Orientattion
Orentation can also have a impact on student retention. I think orientation should be the basic , on the fisrt day of class the instructor/Program Director talk's more in depth about th expectation of program .
Omesa,
Orientation is more than a single day activity. Orientation could be a several week activity.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
I think that the mentor program is a great idea I am trying to get started at my campus. I would like the mentors to attend orientation so new students can be familiar with them.
Cheryl,
Reach out to those above that can help you plan and implement a Mentor program.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
Orientation should be exciting and it should confirm that the students made the right choice for attending the school.
Brittney,
Yes, try to stay away from all talking heads.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
Many of our students are away from home for the first times in their lives when we see them in our new student orientation. So much of what we do is designed to ease their anxieties and make them feel at home, and hopefully get them started on developing those critical first few relationships with faculty and other students.
Eric,
That "orientation" needs to be revisited with the new student time and time again. The anxieties do not disappear after the new student orientation.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
We need to reinforce that initial enhusiasm and excitement.
Orientation, in all of its formality, can be on one or two "formal" days. However, I believe that it is an ongoing process and can informally occur over the span of the first semester in a program/college.
Robert,
Absolutely, Orientation is not an event but a process. It really should start at the time of enrollment.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
I've actually just moved my orientation for my program from the beginning of the first health care class to the beginning of the first general study class. i'm hoping this will have a positive impact on my retention rates. i think all specifics of the program need to be provided to the student prior to starting the health care class. "knowing is half the battle".
Gina,
Yes it is. Thank you for your post. Please come back and share the results of this change.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
I agree, Omesa. Orientation, from my personal view, is the most important first step in conditioning the students in their new life, "school life." This is the best time to allay their fears and apprehensions by introducing the people that he/she will meet and work with during their school life. Aside from school/education "people", it is also as important to include senior students during their orientation and provide adequate information to answer their expectations.
Orientation should be very in depth to let the new students know that the programs are very serious, but rewarding, and what is expected of them.
Doris,
I've said it in several forums here, orientation is more than a single day event but a process. A process that should start as early as enrollment and continue well into the early part of a program.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
I agree with having a short orientation on the basics. Our orientations have been shortened quite a bit in the last year and I see it as a very positive change. We all know as instructors that we can only hold their attention for about 20-30 minuets max! Information overload can also affect first day retention sometimes.
Tammy,
At my school we recently moved to a scavenger hunt and "workshop" approach to orientation. Instead of sitting in rows students are grouped at tables. More engaging, more interactive.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
