Creating a Successful Online Orientation

1. Creating a Successful Online Orientation Presenter: Landon K. Pirius Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar Inver Hills Community College Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

2. The Presenter Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

3. Questions from Last Week • How do you currently orient your students? Your online students? • If you have an online orientation, how does it compare to your on-campus orientation? • Other burning questions from last week. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

4. Introduction • Developed from multiple perspectives • UofM student • Former online university employee • MnOnline Peer Reviewer • MSU, Mankato Distance Learning Taskforce Member • Proponent of technology • Not institution specific Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

5. Presentation Layout • Broad discussion of orientations • Includes web links • Includes: • Components of an online orientation • Entities involved with an orientation • Four categories of online orientations with examples • The near future • Accessibility • Commonly asked questions Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

6. Understanding Your Students • Institutions must understand who their students are in order to provide appropriate services. • Digital Native vs. Digital Immigrants • Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Students • Generations X, Y, and Z vs. Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

7. Digital Native vs. Digital Immigrant • Use of computers, the Internet, and advanced technology • According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project (2005), “The number of teenagers using the internet has grown 24% in the past four years and 87% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 are online. Compared to four years ago, teens’ use of the internet has intensified and broadened as they log on more often and do more things when they are online.  Among other things, there has been significant growth over the past four years in the number of teens who play games on the internet, get news, shop online, and get health information.” Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

8. Traditional vs. Non-Traditional • Traditional students (18-24) are becoming non-traditional • Non-traditional students can be defined as: • Over 25 • Mid-career • Ethnically diverse • Having families • Possessing less free time • More non-traditional students are seeking an education that fits their needs and their schedules versus having to adapt to the institution’s needs or schedules Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

9. Generations X, Y, and soon Z • Email is essential form of communication • Internet is about choice: it is what they want, when they want it • Interaction is essential • Need attractive, hip, and well-designed websites • http://www.facebook.com/ • http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml • How will we handle a generation taught by computers and artificial intelligence? Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

10. The New Environment • The student population is more mixed now than ever before. • Digital natives mix with digital immigrants • Generations X and Y mingle with baby boomers and their parents • Traditional students coexist with non-traditional students • What does this mean for institutions? Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

11. What Does this Mean for You? • A single approach to administering services is no longer viable or appropriate • Increased demand for accessible services. • Increasing competition from other institutions, particularly online institutions. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

12. Keep in Mind • Always keep the student in mind • Our obligation. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

13. Question Break #1 • I will answer questions for approximately 5 minutes. • I will take additional question breaks throughout the presentation and at the end of the presentation. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

14. What Do You Do During a Three Hour Lecture? • What do you do? • Sleep • Make a grocery list • Whisper to my neighbor • Surf the Internet • Listen for 10 minutes and then do anything but pay attention? • Students attending a typical orientation do all of the above! Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

15. Orientation Introduction • WCET states, • “The program provides students with clear, complete, and timely information on the curriculum, course and degree requirements, nature of faculty/student interaction, assumptions about technological competence and skills, technical equipment requirements, availability of academic support services and financial aid resources, and costs and payment policies.” Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

16. Orientation Introduction Cont. • An orientation is an opportunity to: • Convey information • Build community • Create networks and cohorts • Bolster retention efforts • Build excitement • Boost student confidence Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

17. Orientation Introduction Cont. • Orientation is also an opportunity to: • Bore students • Lose students • Create a sense of isolation • Overwhelm students • Destroy student confidence Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

18. Orientation Components • Comprehensive institutional information • Policy and procedural information • Cost information • Degree requirements • Wiki’s • Student-defined services, needs, etc. • Courses as well • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

19. Orientation Components Cont. • Format • Online • CD • Memory sticks/key chains • Laptop • Game-based • Virtual reality Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

20. Orientation Components Cont. • Practical information • List all services available • Testimonials • Virtual tour of institution • Tips for success • Time • Technical • Motivation • Readiness tools • http://www.alt.usg.edu/sort • http://otel.uis.edu/browsertest/ (technical) Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

21. Orientation Components Cont. • Interaction and networking opportunities • Virtual avatars • Other participants • Faculty • Staff • Other incoming and current students • Discussion boards, blogs, and chat rooms • Live question and answer sessions • Cohort creation • Follow-up Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

22. Entities Involved with the Orientation • Cohorts of new students • Advisors/counselors • Faculty members • Current students • Online student advocate/concierge • Virtual avatar • Artificial intelligence Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

23. Question Break #2 • I will answer questions for approximately 5 minutes. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

24. Type I Orientation • No formal online orientation • “It is on the web” mentality • Orientation completed in person • Online information integrated with admissions information • http://www.stolaf.edu/stulife/weekone/ • http://depts.cc.edu/studentlife/orientation.asp Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

