Our students work very closely with Student Advisors who act as their safety net throughout their program. Student advisors direct students to resources, provide direction, and motivation until graduation. Currently, in my course I invite the Student Advisor associated with my course to come and speak. I was very surprised to find out from her that many of my new students come to her with questions because they are afraid that asking me would impact their grade! I was able to get rid of that perception quickly by working together with the advisor.
The College Director, Business Office, Financial Aid, Career Services, and Academic Dept. all have continuous interaction with the students after they begin classes.
Each of these departments, led by the College Director addresses the new students in a general session after the opening breakout sessions. Each Dept. Head introduces themselves and their members to the group and each person then talks to the students a little about what they do as part of the team that aids the students in their successful completion of the training process. Each person will give them specifics and encourage their early usage of each service and indicate their open door policy.
Attendance, tutoring, counseling, library services, testing out of courses, transferring of credits, and other services offered to insure the students' have a successful and happy experience are brought out in the short presentations done by each individual.
After the group general session, the students are then invited to a different area to have IDs made and scrubs provided.
Therefore, we have group interaction, individual attention, answer sessions in all of the sessions, and games, prizes, and activities in the group and general sessions, particularly.
All of the team members have their parts to play in the entire Orientation process so that it is not borig, and not overly prolonged, either.
Instructors have the most interaction with students at our facility.After an orientation about the school as a whole, instructors present an orientation pertaining to the career that the students have chosen, in a classroom that they will be using, discussing numerous topics about the program they are entering.
Faculty has the most interaction with students besides other departments like Financial Aid, Career Services and so on. We have student mentors and the student body representatives that can give their perspective on the school and classes. The new students also go to stations around the school to see the classrooms, tours, to pick up supplies and these are lead by the student mentors and volunteers.
In our campus all departments are involved in this process,too. The Admissions Department greets the students. Usually, they know this personnel because the admission process is the first step they have to follow to be enrrolled in the school.
After being greeted they go to the classrooms (at the same time they start getting familiar with this area of the school). A book bag whith the School's logo is given to them. Usually it contains pens, rulers, and others supplies. They are asked to carry their books in that bag while they are in the school.
After that, the School Campus Director is introduced, then the Programs directors.
The "Core" Program Director offeres information about this initial period, which is general for all of them. The Academic/Registry department offeres a lot of information regarding their attendance, grading system used, GPA, etc. Also the FA department offeres a lot of information. Most of the time is spent with these two departments.
The Students Services department closes the orientation with information about this department. Usually, it is a surprise to know that you will be helped to find a job once you graduate.
A 20 minutes breake is offered in the middle of the orientation. Refreshments are served in the cafeteria.
This orientation is held two weeks before the classes start. Supposly, the students have to have their ID's and parking permits by this day, but if they haven't taken their pictures etc, it is a good moment to do it. So the library personnel is ready to help all of them.
Career services interacts with students on a regular basis through workshops, interviewing skills, and job searches and networking events. They start orientation and introduce the academic team to the new students. They also come to first quarter classses to introduce themselves and discuss what they do for the students.
The instructors of their chosen career who can give them a fresh insite on what to expect!!
In our past orientations the students only met with me the director of education and the financial aid advisors. During this orientation we read them the rules and regulations and then went over their financial aid obligations.
This was a terrible approach and we have recently changed our whole approach to orientation.
I love the idea of exposing the new students to all the dept. personel that they're going to interact with through out the school year. This is our plan for the next orientation.
We are also providing them with pens and pads and having a raffle for miscellanous items.
I do introduce them to the instructors and have dept. heads provide them with a tour. Our admission staff greets them before orientation and we provide them with coffee, bagels etc. in the morning and that seems to be well recieved.
One great take away from this is the crediablity factor we have multipule campuses which I intend to now indicate to new students. I also like the idea of past grads sharing a sucess story with our new starts.
Huseyin--
Glad to hear that you were able to get some ideas from this course. There have been a plethora of very wonderful ideas.
Susan
The Team Approach is the best approach so far that we have employed.
The whole team is present during orientation and the students get to know us right away.
The Admissions team is present during new student orientation. We have a powerpoint presentation that has our whole Team present their department.
Excecutive Chefs
Lead Instructors
School President
Career Services
Library Services
Student Council who also represents the other other student clubs.
Then they tour the school with our Student ambassadors and end with a Club Rush session with all of the different clubs that our school has.The new students love the fact that they are getting to meet their peers and they become engaged and excited to come to school. We hold these orientation sessions the friday before the new students start school. Many of them get to know how to get around our campus on orientation day and it relieves some of their first day jitters.
students from different classes talk their experience in these classes
My school uses a team approach in new student orientation. We keep students together as departments/majors and walk them through stations throughout the school. The program chair ans full time instructors meet with groups of students in their respective programs to lay out expectations and supply students with academic advisors and contact information. The physically go to the library, registrar’s office, book store, etcetera and are introduced to all key areas of the school. They become familiar with the faces and names of administrators and teachers.
The basic procedure is to have a student ambassador chaperone groups of students around the school. The student ambassador is a member of the program that students will be entering. So students get to speak with one or more current students in their program.
All department heads are asked to be a part of the orientation day, and be available (if not in class) for questions during student tours.
Edmund--
This sounds absolutely wonderful! Great work
Susan
instructors...we have all instructors come in and introduce themselves to new students
All departments are extremely important to the success of the students. We incorportate all departments...career services, financial aid, admissions, etc...they all play a vital role & need to be included in the orientation processes.
Ambassadors are a great way to involve the departments
Financial aid and the program directors also have a lot of interaction with the students. We involve them in orientation by introducing them and letting the students get to know them and what their roles will be in the students lives over their time here. We show them that they have people to go to that are truely interested in them and their success.
Our students have a lot of interaction with Financial Aid, Career Services, and the instructors. The one element left out of our orientation is the instructors. The orientation for new students at our institution include the program administrators, but not the instructors who teach in the program. My guess is that instructors are not included during orientation because of teaching schedules. From what I am learning in these courses, it would probably be a good thing to include any instructors from the program that aren't teaching during that time frame.
While admissions has the most interaction with students prior to class start, it is the Student Services department that interacts with students the most during their enrollment. Our student services coordinator gives a presentation in the orientation via power point but prior to that she introduces herself the same way we ask the students to. (Name/ reason for coming here/ instruments or audio background/ something you're looking forward to). She makes them feel welcome and comfortable with the line "I work for you, the student" and sharing some of her personal music background with students. She also reminds them that it wasn't too long ago that she was a student and so she knows how it can be. She makes them feel not only welcome, but comfortable with her as much as possible.
