The first-semester orientation course at Irvine Valley College (IVC), in California, a non-required course taught by counselors, covers time management, study skills, academic policies, career and academic major exploration, and support services. In an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the course, a study was conducted of the 1990 freshman…

This publication contains two reports describing the development and beginning evaluations of two separate programs of the Baltimore (Maryland) School and Family Connections Project designed to increase parents' involvement in their children's learning in urban middle grades schools. The first report, "Reactions of Parents, Students, and…

Studies of the educational development of adults were conducted to (1) identify adults' perceptions of the personal and institutional factors that help and/or impede them in successfully completing the admissions process for entry into postsecondary education and (2) develop and validate interventions that will enhance adults' decision and…

The object of the investigations reported here is the perceptions students and teachers have of "actual" classrooms and of their "ideal" classrooms. The data come from 10 junior--level classrooms in each of five high schools. The 10 classrooms were selected as follows: two each in English, mathematics, and social Studies; with the remaining four…

The School of Indigenous Health Studies at the University of Sydney (Australia) developed the Cadigal Program to improve equity of access and participation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The program allows lower scores on the University Admission Index or Tertiary Entrance Rank for Aboriginal applicants, who typically enter…

In an attempt to measure student satisfaction with the various components of matriculation (i.e., admissions and registration, orientation and advisement, assessment, and counseling), Golden West College (GWC) in Huntington Beach, California, administered a Matriculation Services Survey to a representative sample of 853 students in fall 1993.…

Characteristics and perceptions of participants in the Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver Program at the University of South Florida (USF) were studied, along with factors important to continuation in the program. Questionnaires were mailed to senior citizens (over 60 years old) using the waiver on all four USF campuses during the first two quarters of…

A continuing orientation course offered by Pennsylvania State University, Beaver Campus, for "social security students" during the 1982 spring term is reviewed in terms of course content, student characteristics, the use of undergraduate group facilitators, the grading system, and students' evaluations of the course. The course was…

In response to California State Assembly Bill (AB) 3, which requires the state's community colleges to implement orientations and other specified matriculation services, Fullerton College (FC) developed two orientation videos in 1989 for native speakers of English and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) students. The videos were used by counselors…

Following the theory that a community of practice must be comprised of three elements: domain, community, and practice (Wenger, 2001), this case study examines the extent to which a university was successful in establishing a community of learners in their orientation program for online graduate students. Specifically, it explores the objectives…

An orientation and peer helper program was developed at a public middle school in a rural community to reduce the problems associated with sixth-grade students transferring into the school during the school year. Transfer students and their parents or guardians were provided with a video and brochure that explained the school's services, programs,…

Three types of workshops dealing with racism and sexism were conducted for 1900 incoming university freshmen as part of their orientation program. The methods were a structured discussion model developed by Sedlacek and Brooks (1976), a Starpower simulation workshop, and a movie discussion group. Students were randomly assigned to one of the three…

Questionnaires examined perceptions of Victoria parents (178); principals (36); K,1,3,4 teachers (186) about children's orientation to kindergarten and K-1 and 3-4 transitions. Results cover initial adjustment to school, orientation programs, difficulty making transitions, reasons for difficulty, K-1 transition classes, shortened kindergarten days…

A study examined rural Australian student experiences of the transition to high school. Data were gathered from interviews, questionnaires, and student journals of 10 rural students during the last 5 weeks of primary school and during the first three terms of Year 7 in high school. Findings indicate that students had many anxieties related to the…

The College Discovery Summer Program (CDSP) is a 6-week program designed to bring students already accepted for admissions to Bronx Community College (BCC) onto campus prior to their first year at BCC. The curriculum component of the CDSP includes intensive courses in mathematics, reading, and writing, while the student development component is a…