Using Online Orientation to Meet the Needs and Exceed the Expectations of Transfer Students

1. Presented By: Katie Granholm, M.S. University of Minnesota Twin Cities granh013@umn.edu Using Online Orientation to Meet the Needs and Exceed the Expectations of Transfer Students

2. Presentation Outline • Why Online Orientation? • What is an effective transfer orientation program? • Considerations • Programmatic, Key Players, Technology, Logistics, Success • Overview of U of M Online Orientation • Lessons learned

3. Why Online Orientation? • Increasing transfer student population • One-third of students transfer during their college career (1995-96 to 2000-01 NCES study) • Patterns of transfer are changing • “Swirl” • Increased attention on the transfer student experience

4. Our Paradigm and/or Goals • Charge was to develop and implement a program that achieves the following: • Encourage a less prescriptive and more developmental model • Provides options within the mandate of orientation • Provides individualized attention to each transfer student • Allows transfer students to make choices (whether we agree with them or not) based on their own experiences, interests and needs • Strategically communicates with transfer students through print, web, e-mail, and one-on-one contact from March through the first week of class • Provides a comprehensive, fiscally responsible orientation program

5. What Makes an Effective Transfer Orientation Program? • Institutional commitment • Alignment with mission of office and university • Collaboration with college constituents • Based on assessment of student and institutional needs • Takes into account past experiences and future expectations of students • Programs that guide students (not mandate) • Provides options for students’ developmental needs • Academic, social, and behavioral expectations interwoven through the orientation experience • Inclusion of parents/guests • Assessment and feedback is shared and used!

6. General Needs of Transfer Students During Transition & Orientation Transitional Social Campus Information Financial Academic

7. Considerations- Key Players • Your office • New students • College constituents • Departmental partners • Parents and supporters • Sponsors? • Other?

8. Considerations- Programmatic • What are your desired outcomes? • What are students looking for in an online orientation? • Who can participate? • When will online orientation be available? • Who will provide and edit content? • How does online orientation interface with other programs?

9. Considerations- Technology • How will the program be administered? • Does this method align with desired outcomes? • Theme and graphic design? • Does an existing delivery method exist? • WebCT, Blackboard, registration system? • Do students need to log-in? • Do students need to be populated into program? • Who will have access?

10. Considerations- Implementation • How will content be developed and edited? • Is special expertise needed? Are there others on campus who can help? • How will students be driven to online orientation? • Promotion/Marketing • Is participation required or optional? • Do you need to track participation? If so, how?

11. Considerations- Determining Success • What determines success? • Accomplishment of learning outcomes? • How will success be measured? • When will success be measured? • What do you need to know? • May be driven by stakeholders/campus constituencies • What method(s) of evaluation will you use? • Online questionnaire, paper form, 6-week follow-up survey, focus groups, usability testing, etc. • Does the method of evaluation align with desired outcomes?

12. Transfer Orientation at the U of M • 2 options for creating your orientation experience • Full-day on-campus orientation OR • Half-day on-campus orientation with advanced participation in online orientation www.ofyp.umn.edu/trstudents/beforeor/orprogram.html

13. University of Minnesota Online Orientation http://onlineorientation.umn.edu Username: tctrans Password: really1snice

14. Welcome Screen

15. Introduction

16. Introduction

17. What Students See in WebCT

18. Course Content- College

19. Course Content- General

20. Quizzes

21. Lessons Learned • About 70-75% participation • Vast majority have high-speed internet connection- dialup connection not an issue • 80% believe Online Orientation is a good introduction to the University • After one month on campus, 82% of new transfer students felt that Orientation (both online & on-campus) provided the knowledge base for them to be successful at the University of Minnesota.

22. Lessons Learned - Additional Considerations • Orientation leader training • Infuse transfer concepts and issues during selection and ongoing training of orientation leaders • Students transferring with less than 18 credit hours or less should have the option of attending first-year orientation. • Continually develop and improve the new orientation model • Encourage less prescriptive and more developmental programs • Provide individualized attention • Allow transfer students to make own choices based on own experiences, interests, and needs • Strategically communicate with transfer student through print, web, e-mail, and one-on-one contact

23. Where we are now • Received technology-enhance learning grant of $10,000 to integrate video into learning modules • Video will take the form of “student stories”, allowing new students to connect with current U of M students who were also transfers • Colleges more confident with outcomes of Online Orientation after receiving evaluation data • Have streamlined on-campus orientation schedule, while still meeting the needs of all colleges and departments • Offer online-only option for students enrolling in special degree programs • Eg: College of Continuing Education, off-campus Nursing students, and Dental Hygiene students

24. Online Orientation Programs • Washtenaw Community College: https://www3.wccnet.edu/academics/orientation/online/ • Carroll Community College: www.carrollcc.edu/orientation • Portland Community College:www.pcc.edu/pcc/about/orientation • Napa Valley Community College: www.napavalley.edu/onlineorientation • Salt Lake Community College: www.slcc.edu/orientation/netconnect.asp • Southern Illinois University Carbondale: http://www.soar.siu.edu/transfer/web/home.html • Utah Valley State College:http://www.uvu.edu/orientation/gettingstarted/webstart.html

25. Some information was taken from a report entitled “Framework, Paradigm, and New Transfer Orientation Program.” This report was prepared by Andy Howe, Assistant Director in Orientation & First-Year Programs, 2005. Questions???