This qualitative study reports on an on-entry orientation intervention designed to support and retain students transitioning to higher education at an Irish private higher education institution. Following the intervention, a qualitative study was conducted with the aim of exploring new undergraduate student experiences of transitioning to higher…

The students who walk into the office of Jaydeen Santos at the University of Vermont (UVM) are burdened by a familiar litany of troubles. They feel isolated. Homesick. Overwhelmed by classes. Unsure where to turn. Santos, the student services advisor at UVM's Mosaic Center for Students of Color, knows just how they feel. Because 17 years ago, she…

As increasing numbers of colleges establish inclusive postsecondary education programs, it is important to explore how students with intellectual disability are supported in all aspects of campus life. The present study focused on inclusive first-year orientation programs from the vantage point of 16 student group leaders, faculty group leaders,…

Many professionals in student services are currently looking for ways to increase the number of services and quality at a reduced cost. One alternative is more extensive use of modern technology. The search for computer applications in student services has intensified and will probably continue to do so because some of the trends are already…

Planning programs with learning outcomes that address diversity issues on campus can become fairly routine--a "plug and play" task--for a director of multicultural student affairs at a private, religious, predominantly white liberal arts university. However, connecting with African American and other minority students when they arrived on campus…

Most colleges and universities offer Freshman Orientation for new students. When students arrive, however, they often are unprepared and unsure of how to take full advantage of these orientation sessions. No matter what the orientation program looks like at a college, knowing what to expect during the first few weeks can make the difference…

Using data from the Virginia Community College System and building upon prior Florida-based research, this study examines whether student success course enrollment has positive associations with shorter term student outcomes, including earning any college credits within the first year and persisting into the second year. The present study finds…

At the beginning of the first year, student affairs staff members serve as educators through special programs and activities that have an impact on students' success in college.

Describes an optional orientation program which provides a week-long live-in experience, along with a host of opportunities and experiences that support entrance into the university culture. (Author)

This model presents an experimental orientation program at a computer college. Subjects were 200 freshmen students, 100 of whom participated in the experimental program and 100 of whom acted as a control group. The control group went through a traditional orientation program - three four-hour sessions in a large auditorium. The experimental…

Since new student orientation programs are planned to help the college assimilate large numbers of incoming students into its community with a minimum of agitation and to help the student to effectively adapt to unfamiliar surroundings quickly and effectively, orientation planners must clearly understand the manner in which students interact with…

The purpose of this report is to aid those involved in the orientation of freshmen by providing insights about expectations and myths that entering students bring to campus. The author suggests that the best, but impossible method of understanding the entering freshman would be a personal interview. An alternate approach is the Student Orientation…

Freshman Camps, part of the University of Minnesota's orientation program, are held prior to Welcome Week, and are voluntary. This study attempts to describe characteristics of those students who chose to attend in 1968. Approximately 685 students among the 8,575 freshmen entering the University in 1969 went to one of seven Freshman Camps,…

A revised orientation week program at Flinders University is described that emphasized the "care group" concept in which the new students were assigned to a small, carefully organized group within the larger group. Support programs such as one for study skills are underway. (LBH)

The purpose of this study was to determine student attitudes towards a participant-centered general orientation program conducted during summer advance enrollment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The over-all student reaction to the orientation meeting was highly positive. (Author)