ORIENTATION

DESCRIPTION

The ability to simply ask fellow classmates how to access services or for support is difficult for off-campus only students. Online orientations bridge the gap. Online orientations should be carefully designed to meet the specific needs of the off-campus students.

QUALITY INDICATORS

1. The institution provides parent support services for First Time in College (FTIC) students.

2. The institution provides onboarding service support for off-campus students.

3. The institution provides first year advising for FTIC students.

4. The institution provides orientation for transfer students.

5. The institution provides orientation for incoming graduate students.

6. During the registration period, students have access to course catalog/information.

7. Students can make payments for courses/application/deposit fees and tuition.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES

• Orientations that use the learning management system provide a great opportunity to learn how to navigate through the system before classes begin.
• Orientations can promote study strategies for successfully completing off-campus classes that require skills in organization and self-starting. Some students may benefit from tips on how to prepare study spaces at home.
• Orientations that are designed to meet different group populations such as off-campus only, first time in college, transfer and graduate students promotes targeted messages that are applicable for that student population.
• Orientation for off-campus students should include a description of the minimal technology requirements for taking off-campus courses. The technology section should also include tutorials on how to use the collaboration tools available at the institution and other required technology that may be unique to a degree program.
• Making the resources discussed in the orientation available after completion. Providing just-in time resources for the student to refer back to when the need arises.

EXAMPLES

To increase the success rates of potential high dropout students within first time enrolled courses, a video orientation was embedded into courses on the following topics: getting started, navigating the course, posting to discussion threads, submitting assignments, checking grades, and checking for instructor feedback. The videos remained available throughout the course as a “just-in-time” assets for the students (Taylor, Dunn, & Winn, 2015).

Five elements were recommended for an orientation at the beginning of an off-campus course. Those elements included description of off-campus learning, how to use the LMS, technical requirements, identification of learning skills, and motivation required for completion (Cho, 2012).