Besides a conventional orientation, we find it helpful to have a new student sit through an ongoing class to see and experience what is in store for him/her. They'll usually talk with the other students and establish relationships with others who have already been through what they are about to undertake. It helps set up realistic expectations and helps create mentoring opportunities for later on.
How about a third part? We have found a useful component to be an online one. It allows students to get to know one another both before and after the physical orientation.
Our orientation is currently in two parts, which typically take place on the Friday before classes begin. The first part involves an introduction to key faculty and staff and a fairly detailed discussion of the policies and procedures of the school. The second part is a tour which acquaints the students with their new environment. Additionally, on the first day of class, the teacher holds a getting-to-know-you "pow-wow."
In order to improve our orientation, we are planning to eliminate some of the more detailed procedural information, as it seems that it is too much for students to absorb in one sitting. Instead, we will give the information throughout the first 2 weeks as it is needed. The first part of the orientation would then be focused on which staff members to go to for what questions.
Your orientation sounds really fun! I would like to implement more games in our orientation. I would like to know what games you play and what ones the students really seem to like, thank you for all your suggestions.
A couple of points made within the course material could be additions to improve our existing orientation program.
Addressing the need for new students to be sensitized to how life will be different for them and their families while in attending, along with help in managing and making any changes that will be needed. It would be interesting to have some details how others schools are addressing this issue without scaring the students away from programs?
Including upper level students to participate in the orientation is an interesting and welcomed suggestion. In addition, the concept that orientation is not just a one time experience would benefit our current program. A helpful suggestion included in this module was for faculty to schedule time at the end of every class to ask students to share any challenges, solutions....or what would make it easier for students to get thru the course.
Our school also conducts an orientation a week before scheduled starts. On the first day of class we reiterate that we have a mentoring of all subjects. However, I have valued what senior students might be able to contribute to the mentorship and feel that I could implement that as well. It has been beneficial to do this module and realize how we could institute a forum for mentorship.
Hi James
I have found that to be true as well. So having a close class works well for retention. They start to really care about each other and check when someone doesn't come to class.
Thanks for your comment.
We currently have an excellent orientation program. We have a staff and administration introduction. Students are introduced to the realities of being a student.
I think one area of opportunity would be to set aside some time for the students to introduce themselves to one another. The statement in the text about “students clinging to one another like rats†is interesting. I have noticed over the years that classes with students that are close retain more students on average than classes with students who are indifferent to one another.
We have a good orientation process/program but there is always room for improvement. I am looking to create a forum in which students can easily communicate any concerns they may have with respect to challenges in the classroom, resources, or special needs. Moving from a grounded campus to an online environment makes this process a little more challenging but nevertheless doable. I send out a welcome message, their advisors do the same, etc. This way, we set the expectation from day one that we are here for them and will walk with them until graduation
I agree with you in that orientations should not be drawn out and packed totally with academic and school requirements. We modified our orientations to mainly focus on supporting the new students through this change in their lives. Many of them are very apprehensive about college and doubt their ability to succeed. We include all the campus Directors but we only spend a little time reviewing the requirements of a new student. Most of the time is spent supporting thier decision to attend school, making them feel comfortable, and letting them know that all of us are there to help them accomplish their goal.
Great idea. I would also have the prospect evaluating the class
I would like to implement the idea of giving a student an opportunity to experience what it will be like in a typical class. I would couple this with the option to survey the sutdent and have them understand their leanring styles so they can improve on the classroom experience.
Orientation is extremely important. We bring Director and Associate Director, pLacement, student services and admissions for the orientation. We introduce each person and the students introduce themselves and they are asked to talk about their chosen program and why they decided to take this particular program at our school.
We also give the students another tour of the school to introduce them to as many staff and faculty members as possible.
I think the orientation that we have now is a great start! I believe when I as Retention Officer, am introduced, I need to make clear that I am here to mentor the students with needs that may arise. I think the word itself is a calming word to most. I can also get with the first phase instructors of all programs and put them on the task of seeking out those that might need mentoring and help me in this arena! I like this idea of mentoring and think it will give us a boost!
Kevin Asberry
Our schools use similar orientation outlines that include all areas of the available services and personnel at the campus. We attempt to reinforce the students' expectations of the program and our commitment to helping them achieve their goals by successfully completing their studies. If there were one thing I could change to help improve the process, it would be the length of the orientation. There are some individuals who present more information than necessary, which makes for a long and sometimes boring session.
The amount of information presented is already fairly overpowering; the only way to improve it without destroying its effectiveness would be to create a process of orientation over the first week that would briefly cover the earlier information so that it was not lost.
Hi Scott
I love the flexibilty of your organization! It is so important to be willing to change what isn't working. That isn't failure, it is the path to success. Student feedback is critical.
Most important is having a comprehensive strategy for retention. Showing the student the reality of the challenge is very important. Being honest and supportive works.
Again thanks for sharing some of your strategies. We can all take something from your experiences.
Our orientation currently takes place on the second day of class. In the past, we preferred to give students a taste of what class would be like before orientation. However, we are currently revising this procedure because we found that we actually would lose a student or two between the first day of class and the orientation session. For future starts, our orientation session will be held the Friday before class starts. It is a three-hour session designed to cover necessary policies and procedures while motivating the students to be successful. The difficult part of orientation is matching student expectations with the reality of college. It's like your parents telling you something--you don't believe them until you experience it yourself!
I particularly like and will implement the idea of a voluntary roster with student contact information to share rides, child care, study groups, etc. We have a student organization, "Students-Helping-Students" which assists with student retention. We have added them to our orientation program and they will discuss the benefits of joining and conduct a membership drive. For $5.00, students will get a membership card and a t-shirt. Student involvement is the most important part of retention in my opinion. Our school motto is "Where YOU fit In!" We launched this two years ago as a marketing AND retention tool and try to practice this in all our activities. We also host a student appreciation week every semester around mid-terms and a spirit week the week prior to finals.
Because we are a small campus, we do not have the administrative capacity to launch a formal mentoring program; however, we do have an informal program and are lucky to have a licensed counselor teaching some of our general education courses. We encourage studnets to meet with the counselor if they are having difficulty with study skills, instructor problems, or personal problems. The availability of this service is discussed at orientation.
We attempted to incorporate a semester-long orientation program last year with a one-credit mandatory class called College Success Strategies. However, we found through class evaluations that students hated the semester-long format and thought it interfered with time they could be spending on other core classwork. We are now in the process of deleting this course from our curriculum.
Overall, I think a more thorough orientation program will help to alleviate first-term withdrawals.
Our School holds orientation typically the Friday before classes start, it's usually a one day event where students meet all faculty and department heads. Discussions are centered around what to expect as a student, what we expect as faculty, school policies etc.. We have tried different methods of bringing in graduates to discuss their experiences and Instructors discuss real world industry experiences. It can be overwhelming at orientation with all the information we are giving them, but it's very important to reinforce it along the way once the student has matriculated.
Our university campus recently opened in this area. We are in the process of improving our programs and services. At this moment, we conduct our orientation every five weeks when a new term of classes is starting. The new students receive by mail an invitation and follow up calls from the staff. The format usually is informal and involves a presentation by the counselor and the director of the learning resource center. The topics include study skills, time management, test taking, dealing with anxiety, and a description of our innovative educative system. We try to make a positive first impression and to demonstrate that we are committed to the student's success. I think
the more information the student has, the more successful and committed the student can be to staying in school through completion. We could possibly improve our admissions process by making the group orientation mandatory and introducing the staff and facilitators.
