Discover student orientation insights, tips, and strategies from experts
Guide to effective student orientations
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This article will teach you how to plan a student orientation, and discusses 8 well-thought, time-tested student orientation tips that can help institutes, and their orientation program managers craft unforgettable experiences for their students.
A well-planned orientation can set the stage for a successful academic experience and foster a sense of belonging within the institution.
To optimize the effectiveness of the orientation, communicate the expectations and goals to help students understand the purpose and value of their participation.
We recommend outlining specific learning objectives for each orientation module to guide students through the content and ensure they grasp key concepts. Lastly, offering regular feedback and assessments can help students gauge their progress and identify areas for improvement.
Your orientation programs must consider the short attention span of today’s students. In the age of video and TikToks, having students go through a traditional orientation may not work. That’s where gamification can be very helpful.Gamification can make your student orientation programs more engaging and enjoyable.
Let’s take a look at some techniques you can use to gamify your orientation:
If you divide your orientation program into phases or milestones, you can follow up each one of them with a mini quiz to help students recall and validate their learnings. Using such techniques can help improve information retention.
Mini quizzes can also help you get feedback from students immediately, and help you identify areas of improvement in your orientation program.
Rewards and incentives, such as digital badges or redeemable points, can motivate students to complete tasks and explore the orientation content more thoroughly.If you’re thinking that gamification could be a great idea, but aren’t sure how to implement it - don’t worry.
We recommend using an online student orientation software like Orientus. You can take your entire student orientation process online, and gamify different aspects of your program - all through one application. See how Orientus works.
If you’re an institute that provides tech facilities, your students will expect you to personalize their orientation experience. Other than serving student expectations, personalization will also improve your orientation experience.
You can tailor orientation content and offer resources to individual students based on their academic programs, interests, and needs. This personalization can help students feel more connected and invested in their learning experience.
Orientus, can be a game changer when it comes to personalizing your student orientation program. One of its standout features is its student dashboard and targeted announcements. You can post news, resources, and different media to a targeted group of students - filtered by their program type, nationality, and education background. And students can view all this information from their personalized dashboards.
For example, you can post resources for international students, to make it easier for them to navigate a new country and culture. And only those students will be able to see this content from their accounts.
Plan ice breaker activities to make new environments more comfortable for your students.Your priority as an orientation planner should be to empathize with students who might be feeling anxious, nervous, or even scared - and help them overcome those feelings. For example: you can have faculty members or senior students share personal experiences that can help new students look forward to their time at your institute.
Avoid asking students to engage with unnecessarily complex docs to share or get their information - a fragmented system only causes confusion. Instead, use one platform that can do it all for you.The platform you choose should be easy to use, regardless of a student’s technical proficiency.
Software also provides features like closed captioning and screen reader compatibility, to ensure students with disabilities can fully participate in the orientation experience. Offer dedicated support and assistance to help students overcome any technical or accessibility challenges they may encounter.
If your institute or school has a significant history or traditions, introduce your new students to it, and make sure they feel like they’re a part of something. This builds a strong sense of inclusion. Add important elements of your institute to your orientation activities by showing new students your mascot, or motto through engaging activities.
This also helps your students build a thriving social life on campus, something that can prove to be very productive. For example: Stanford continues to have traditions like Band Run, Mausoleum, Gaieties, Big Game, Senior Nights, and Frosh Formal, which are attended by hundreds of students.Get inspired by these 10 traditions at the Ivy League school - Cornell.
Your orientation program must accommodate diverse learning styles and schedules. Allow students the flexibility to progress through the orientation at their own pace. Additionally, you must also provide access to orientation content after completion so students can revisit important information.
Furthermore, offering orientation sessions at various times and dates can enable students in different time zones and with varying availability to participate. Orientus can be a great method to make information available anytime, and provide orientation schedules in multiple calendar views.
To improve students' success beyond orientation, offer resources like academic advising, tutoring services, and mental health support. Collecting students' feedback can help you identify areas that need improvement and inform future orientation planning.
