We sure don't at this time have any packets for the students. Our orientation needs some revamping and these are great ideas to start with. I like the engaging students more instead of having a list of speakers as we do now. The students are so bored and some even fall asleep or leave because it's too long and they have to get to work!
We will be doing some changes soon!
Kevin Asberry
Kevin--
Many prior students in this course have contributed some awesome ideas...certainly a great start to revamping your orientation.
Susan
All departments are represented at orientation; however, the department that has the most interaction with the students is Career Services. The student's ultimate goal is to get a job in the field in which they are being trained and we want to keep them focused on the "prize." At the orientation, the Director of Career Services takes the students through a 2-part fun activity that helps them understand the role of planning and direction in achieving the goal.
Student Services, Financial Aid, and of course the Instructional staff. There are speakers from all of the departments during the orientation.
Byron--
Is the format of the orientation primarily presentations by these areas? Do you include an opportunity for the students to interact?
Susan
At our orientation we have an education, FA and Career services section. We also address externship and have a representative avaiable to assist with paperwork or questions regarding medical clearance. A team approach is very necessary and a great way to make the initial introduction to students
Admissions has ice breakers to encourage student interaction
We have representatives from all of the departments involved during orientation. Our school has the program managers introduce themselves and talk about what is new and exciting within the program, and what the students can expect. This helps the students to see that each program is well managed and each program manager is an important resource that they now have access to as students.
I like the idea of utilizing Student Ambassadors during orientation because this offers a different and needed perspective which can help new students to feel like they made a good decision to join the school and their particular program.
Excellent! Having the program managers discuss their programs and outline the great things happening reinforces that the students made a great decision.
Student Ambassadors can do a great job--students tend to open up to them in ways they are not comfortable with faculty and staff.
An Ambassador program can also be a great way to get current students actively involved in retention (and recruiting...they will likely go out and tell others!) Make the program special for them as well through training, activities and recognition.
Our 4 main departments each present during orientation. The Director of Admissions starts things off by telling a inspiring story and facilitating an ice breaker activity. Our Campus Director then gets up and speaks and guides them through some necessary paperwork that has to be completed. Then Financial Aid Director, the Director of Education, and the Career Services director each speaks for a few minutes. During each presentation, the students are called upon for interaction and given prizes for their responses. We take breaks in between presentations to play some type of interactive game as well so that they aren't just sitting there listening to us talk at them.
We provide each student with a welcome packet and goody bag that has a school tee shirt, pencils, pens, and highlighters.
We have the students greeted by the Campus Director and ADmission Reps. when they arrive at the campus. The Campus Director does the "welcome". We then have two of our top instructors conduct the Orientation. During the Orientation, all staff are introduced at some point. Mid way through Orientation, the CD walks students through the policies and procedures, then the Orientation is turned back over to the instructors. We supply the students with a pizza lunch so they leave on a happy note!
Our Dean of Students talks for one hour or so regarding attendance, success skills, study habits, goal focus. Our Director of Education speaks but I'm not sure about what. Our College Director leads the ice-breaker. Financial Aid talks with them about how to repay their loans and manage their personal finances during school. She also speaks with them regarding their credit and talks with them about the importance of taking this time to work on your credit rating since most employers are checking credit scores as a means to evaluate applicant integrity and ability to focus on their job if hired. She lets them know she is available for one-on-one credit counseling and budgeting. One of our business instructors spends two hours of using her humor to introduce them to their student accounts and get them familiar with using a computer, analyzing potentially unreliable sights, fixing all their initial computer login problems and introducing them to the IT department Director. Our Admissions staff actually has the least amount of interaction with the students on orientation day.
In my opinion instructors at orientation should be a must. I don't think any group on campus will have as much interaction as the instructors. Having the instructors available to the new students is a great way of making informal introductions, getting to know a face you might have in the future. think about the students point of view if he has a good experience at orientation with an instructor how is he gonna feel when he walks into that room for class and finds that instructor.. tension out the door!!!
We get all of our academic departments involved in the orientation process, discussing each career individually and explaining what each department has to offer them as students of our institute. Each department can offer all of our students something outside of just the education process. For example we offer an Automotive Program and we explain to the new students of the benefit that offers to each of them, if they are having car trouble they can bring it to the Auto Shop for work, with our students we have found that reliable transportation is a big concern and point of stress for them. This we hope may eleviate some undo stress by them knowing if they have any car issues they can bring it over to the shop and someone will assist them, thus eliminating any potential worries about their cars.
That's great! Transportation is always an issue, and providing this for your students is a great learning experience as well as a benefit to your students attendance.
In general, the education department deals with students significantly and so I make it a point to tell students about the qualifications of the staff during the orientation in my own class.
I would suggest that everyone involved would sit in and tour an orientation front to back.Corrections(if needed) could be made.Other positive reinforcemants could be suggested.Some may not need to feel that "I thought that's what orientation is for." Product knowledge is everthing.
Our instructors have the most interaction with students.The beginning of each course is the time to explain procedures.My fortune lies in the fact that I teach a fun high paced class with the fewest dropped students.Do you think the word "fun" has anything to do with it?
