Mandatory Orientation

Description:
Students will be required to attend Passport to Paradise, a mandatory college orientation, prior to registering for classes. Orientation topics and activities will be facilitated using oral presentation, small group, and experiential and on-line formats. Topics and activities will include student motivation and success behaviors; rights and responsibilities; college vocabulary and definitions; time management; campus tours; group advising and schedule building; iGoal (on-line planning tool) registration; and course registration. Session will be approximately 3.50 hours. Multiple sessions will be offered throughout the registration period leading up to first day of classes in Spring, 2007. Orientation will be facilitated using a team approach.

Employee/Departments Involved:
Academic Advising, Admissions and Records, Counseling and Personal Development Division, Student Development Office.

Student Cohort:
1) All first-time college full-time students (intending to enroll in 12 or more credit hours) or
2) All first-time college students placing into one or more developmental courses.

# of Students for Pilot:
An estimated 600-800 students.

Justification:
Research indicates that college students who participate in orientation programs, and thereby connect to college by utilizing college services and establishing relationships with employees and other students, are retained, are more persistent, and are more successful in college than students who do not participate in orientation.

Implications:
All first-time college students intending to enroll in 12 or more credit hours or who have placed into one or more developmental courses will no longer be allowed to register for classes until they have completed the integrated 3.5 hour orientation/advisement/registration session.

Resources Required:
To be determined.

Tentative Orientation Schedule: Fall 2006 and Spring 2007

Wednesday November 1 9:00am – 12:30pm
Friday November 3 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Tuesday November 7 6:00pm – 9:30pm
Thursday November 9 9:00am – 12:30pm

Monday November 13 1:00pm – 4:30pm
Wednesday November 15 6:00pm – 9:30pm
Friday November 17 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Monday November 20 9:00am – 12:30pm
Wednesday November 22 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Monday November 27 9:00am – 12:30pm
Wednesday November 29 6:00pm – 9:30pm
Friday December 1 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Tuesday December 5 9:00am – 12:30pm
Thursday December 7 6:00pm – 9:30pm

Monday December 11 9:00am – 12:30pm
Wednesday December 13 6:00pm – 9:30pm
Friday December 15 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Tuesday December 19 9:00am – 12:30pm
Thursday December 21 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Wednesday January 3 6:00pm – 9:30pm
Friday January 5 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Tuesday January 9 9:00am – 12:30pm
Thursday January 11 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Learning Outcomes:

1. You will learn about attitudes and behaviors that contribute to student success.
2. You will learn about student rights and responsibilities.
3. You will learn about student and academic support services.
4. You will learn about college enrollment policies and procedures.
5. You will learn terminology that is essential for planning your college education.
6. You will learn how to manage time, incorporating academic demands.
7. You will learn about PVCC academic and occupational divisions and departments.
8. You will learn about PVCC academic degrees and occupational degrees and certificates.
9. You will learn about iGoal, an on-line program to help you create, monitor, and achieve personal, academic, and career goals.
10. You will learn how to build a class schedule using your placement assessment scores and time/academic demands analysis.
11. You will learn how to register for classes on-line.