissions involved at some level. The scavenger hunt is a fun way to get them familiar with finding important information. Unfortunately, the college catalog is never high on a student's list of materials to read and they have all kinds of great information.
Susan
Bret--
You certainly have very student-friendly practices. Major kudos to you!!!!!
I know that many school administrators don't feel like they can take time to the types of things you have outlined, but I'm sure you'll agree in the long-run they are time well invested. The more you can personally interact with students the more connected they feel and the more likely they are to persist.
EXCELLENT!
Susan
Currently what our admissions department does is on the student's first day of class, they wait for them in the lobby of our school so they can escort them to their class.
We also follow up with our students a few times during their first week to see how they are doing. We also have them participate in groups for a scavenger hunt in our student catalog to find the most "common questions" students have. We feel this is a good way to review as well as get them in the habit of reviewing the catalog if they do have questions.
-Jessie
Sarah--
On one of my visits, I caught an instructor doing just that--a round the classroom "who am I." It is a great one to use and it does have the desired effects of making students more comfortable with each other.
I very much believe in, and steadfastly practice as much as possible, greeting every student each day. Every morning I am at the front door, saying good morning to all. I also follow up with frequent classroom visits, just to say hi and ask how everyone is doing. Many students--and faculty--appreciate this activity. It keeps my name and face and accessibility up front, so by the end of the first week, all the new students know my face.
Dear Susan;
Thank you.
Joanne
Joanne--
This sounds like an excellent system! I really like the name plate/bio aspect...they can make it as personal as they'd like. Identification of their support group at home provides a great perspective on possible barriers as well.
Your process for late enrollments being assimilated within 2 days is a great best practice. It is timely and also provides for consistency by having the same person/department perform this each time.
Congrats!
What I do on the first day of class, is give a short bio of my education, work experience, talk a little about myself personally, and how long I have been with the school. After that, I have each student create a beautiful name plate, and introduce themselves to their classmates and give a short bio of them selves. I have them identify their support coaches at home and motivating reasons why they decided to attend school. I also have all their materials in their individual folders. In the folders is their syllabus, 2005 employment outlook, portfolio development handout sheet that explains the importance of a portfolio, along with that is a handout sheet that discusses the important of attendance and the correlation between good attendance and good grades. I go over all these materials with them. We discuss classroom management and I have them fill out a student conduct agreement. Also, I take them to the bookstore to get their textbooks for my class.
I explain how we are going to use the textbooks and some of the assignments they will be doing that is directly related to their profession.
Any student who have not had an orientation, I make an appointment with the student service management to insure that the student receive a good orientation within two days of being in my class. I set up a buddy system and each one reach one system. The first day of class is the most valuable day of any student's school experience.
Have the students do a quick "who I am" so that their classmates know something about each other and build community together.
