Orientation
Orientation really starts when the prospective student first steps on campus. A new student that walks into an unfamiliar area automatically goes into a defensive mode. Mailing out small packages to the students with maps of the area will give them a familiar sight and help ease the tension.
Bruce,
Great idea... team new students and current students... Don't forget to team staff, too.
Dr. Larry Banks
Orientation is the time to show the student the campus and have him set up guide lines for the first day of school. We try to team up our students with a student current student for the first 3 months to help them with there transion to a full student.
Yes, orientation starts the day the student steps on campus. I am so impressed with our admissons team here at the Troy campus. The admissions rep walks the studnet around campus and shows them every area of the campus. The small things seem to matter most (where the class room is located, the bathroom and the student lounge). Relationships are build early and the student becomes a graduate!
this is a great idea plus it gives a more formal approach from the schools part into how important the potential student is to us.
Our working-adult focused programs are entirely online, which poses special challenges for any kind of orientation. My belief is that incoming students need a preliminary virtual 'boot camp' in which they can practice with a dummy version of the course, becoming accustomed to the virtual campus, its dynamics and requirements.
Mailing out a map is a great idea Richard! Our school is shaped like a square number 8. Most students get very confused their first couple of times being here. Having a map for them to reference would be great!
Nice idea!
