A newsletter format and a one-day on-campus orientation program for parents were compared using three criteria: factual knowledge, attitude, and perceptions of the university. Results indicated that different systems of information dissemination have differential effects on the parents of incoming freshmen. (Author)

At the beginning of the l974-75 term, Florida A & M University innovated the concept of the miniquarter. Its central purpose was to foster the development of the collegiate life styles, attitudes, motivations, and work-study habits almost absolutely demanded by competitive curricula. The idea appeared to be rational, relevant, and workable.…

Current freshman orientation practices among U.S. colleges and universities are described and comments upon the degree of concurrence between these practices and an evolving philosophy of freshman orientation are made. Letters requesting copies of orientation programs were sent to a random sample of 160 colleges and universities, divided equally…

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…

Describes the College Orientation Program offered by South Mountain Community College in Arizona, an intensive three-day program focusing on study skills, coping strategies, skills assessment, and exposure to postsecondary education. Explains operational considerations; collaboration among high schools, community colleges, universities, and…

Tests the claim to comprehensiveness of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives by analyzing educational objectives of some freshmen orientation programs and those connected with human developmental tasks. It is concluded that the taxonomy should be enlarged with a fourth domain: actual induction into tasks for which students are being…

The development of a one-day preenrollment program for early acceptees at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Rutgers Medical School that informs the acceptees about the educational program is described. An increase of 40 percent of the acceptees appears to be related directly to the program. (Author/MLW)

This study offers support for the hypothesis that an issue-oriented discussion at parents' orientation can have an impact on parental attitudes. (Author)

This study assessed the learning outcomes of students with disabilities who attended the "New Student Orientation Program" at California State University, Northridge in the fall 2003 semester. Forty-two students completed a locally developed pretest and posttest that contained 25 core questions. These questions covered the content areas of…

Describes the development, format, and content of a new faculty orientation and mentoring program. The orientation program targets immediate information concerning employment and getting started in the classroom, while the mentoring program provides peer support for the duration of the employee's first years of service. The initiative is divided…

This annotated bibliography describes resource materials on educational theory and practice related to the first college year. This edition contains nearly twice as many entries as the second edition. Works are grouped into these topical headings: (1) "Academic Advising and Student Counseling"; (2) "Academic Support"; (3) "Assessment and…

This book's 10 chapters offer support and information on effective training of instructors of first-year college seminars. The included chapters are: (1) "Instructor Training: Rationale, Results, and Content Basics" (Joseph B. Cuseo); (2) "Teaching and Today's Changing First-Year Students" (M. Lee Upcraft and Pamela S. Stephens); (3) "What We Know…

Data showed that (a) it is possible to design programs that result in statistically significant differences in mean GPA by group and in level of knowledge about a campus, and (b) voluntary withdrawal and academic dismissal are not affected by orientation programs. (Author)

Presents a play that gives elementary school students a lighthearted but informative overview of middle school life. The play presents information about curriculum, lockers, physical education, materials, and classwork. Notes student reactions to the presentation. (RC)