Student mental health should be a top priority for institutes, and you must communicate to your student during orientation how seriously you take mental health. You do this by sharing wellness resources, and citing examples of how these resources have worked for students previously.Harvard University has a great example of this. You can check out their wellness resources here.
Onboarding support is a cornerstone of successful online student orientations. It's essential to provide comprehensive support to help students navigate any technical challenges they might face. Begin by offering a range of support resources, including detailed video tutorials and step-by-step guides.
These resources can cover everything from logging into the orientation platform to accessing course materials and participating in online activities.
Additionally, setting up a dedicated support line or a chat-based support system can provide students with real-time assistance. Creating a personalized FAQ section for each batch, campus, or course ensures that students only see questions relevant to their specific context, making it easier for them to find the information they need.
Social media integration can significantly enhance student engagement and foster a sense of community. Encourage students to share their achievements and experiences on social media platforms, tagging the university and orientation leaders. For example, students who complete activities or win orientation challenges can post their rewards and accomplishments, generating positive buzz and encouraging others to participate.
For inspiration, check out Instagram pages like novaorientation and rutgerstransition. These accounts consistently post engaging content that resonates with students, featuring highlights and achievements that drive impressive engagement.
Additionally, you can create social media campaigns or challenges that involve students sharing their orientation journey. This not only promotes the orientation program but also helps students feel more connected to their peers and the university.
Helping students connect with each other before the official start of the orientation can reduce initial awkwardness and create a more welcoming environment. One effective way to do this is by setting up platforms like Discord servers or social media groups where students can meet and interact based on shared interests.
For example, Arizona State University (ASU) has a program called "Devil to Devil" on Discord, where new students can engage with their peers, ask questions, and learn more about ASU from those who’ve been there. It’s a fantastic way to help students find common ground and build friendships before they even step onto campus.
Conducting online activities that encourage students to collaborate and communicate can also be beneficial. These activities can range from icebreaker games to interest-based discussion forums, helping students find common ground and build friendships even before they step onto campus.
Did you know that Gen Z students spend an average of 7+ hours a day on their mobile phones? With so much time spent online, it makes sense to include some online components in your orientation.
For example, before students even arrive on campus, you can offer virtual campus tours, 360-degree views of key buildings, and detailed guides on how to get around. This way, they can familiarize themselves with their new environment at their own pace, without feeling overwhelmed.
In-person activities have a unique impact that online interactions can’t quite replicate. On orientation day, you can organize fun icebreakers, group games, and hands-on sessions where students can interact face-to-face with their peers and faculty. This personal connection helps them feel more comfortable and integrated into the community.
By blending online and offline elements, you give students the best of both worlds: the convenience and accessibility of online resources with the personal touch and camaraderie that only in-person experiences can offer.
Welcoming your students with a well-planned orientation is great, but how do you know if they even liked it? What are they telling others about their experience? How would you find out? To answer these critical questions, you need direct feedback from the students themselves.
Polling your students during and after orientation is an effective way to gather this valuable insight. Instead of making it a generic task, keep your polls short, focused, and relevant to specific activities. For example, you can ask students how they felt about the virtual campus tour or if the icebreaker games helped them make new friends.
Use real-time polling during events to adjust activities on the fly, ensuring higher engagement.
By knowing what resonates well and what might need tweaking, you can continuously enhance the experience for each new group of students, making every orientation better than the last.
We hope these student orientation tips helped you improve your orientation program, and inspired you to give your students a great first experience. Your goal should be to cultivate a profound sense of communion and unity within your esteemed institution.
We also highly recommend using Orientus for your student orientation. It’s a smart, intuitive software that’s currently used by some of the best institutes like Taylor’s University. Request a free demo of Orientus today!
I'm a highly skilled project manager with extensive experience in the education technology industry. With a background in computer science and a passion for improving educational outcomes, I have dedicated my career to developing innovative software solutions that make learning more engaging, accessible, and effective.
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