25. Type II Orientation • A formal online orientation exists • 75% of online orientations fall under this category • Type II orientations contain: • Primarily text • Few pictures • No sound • Limited interaction with server Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

26. Type II Orientation Cont. • Examples of Type II orientation • http://www.wncc.edu/orientation/orientation.php • http://depts.inverhills.edu/onlineorientation/ • http://ww2.southwest.tn.edu/rodp_orientation/ Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

27. Type II Orientation Cont. • Other sites to visit: • http://www.distance.pcc.edu/orientation/intro/intro.cfm • http://www.lcc.edu/online/orientation/index.htm • http://www.asu.edu/graduate/orientation/ Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

28. Question Break #3 • I will answer questions for approximately 5 minutes. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

29. Type III Orientation • A formal, semi-interactive online orientation • 20% of online orientations are Type III • Type III orientations include: • Text laced with pictures and video • Interaction with pre-recorded information • Control points for verifying understanding • Sound Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

30. Type III Orientation Cont. • Examples of Type III orientation • http://www.capella.edu/Demo/LearningSpace/25_Demo/index.htm • http://www.cypresscollege.edu/~counseling/orientation/ • http://learn.ucf.edu/orientation/ • http://www.gpc.edu/orientation (Control points) Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

31. Type III Orientation Cont. • Other sites to visit: • http://www.miramarcollege.net/depts/orientation/ • http://www.cpcc.edu/ican/orientation/specs.htm • http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~d-ctel/OLG/ • http://admin.sfcc.edu/~orientation/steps.htm Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

32. Type IV Orientation • A formal, highly interactive online orientation • 5% of online orientations are Type IV • Type IV orientations include: • Enough text to reinforce important concepts • High-context interactions • Sight (pictures, video, streaming video) • Sound (music, voice) • A collaborative learning network • “Flow”-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

33. Type IV Orientation Cont. • “We now see much less tolerance in the workplace among the Games Generation for passive situations such as lectures, corporate classrooms, and even traditional meetings.  As the Games Generation progresses up the managerial ranks, it is likely that such old-fashioned managerial standbys will be replaced by more active experiences such as chat, posting, surfing for information, and Digital Game-Based Learning, where employees not only are more active but also have more control over what happens (Prensky, 2001, p. 59) Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

34. Type IV Orientation Cont. • Examples of Type IV orientation • Web course • http://webct.frontrange.edu/webct/public/home.pl • http://casweb.ou.edu/olr/starting/orientation.htm • http://www.wintu.edu/InteractiveOnline/InteractiveStudents.htm Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

35. The Near Future • MMORPG’s • Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game • Virtual worlds within MMORPG’s already create a sense of community. • The most popular MMORPG (Everquest) has tens of thousands of people interacting within a virtual world at any given point. • Everquest’s virtual world (Norath) is the 77th richest country in the “real” world. The average hourly wage is $3.42 and the GDP is $135 million (equal to that of Bulgaria). Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

36. The Near Future Cont. • Orientations in virtual worlds • The virtual avatar (user) interacts with other virtual avatars and the virtual world. • An educational MMORPG could be created in which students learn, interact, and feel part of the college/university. • http://secondlife.com/ • http://eqlive.station.sony.com/ • http://www.eagames.com/official/thesims/thesimsonline/us/nai/index.jsp Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

37. The Near Future Cont. • Kotadoma Project-”The Power of Words” • An RPG video game for learning Japanese • Language • Culture • Players master concepts of language and culture to gain in-game abilities. • Targeted at high school students • http://www.etc.cmu.edu/projects/jlls/kotodama/ • http://www.izena-vandapel.com/kotodama/kotodama.htm Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

38. The Near Future Cont. • Virtual Reality • Integrating the digitized senses for an immersive orientation experience. • Emulation of all 5 senses and communicating multi-sensory information via telecom networks. • Not a question of if…it is a question of when. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

39. Question Break #4 • I will answer questions for approximately 5 minutes. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

40. Are Your Services Accessible • Who is using your services? • Who is NOT using your services and why? • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • ADA compliant website • http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/ • http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

41. Resources • Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) • http://www.wcet.info/ • http://www.wcet.info/resources/publications/guide/guide.htm • Center for Transforming Student Services • http://www.centss.org • Other web sources as listed throughout the presentation Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

42. Questions? • The remainder of the time will be spent answering questions. • Any remaining questions will be answered within a week. Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

43. Summary of 3 Sessions • What have we learned? • Type of students • Growing demand for and capabilities of technology • Students learn, interact, build relationships, and improve competencies differently • Some things stay the same; some things change • Hopefully we have seen and learned about cool things other schools and our students are using Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius

44. Presenter Information • Landon K. Pirius • lpirius@inverhills.edu Presentation is the intellectual property of Landon K. Pirius