Transcript Who is in college today - Texas Woman's University

The value of online orientation
Scope of online orientations
Examples
Create an online orientation
Texas Woman’s University
Lindsey Hatter, Amy O’Keefe & Annie Phillips Newton
Shortcomings of Online Orientation






Too hard to communicate
Don’t get the “feel” of campus
Can’t build community or connection
Can’t share university traditions
Boring
Expensive to create
“There’s just no reasonable way to do a successful orientation online.”
Oh really?
Look at FACEBOOK
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Today’s Students
• 19,036,860 Students Enrolled in H.E.
• Annual Growth Rate of Total Enrollment = 1.2%
• 5,579,022 Students Taking at Least One Online Course
• Annual Growth Rate of Online Enrollment = 21.1%
• Online Enrollment as a Percent of Total Enrollment = 29.3%
(Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010, The Sloan Consortium)
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Student Perspective
 Commuter
 Transfer
 Non-traditional
 Veterans
 Student parents
 Adult learners
 Distance/online
 Special populations:




BUSY
Juggling multiple roles
Financial stress
“need to know” vs. “nice to
know”
 Access to information when
they need it
honors, athletes,
international…
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Institution Perspective
 Set the stage (control the welcome message)
 Identify and support students who likely would not
attend orientation
 Beginning of retention/persistence plan – systematic
process of engaging/connecting
 Self efficacy –

“individual’s confidence in her/his ability to accomplish a
task” (Bandura, 1997)
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Best Practices Perspective
CAS Standards
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS)
According to CAS, orientation programs should:
 Apply to a wide variety of students
 Include updated technology
 Include parents and guests
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Essential Components
of Orientation
 Essential* components of orientation
 Introduction to university life
 Academic advising
 Registration for classes
 Getting to know campus
 Learning about services (financial aid, housing, meals...)
 Welcome week/traditions camps
(*may vary by institution based on elements such as mission, student demographics, etc.)
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Where has orientation been?
 Traditional Student
 18 years old
 Residential Student
 Strictly Parent
 Only geared towards Parents/guardians
 On-campus
 Face to Face
 Mandatory
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Where is orientation going?
 Transfer & Non-traditional students
 Students with multiple roles/priorities
 Parents do not attend
 Ease of access
 Available 24/7
 Easy to find
 Different languages
 Accommodate International Students
and ESL students and guests
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Types of Online Orientations
Low Tech - Low Touch
 Primarily text
 No sound
 Few pictures




High Tech – Low Touch
 Pictures & video
 Sound
 Interaction (prerecorded)
High Tech – High Touch
 Interactive & video
 Social media
 Virtual environments
Low Tech – High Touch
LMS, Bb, Moodle
Orientation course
Activities
(Online Orientation Programs: Successful Ways to Connect with Students
Webinar: Dr. Landon K. Pirius)
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Text Only
Low Tech - Low Touch
 University of Hartford
 http://admission.hartford.edu/parttime/orientation/ind
ex.html
 Temple University
 http://www.temple.edu/studentaffairs/orientation/
 Tyler County Junior College
 http://www3.tjc.edu/de/orientation/index.html
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Text, Pictures and Animation
High Tech – Low Touch
 Cleveland State University
 http://www.csuohio.edu/enrollmentservices/orientation/tran
sfer/online/
 Texas Woman’s University
 http://www.twu.edu/downloads/graduateschool/grad_orientation.swf
 Kansas State
 Virtual Graduate Orientation (text only)
 http://www.k-state.edu/grad/students/virtualorientation/
 Distance Ed: “Wildcat Success Road Map”
 http://www.dce.k-state.edu/students/#1
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Orientation Through LMS
Low Tech - High Touch
 LaSalle University
 http://myintranet.lasalle.edu/sites/welcome/index.php/
getting-started/ol-101-online-orientation/
 Governors State University
 http://www.govst.edu/sas/t_stu_dev.aspx?id=1126
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Half and Half
Low Tech - High Touch
 West Virginia University
 http://studentaffairs.wvu.edu/online_orientation
 University of Minnesota
 http://www.ofyp.umn.edu/en/or-options/tr-onlineor.html
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Orientation Videos
High Tech – Low Touch
 Thomas University
 http://www.thomasu.edu/Content/Default/2/139/0/admissio
ns/online-orientation.html
 University of Baltimore
 http://www.ubalt.edu/campus-life/online-orientation.cfm
 St. Thomas
 Fall Welcome: March through the Arches video
 http://www.stthomas.edu/studentorientation/fallwelcome/d
efault.html
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Interactive Tools
High Tech - High Touch
 Example tools = Adobe Connect, Ustream, Video Chat,
Facebook, Flickr,
 Drexel University
 Drexel.edu (traditional campus)
 .edu –videos, presentation slides, meet OL
 http://www.drexel.edu/studentlife/NSO/default.htm
 Drexel.com (online)
 .com – online open house for each academic program (Adobe
connect), BB orientation, program orientation
 http://www.drexel.com/
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
No Explicit Orientation
 Penn State World Campus
 http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/how-online-learningworks/student-services
 University of Phoenix
 http://www.phoenix.edu/students/how-it-works.html
 Western Governors University
 http://www.wgu.edu/student-experience/life
 Cappella
 http://www.capella.edu/about_capella/about_capella_index.
aspx
 Kaplan
 http://online.kaplanuniversity.edu/Pages/Student_Services.a
spx
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
Create Your Own Online Orientation
Items to Consider:
 How will this orientation support the mission of your
institution?
 What values does your institution place on
orientation?
 Services vs. Academic
 Universal design
 Captioning
 What existing resources can you tap into to help create
the final product?
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011
19
NODA Big Easy Online Orientation 2011