1. How to Create and Teach an Orientation Course Celeste Spier, MA Coordinator, College of Arts &Sciences Advising Center University of Nebraska- Lincoln

2. Agenda Current Research on Orientation Courses Possible Course Structures Content Options Assignment Options Degree Application Considerations

3. Introduction Psychology Adviser, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (6 years) Taught an orientation course called PSYC 100: Career Planning for Psychology Majors o 180 students per semester (360 total for academic year) o 1 credit o Pass/No Pass o Required for all Psychology Majors Made significant improvements to the course over 6 years

4. Audience Poll How many of you want to: o Create a new orientation course? o Improve a current orientation course? o Just learn more about orientation courses (neither of the above options)?

5. Current Research Orientation courses have been one of the most successful techniques employed to increase graduation and retention rates (Davig & Spain, 2003- 2004) Orientation courses have also been associated with increased satisfaction with their college experience, a stronger rating of academic advising, a stronger connection to faculty, and increased success after college (Hendel, 2006) Students report the following as the most important topics to cover: study skills, advising information, and curriculum planning (Davig & Spain, 2003-2004).

6. Current Research Orientation courses are not likely to provide career information, but evaluations show that students request more information regarding career choices (Davig & Spain, 2003-2004) o In a study by Macera and Cohen (2006), 93% of students reported their career plans being affected by the course, with 62% changing their plans Research on overall student perceptions of orientation courses are overwhelmingly positive (Macera & Cohen, 2006)

7. Curriculum Process Familiarize yourself with the university, college, and departmental curriculum process at your school o Who is on the curriculum committee? o When do they meet? o What are the deadlines for submissions for the next academic year? Become an expert in this process before you develop your curriculum

8. Possible Course Structures University-wide o Pros: All students on campus are involved, Connects students to other majors and perspectives o Cons: Must have buy-in and resources from university, Content won’t be as targeted, More administrative coordination necessary College-wide o Pros: Content can be more targeted, Smaller number of students, Students connect with students, advisers, and faculty in their college o Cons: Some college are still quite diverse, Course designation

9. Possible Course Structures Departmental o Pros: Content can be very targeted, Students connect with other students in their major, their adviser, and faculty in their department o Cons: Must have buy-in from departmental advisers, faculty, and chair, Quality and content can vary among departments, May be a big time and energy commitment depending on size of department Programmatic/Population-Based o Pros: Target specific groups of students who may be at risk for retention, Course could be tied to learning community, scholarship, etc… o Cons: Difficult to identify the students, Student may have diverse majors, career goals, and other needs

10. Possible Course Structures Lectures o Advisers o Faculty o Guest Speakers Small Group Discussion o Inside of class time, if class is small o Outside of class time, if class is large Panels o Faculty or undergrads Research Assistants to discuss research o Current upper-class students to discuss college/major o Professionals or alumni to discuss careers Tours

11. Possible Course Structures Who should teach it? o Faculty member o Adviser o Undergraduate Teaching Assistants When should it be offered? o Ensure it does not conflict with other required courses for major/degree o Have a plan for non-traditional students o Must sure there is enough class space for retakes

12. Possible Course Structures When should the course be taken? o Most models have the students taking the course as early in their college career as possible o First 6 weeks in college, and transition from freshman to sophomore year are especially critical Should the course be online or in-class? o In-class is preferred o Online module format can be done How many weeks long should it be? o 7-10 is common

13. Content Options Study Skills, Time Management, & Adjustment to College Degree Requirements & Policies Demonstration of Online Resources Career Information o Potential Careers o Career Preparation Preparing for Graduate or Professional School Research/Creative Activity Opportunities Departmental/Major Content Information

14. Assignment Options Study Skills, Time Management, & Adjustment to College o Attend a meeting for (or join) a student organization o Create a weekly schedule and an semester calendar o Weekly journaling Campus Resources o Attend a session with an Academic Success Coach (or Writing Center, Math Resource Center, Career Services, Education Abroad, etc…) o Interview a campus student leader and write a summary report Demonstration of Online Resources o Bring degree audit to class o Register for next semester and confirm with an academic adviser

15. Assignment Options Degree Requirements and Policies o Set up individual advising appointment o Readings from university bulletin and other websites o Create a graduation plan Career Information o Conduct career interviews with people in professions you may want to pursue o Research a career of interest o Attend the career fair and talk to 3 employers (Take a selfie at the fair!) o Create a resume o Create a career action plan o Register for your school’s job search website (e.g. Husker Hire Link) o Create an account on LinkedIn o Take a career assessment o Write out your 5- and 10-year career goals

16. Assignment Options Preparing for Graduate or Professional School o Write a paper about what you will need to do to get into your desired post-undergraduate program o Meet with a pre-professional adviser or graduate admissions representative Departmental/Major Content Information o Write a short literature review about a topic within your major o Read a journal article from a major-related journal and write a summary o Attend a professor’s open office hours and introduce yourself o Interview faculty, postdoc, or graduate student about their area of study Research/Creative Activity Opportunities o Read about faculty research interests on your major’s website o Participate in a research study as a participant

17. Assignment Options General Assignments o Write a reflection paper to demonstrate doing an activity listed o Require attendance o Quizzes and Exams o Textbook

18. Degree Application Considerations Required or Optional o If optional, you end up “preaching to the crowd” Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass Credit or Non-Credit o 0 or 1 credit (1-1.5 hours per week) o Avoid the combination of optional and 0 credit Policy for Waiving the Course o Non-traditional students o 2 nd majors (if course is departmental) o Transfer students o Upper-Class students

19. Questions What questions do you have at this point?

20. Small Group Discussion Break into small groups of your choice Potential discussion questions o What concerns do you have about developing an orientation course? o What barriers have you run into when trying to develop an orientation course? o What improvements would you like to make in your current orientation course? o What have you already done that could be shared as a best practice?

21. References Davig, W. B. & Spain, J. W. (2003-2004). Impact on freshmen retention of orientation course content: Proposed persistence model. Journal of College Student Retention, 5(3), 305-323. Hendel, D. D. (2006-2007). Efficacy of participating in a first-year seminar on student satisfaction and retention. Journal of College Student Retention, 8(4), 413-423. Macera, M. H. & Cohen, S. H. (2006). Psychology as a profession: An effective career exploration and orientation course for undergraduate psychology majors. The Career Development Quarterly, 54.

22. ©2007 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved. Thank you. Celeste Spier, MA Coordinator, College of Arts & Sciences Advising Center University of Nebraska-Lincoln cspier2@unl.edu