Good Practice Case Study

Orientation of first year undergraduates - Faculty of Education

Contributed by: Dr Pauline Lysaght

Abstract:

The Faculty of Education has a full-day program to orient new undergraduate students to the Faculty and their studies. This is held in the UOW Orientation Week, a week prior to commencement of Autumn Session.

Aims:

The orientation aims to support students in their transition to tertiary study, by:

providing them with information about the course, a sense of what to expect, and opportunities to ask questions
helping them getting to know other students
giving them resources they can take away with them - including a CD-ROM with answers to questions and more detailed information than can be absorbed in the first few days.

Context:

The undergraduate intake is around 330 students each year (300 at Wollongong and 30 at Loftus). Students are spread across five pre-service teaching programs: B. Teach. Primary; B. Teach. Early Childhood; B. Education Physical Education/Health; B. Mathematics Education; and B. Science Education.

Outcomes:

Higher levels of retention of first year students
Student feedback shows that the orientation is effective in helping them make the transition to university.

What was done?

Overview

On the Faculty Orientation Day, three information sessions and a BBQ lunch introduce new undergraduates to the Faculty, at both Wollongong campus and Loftus campus. Student helpers (more experienced students) and staff are present for the entire day, with staff and student helpers wearing a special T-shirt to identify who they are. In 2005, the student helpers included those who were part of the development of the student CD.
The CD provides student-centred information, tips and hints, and photos to introduce students to the course
For primary and early childhood students, a `common teaching week` continues the orientation process during Week 1 of session.

Orientation day session 1 - Introduction to the Faculty

Initially, students in all programs are brought together on either the Wollongong campus or the Loftus campus, depending on the particular program in which they are enrolled. In this part of the orientation, they are:

briefed on who`s who in the Faculty and what to expect as a student
given an orientation package that contains:
- the Faculty handbook (recently rewritten) with information about how the programs are structured, important policies and procedures, support services, significant dates, notes on essay writing and referencing as well as any necessary forms
- the student CD `Dive In: A Guide for Beginning Education Students`
- information on scholarships
- other promotional materials.
shown how to use SOLS
given an overview of the student CD and shown how to find information and answers to frequently asked questions.

Orientation day session 2 - Introduction to programs

In a second part of the undergraduate orientation day, students are divided into their programs, and given detailed information about:

what they`ll be doing in first year
what to expect during lectures, tutorials and practicum
what they`ll cover in future years.

They are also asked to indicate their preferred location for school practicum, and fill in the required forms allowing entry to schools.

Orientation day session 3 - Working with a group

The third session places the students into their tutorial groups. With academic staff and student helpers, the new students have the opportunity to get to know each other and to ask questions.

Initially, staff and students discuss:

content of subjects
expectations
the difference between a lecture and a tutorial
how students will work individually and as part of a group.

An important aspect of this session is the input from the student helpers who share their experiences of studying within the Faculty and encourage the new students to ask questions and voice concerns. Typically, the student helpers discuss:

how they planned their workload
how much time they needed to prepare assignments
what it was like to work in schools,
how to balance study and other commitments.

Student evaluations of orientation show that this part of the orientation is highly valued.

Student CD

Feedback from students showed that it was hard for them to absorb all the information they were given at the time of orientation, and that they needed a resource that they could keep referring to in their first year. A successful application was made to an internal Faculty grants scheme (see Funding Teaching Innovation - Faculty of Education) for funding to develop a CD-ROM for first-year undergraduates and Graduate Dip. Ed. students
Two senior year students were employed to coordinate the project, and ensure it was student-centred
An email was sent to every undergraduate and Grad. Dip. Ed. student, asking them to reflect on their own first year experience and offer ideas on what it should include, eg `I wish I`d known earlier that ...`
Similar questions were circulated in a paper questionnaire
These questions were also circulated to academic and administrative staff within the Faculty, with requests for any other feedback that may be relevant.
All of the suggestions from students and staff on the information that first year students needed were collated and arranged into themes
Individual students and staff were approached to write sections and were encouraged to write in `student-speak` rather than in the more formal language of the university
A reference group of around 8-10 students from across programs and years reviewed and contributed material, mostly via email
Graphic design was done by CEDIR
The resulting CD contains a wide range of information including the dress code the Faculty expects during practicum through to other students` experiences and photographs, as well as links to specific resources that will support the beginning student
A celebratory preview was held with the students who had contributed
The CD was given to every new undergraduate and Grad. Dip. Ed. student.

Common teaching week

Primary and early childhood students have an integrated teaching week during the first week of session. In this week, lectures and tutorials for several subjects are replaced by more general sessions which cover:

perspectives on teaching
what students will experience in school visits and practicums
how teachers operate
models on how to conceptualise teaching and how to observe teaching during the visits to the demonstration schools
how their assessment tasks will link across subjects and draw together the different strands of learning
reading and writing at the tertiary level, including a focus on what constitutes plagiarism (this session is run by staff from the Learning Development Unit.

Key dates:

The orientation program has been running since 2001
The common teaching week was introduced in 2004
The CD was released in 2005.

Critical success factors:

Limiting the amount and type of information that is presented during the orientation day - concentrate on essentials only
Helping students put faces and names together, eg by introducing staff during the day and showing them how they can access details of staff later (eg a web site or CD which has photos and contact details)
Providing time for students to connect in small groups where they can get to know each other
Involving experienced students as helpers and session leaders
Standing back during the session led by the student, and allowing the discussion to flow.

Review and improvement:

The orientation day and common teaching week were introduced following a review and recommendations by the First Year Working Party
After each orientation session, students are asked to complete a student evaluation form and numerous improvements have been made as a result
The common teaching period was reviewed using student evaluations, and consequently reduced from two weeks to one week, and from four subjects to three
The new student CD was developed in response to student comments that they need clear answers to common questions, available to them on demand. Research into successful transition to university life indicates that students benefit from practical and portable resources such as a CD.

Future plans:

More students helpers from the Faculty available at the UOW enrolment day to answer questions
The student CD will be reviewed mid-session to determine if it was a useful tool, and to identify improvements for 2006
Staff attended a national conference where a number of universities discussed their first week activities, and brought back new ideas. One of these was for a six week email program (operating at Deakin) where new students receive regular bulletins on things they need to know. A version of this may be developed for the Faculty of Education for 2006.
The Faculties of Education, Science and Creative Arts have been given a 2005 UOW Educational Strategic Development Fund grant to develop an orientation CD that might potentially be used by all Faculties. This would have common information for all students, as well as space for Faculty or course-specific information which could be substituted/modified for particular intakes of students. This CD will also be useful for staff induction into the faculties.
The Faculty of Education orientation processes will continue to be reviewed and improved by the First Year Working Party.