DREAM 2013
ATD Annual Meeting on Student Success
Using Technology to Create a Successful New Student Orientation
Making “Mandatory” Manageable:
Karen Stills
Elizabeth Flash
ECC Facts
Flagship campus for the
Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD)- Opened in 1966
Downtown Dallas, TX Offers Associate level
degrees, transferrable core courses and career training in over 40 fields.
Enrollment: 11,300 credit
ECC Diversity
• 88.9% are first generation students • 60% of incoming students have to
take at least one developmental course.
• 33.9% African-American • 32.3% Hispanic
• 30% 25 yrs. of age or older and did
not graduate from HS
• 24.6% speak another language
other than English as their primary language.
Learning Objectives
Today we will discuss:
The transition process towards establishing mandatory new student orientation (NSO)
Three ways that technology can assist in making the transition to mandatory NSO
Tips & Lessons Learned
Mandatory New Student Orientation (NSO)
Piloted in Fall 2011 and fully implemented in Spring 2012
History of NSO at El Centro
Orientation began in Fall 2005 conducted through the Advisement office
2 hour informational orientation
Served about 40 students per orientation Did not engage students
After attending NODA committee members revamped orientation
November 2007 –NSO included several student development areas
8 committee members and approximately 30 staff /faculty/student volunteers generally
participated
History of NSO at El Centro
An officially recognized NSO college
committee was established in Fall 2010. The
committee’s charge is to:
“Plan New Student Orientation activities for Fall and Spring semesters to increase new student
awareness about programs and services
Original NSO Revised Mandatory NSO
Served 800-1000 students 3 large (uncapped)
sessions per semester 30-40 volunteers (staff and students) 6-hour agenda Serve 2100-2500 students 21-25 sessions per semester (capped at 100 ea.)
Full time Retention
Coordinator & Organized volunteer registry
5.5-hour agenda
Original NSO Revised Mandatory NSO
Number of man hours:
3 sessions *6 hours each
session = 18 hours per volunteer (not including planning, meetings, etc.)
Includes ice breakers,
student services info, food, and student testimonials. Online version unavailable
Number of man hours:
25 sessions * 5 hours each
session = 125 hours per volunteer (not including planning, meetings, etc.)
Focus on registration, financial aid and general college info.
Online version must be developed
The Council on the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS)
Inform students about the history, traditions, and campus cultures to
help integrate them with the institution.
Inform new students as well as their families about the availability of
services and programs ; as well as personal health, safety and security assurances.
Assist new students as well as their families in becoming familiar with
the campus and local environment (tours).
Provide intentional opportunities for new students to interact with
fellow new students as well as continuing students, faculty and staff members. (Interest Groups).
Plan must have technical and support staff members adequate to
CAS Standards and Guidelines for Orientation Programs (cont’d)
Faculty involvement within development AND delivery of Orientation
is essential to its success. Specifically faculty involvement with student advising.
Institutions must provide appropriate services in ways that are
accessible to distance learners and assist them in identifying and
gaining access to other appropriate services in their geographic region.
Provide dedicated staff and space.
Regularly assessed orientation evaluations must be disseminated
campus wide and used to revise and improve programs and services and in recognizing staff performance.
Communicate with other colleges
Manage Expectations
Prepare for Possible Challenges
NSO Sample Agenda
(Fall 2013)8:30-9:00 Check-in
9:00-10:30 General Session
-Welcome
- Ice Breaker
- Student Services Video
- College 101
10:45-11:45 Financial Aid
11:45-12:15 Lunch
12:30-2:30/3:30 Advising & Registration *Extended Orientation Available
Challenges Along the Way
There were a number of issues that required time, research and
piloting to effectively provide NSO to all new students.
Some of the issues included:
- Technology (lack of use)
- The ability to uniformly block students (in order to ensure
mandatory participation)
- Content Debate
- Inadequate volunteer base - Promotion
- Lack of dedicated NSO funds and staff
Things to Consider
Advising office will need additional staff or office
closures to facilitate advising for large groups
Financial Aid Staffing
Payment due dates & Payment Extensions
Influx of students during the last few weeks of
registration
Online orientation option should be launched at the
Things to Consider (cont’d)
Student services areas are traditionally overly extended
during the summer
Multiple routes to apply serves as a challenge
Students who apply to El Centro do not always choose to take
classes here (issues w/ blocks)
Training
Marketing
Using
Technology to Work Smarter
Use technology to help you work smarter, not harder
Title V Funding
Began to utilize technology to assist with work that was both time consuming and repetitive
Using Technology: Communications
Call Em All- A “phone tree” service used to assist with reminder messaging.
Constant Contact- An email marketing and tracking system.
Using Technology: Placement Assessment
Accuplacer Test Prep Video
Technology Used:
Webcam
Camtasia- Screen recording and video editing
Using Technology: Online NSO
El Centro College Online NSO
Technology Used:
Video & Editing Software
Partnered with Dallas Colleges Online
Use of Evidence
New Student Orientation Student
Learning Outcomes
Outcomes must be established before
you build or improve your program
Assessment must be intentionally
built-in, rather than an after-thought
Begin with the end result in mind and
build processes accordingly
Focus on the “WHAT” and then work
Use of Evidence
Assessed NSO learning outcomes using online surveys
Satisfaction (Indirect)
Knowledge gained
Improvements to be made
Student Involvement
Lessons Learned
Senior leaders demonstrate
willingness to support changes in practices, procedures, and
resource allocation to improve student success.
Lessons Learned
Limited human resources calls for innovative use of technology.
Incorporating innovative technology requires time, research and resources. There are a number of ways that
technology can be incorporated into NSO at very low costs.
May require re-evaluation of your entire enrollment process from start to finish.
Lessons Learned
Culture changes and communication
were huge transition challenges, not only for new students, but for the college staff and faculty as well.
Obtaining support and adequate
resources from executive level
administration was a critical element.
There has to be a “consequence” for not
participating in anything coined as
“mandatory”, otherwise both staff and faculty will not support the initiative.
In designing a mandatory orientation,
consider how other campus initiatives can be linked. This can strengthen
Lessons Learned
What are your “lessons learned”? Think back to the primary issue
and or concern that you had at the beginning of today’s session. Partner with a neighbor and share
what strategies or tools you can use to impact your institution’s orientation program.
Questions? Karen Stills
Student Services Coordinator
[email protected] (214) 860-2033
Elizabeth Flash Retention Coordinator
[email protected] (214) 860-2094
Felicitas “Fela” Alfaro
Executive Dean of Student & Enrollment Services
