An Online Student Orientation that Closes the Gaps

1. An Online Student Orientation that Closes the Gaps First Year Experience Strategies

2. Why are we here?

3. SENSE - Survey of Entering Student Engagement Key Findings: Early Connections The majority of entering students say they felt welcome at college, but smaller percentages of students report that they received information and support that is critical for their success. http://www.ccsse.org/sense/survey/survey.cfm

4. Achieving the Dream Promising Practices : 2010 Leader Colleges • First-Year Experience efforts are comprehensive approaches designed to improve success rates and increase retention of first-year students. • First-Year Experience programs may include interventions focused on the streamlining admissions processes, increasing financial aid uptake, community outreach, student success courses, and targeted orientation and advisement.

5. ACC Student Success Initiative 5 Core Goals The college measures its success through the core SSI goals and employs multiple intervening strategies to achieve them. • Increase Persistence (Term-to-Term & Fall to Fall) • Complete Developmental and Adult Education course progression to credit courses • Increase Completion of All Attempted Courses with a 'C' or Better • Increase Degree/Certificate Graduates and Transfer Rates • Increase success equity across all racial/ethnic/gender/income groups

6. Entering Student Engagement Summer 2009 Entering Student Engagement Ad-Hoc Committee included student services staff and faculty Projects • College Success Course • Student Success Workshops (F2F and Online • New Student Orientation (F2F and Online)

7. The Instructional Development Edge Instructional Development Services (IDS) was invited to participate in the ESE Ad-Hoc Committee because • IDS designed and developed a tutorial on admissions and registration in 2005 – request to ‘enhance’ presentation • IDS was experienced the design and development of online courses and programs • IDS provided curriculum development, instructional design, multimedia development and video production. Instructional Designers are usually not at the table during planning if they are there at all.

8. The Orientation Program (TOP) Fall 2010 • Revised F2F Orientation Delivered • New Online Orientation Delivered (October) • Mandatory for First-time-in-college (FTIC) • Registration hold for the following semester

9. The Results

10. Impact of Orientation Fall09 to Spring 10

11. Impact of OrientationOnline and Face-to-Face

12. Impact of OrientationBy Gender

13. Impact of OrientationBy Ethnicity

14. Impact of OrientationBy Ethnicity

15. Impact of OrientationBy Ethnicity

16. Impact of OrientationMales

17. Impact of OrientationFemales

18. Impact of OrientationFemales / Ethnicity SSI Core Goals 1. Increase persistence term to term and year to year 5. Increase success equity across all racial, ethnic, gender, and income groups

19. Impact of OrientationMales / Ethnicity SSI Core Goals 1. Increase persistence term to term and year to year 5. Increase success equity across all racial, ethnic, gender, and income groups

20. Impact of OrientationFTIC/ Gender SSI Core Goals 1. Increase persistence term to term and year to year 5. Increase success equity across all racial, ethnic, gender, and income groups

21. Impact of OrientationNon Resident Alien SSI Core Goals 4. Increase persistence term to term and year to year 7. Increase success equity across all racial, ethnic, gender, and income groups

22. The Orientation Program @ ACC

23. Traditional Orientations • Many orientations are developed by the department that offers or oversees the delivery of the program. • Staff or faculty are familiar with the content and what they perceive students need. • Online orientations try to replicate F2F information (i.e. look like websites, heavy use of talking head video, etc.

24. Orientation Examples • http://www.inverhills.edu/onlineorientation/ • https://orientation.ws.edu/ • http://www.online-orientation.net/normandale/technology_resources.cfm • http://www.yccd.edu/woodland/orientation/index.html • http://www.kellogg.edu/admissions/onlineorientation/index.html • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EyM8dBpF58 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyeYmUXgqG0 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNQ4hlYD3k&feature=related • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE21ZGscyNE

25. Instructional Designers • Specialize in conducting needs analyses to clearly identify needs (data-driven) • Develop targeted learning experiences (based on audience needs) • Ensure that the resources and materials help learners reach the expected outcomes • Start with the end in mind – what will be tested

26. Development • Delivered Online • Part of NEXUS portal (DEF) • Tracked through IT interface • Testing Component • FTIC student requirement • Registration Hold for 2nd Semester

27. Design • A Tutorial/Training Module • Revise Orientation Objectives / Outcomes • Clear expectations • What’s in it for me? • After completing orientation, you will be able to… • Provide relevance through supporting information • Quotes from others outside of the institution • Why is this important or what is in it for me?

28. Design (continued) • Chunk information into short segments • Help students digest small amounts of information at a time • Edited to read at a 7th grade level • Graphics support references in the text but are not central • Video is used when it helps show something we cannot do with text or audio. (College Connection example)

29. Design (continued) • Information is clearly sequenced • Step-by-step • Each section builds on the next • Like information is grouped • Tracks the status of completion • How far have I gone • How much more is left • Elements of a gaming - progress towards goal

30. Design (continued) • Assessment • Check for understanding combines cases with some multiple choice. • Cases tell stories of students and help the reader connect – • Emotional connection provides greater recall. • Case answers provide additional useful information to reinforce concepts that were in the tutorial.

31. Design (continued) • Completing TOP • Once all sections are completed, student has 3 take-aways from TOP • Completion Certificate • Resources Page • Emergency Procedures Doc. • Reward/Incentive – registration hold removed

32. Evaluation • Point-of-Service (Handout) • Design • Self-reported outcome • Used to redesign and revise • End of Semester Survey • Focus Groups • Interviews

33. ACC NEXUS • Houses the student tutorials for • Admission and Registration (ACC 101) • Paying for College (ACC 102) • The Orientation Program (ACC 103) • Open to anyone • Tracks student use • Provides resources at completion http://www.austincc.edu/nexus/

34. The Future of New Student Orientationand NEXUS Additional Modules • Distance Learning (ACC 105) • Student Support Services (ACC 106) • Academic Resources (ACC 104) • Student Technology Skills (ACC 107) • International Student Orientation Track Interface with New Student Portal Test Prep and Remediation Modules

35. Q & A Dr. Susan Thomason Director Instructional Development Services 512-223-7796 sthomaso@austincc.edu Porfolio Reel: Instructional Development Services @ ACC