This study sought to identify the academic, personal, and social expectations of incoming college freshmen and examine the effects of orientation programming on modifying unrealistic expectations held by some students. A total of 201 paid-deposit incoming freshmen at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, completed a 30-item survey questionnaire mailed…

A study explored the nature of intake procedures of Texas adult education programs. Research on barriers to attendance and strategies for retention were reviewed, and the current use of intake procedures to identify and address barriers to attendance was summarized through a survey of 374 Literacy, Even Start Family Literacy, Adult Basic Education…

Teachers' most common initiatives to help students in their transition to kindergarten signal a negative shift in quality, nature, and depth of contact. Excerpting an article discussing transition practices of kindergarten teachers, this newsletter issue summarizes a study of 3,595 kindergarten teachers. The teachers were asked about their use of…

Describes characteristics of adult college students and provides a composite of institutional responses to these characteristics. Suggests academic policies and services, such as orientation, evaluation, and counseling, should expand to meet the unique needs of nontraditional students. Proposes procedures for policy changes use rational rather…

A six-week summer transition program for students with disabilities entering the University of Arkansas includes academic advising and personal counseling, enrollment in six hours of college credit, and participation in a range of social and recreational activities. Participants rated the program as good college preparation. (MSE)

At Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus in New York City, the large population of nontraditional students, primarily adults, is being encouraged to participate in the career planning process through existing programs, new scheduling, and new programing in four areas: freshman orientation; student activities; the career center; and academic…

Reviews the literature on the reasons that students drop out of college. Offers a plan for freshman retention that asks students about their goals at registration, provides them with a six-hour orientation emphasizing academic excellence, teams them with a faculty mentor, and includes a mandatory for-credit seminar on attending college. (DMM)

Compared three types of orientation programs offered to new students at Salisbury State University (Maryland) traditional, alternative, and outdoor. Findings suggested enrollees in the outdoor program had better adjustment and higher retention rates than enrollees in other programs. The study concluded that interaction/ collaboration among…

Interviews with 66 students, faculty, and administrators in ten departments of a large public research university revealed a number of factors instrumental in integrating first-year students successfully into graduate programs: a structured departmental orientation complementing the university-wide orientation; a culture of collegiality;…

Guidelines are presented for assisting students with disabilities in their transition to college. A higher education transition model is described with three curricular elements: (1) psychosocial adjustment (such as college-level social skills); (2) academic development (such as career awareness); and (3) college/community orientation (such as…

This article discusses the response of at-risk students to their initial library orientation. By presenting an entertaining yet informative session, students will be quickly put at ease. The goal of this type of orientation is to promote the library's resources and services, address basic queries, and encourage students' return in a…

This report focuses on distance education within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) for the 2007-08 academic year and provides documentation of the substantial growth of distance education within all colleges and universities. Distance education is a field of continuous improvement and change, and NSHE institutions are constantly…

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a two-quarter, extended orientation program for new, undecided students at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The course was designed to assist students with the transition from high school to college and acquaint them with strategies to maximize their success at UCI. Of the 690 new,…

At DeKalb College in Clarkston, Georgia, freshman orientation classes are conducted by the counseling and student personnel staff who present information about career planning, study skills, student activities, college regulation, student seminars, drugs, program planning, and library seminars. Classes meet for 10 hours per quarter. During summer…

To determine students' awareness of and satisfaction with matriculation services, California's San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) surveyed 20,448 re-enrolling credit students in fall 1991 and spring 1992 at the District's City, Mesa, and Miramar Colleges and Educational Cultural Complex. Specifically, the survey sought data on student…