Expanding Our View of EO to Include Pre-O
Brett L. Bruner, Director of Transition & Student Conduct
Carla Parra, Student Director for New Student Orientation
Jasmine Hernandez, Pre-Orientation Program Team Leader for Project Lighthouse
Morgan Klaus, Pre-Orientation Program Team Leader for Project Serve
2017 NODA Region IV Conference | Dallas, TX
Overview
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Learning Outcomes
What? The Story of Orientation & Transition at FHSU
So What? A Literature Review of National Pre-Orientation Programs
So What? Re-imaging EO at FHSU Through Pre-O
Now What?
Lessons Learned Along the Way
Closing, Q&A & Reflection
Learning Outcomes
As a result of participating in this session, participants will:
• Define pre-orientation programs.
• Identify 2 benefits to students of participating in a preorientation program.
• Describe 1 strategy to implement a thematic pre-orientation
program on their campus.
What?
• Alignment with Henderson’s (2007) description of regional,
state comprehensive universities
• August 2012 – hiring of first Director of Transition & Student
Conduct
What?
What?
What?
What?
What?
So What?
Pre-Orientation Programs:
So What?
Pre-Orientation Programs: voluntary activities that take place
for incoming students before the start of a fall
orientation/welcome week/end, generally structured around a
common theme
Kathryn Thompson, M., & Consi, T. R. (2007). Engineering outreach through college
pre-orientation programs: MIT discover engineering. Journal of STEM Education,
8(3), 75-82.
So What? A Literature Review
• Bell, Reid Holmes & Williams’s (2010) census of pre-orientation
programs
– To facilitate the transition to college
– Mainly a U.S. phenomenon at 4-year institutions
– First Pre-O program – Dartmouth College in 1932
– Number of Pre-O programs is increasing  Outdoor are most
increasing
So What? A Literature Review
• Farnan & Pei’s (2016) common goals of pre-orientation
programs
– Interact with other new students who share a common interest in
order to develop a base of peers prior to fall orientation
– Create connections with upperclass students
– Familiarity with campus
– Exposure to community & its expectations
– Explore personal interests and discover opportunities for involvement
and growth in that area
So What? A Literature Review
• Greene & Greene’s (2005) charge to institutions to implement
Pre-O programs to jumpstart student engagement
– Summer O has become assumed part of the new student experience
– Pre-O provides students connections opportunities
– Limitless possibilities
– Why bother? Benefits of Pre-O:
• Facilitation of transition
• Improved retention
• Social acclimation
So What? A Literature Review
• Gass, Garvey & Sugerman’s (2013) long-term effects of
participating in Pre-O programs
– Challenging assumptions of self & others
– Peer friendships as a support network
So What? A Literature Review
• Bell’s (2006) findings of increased social support &
development through Pre-O experiences
– “The work of any life transition involves specific tasks, often including
the re-establishment of social support in a variety of forms. College
students are particularly affected by transition, often disrupting
established support systems while transitioning into adulthood.” (p.
248).
– Charge for institutions to develop new models for social integration
through Pre-O
So What? A Literature Review
• Kathryn Thompson & Consi’s (2007) identification of benefits
of adopting Pre-O to engage key students & student leaders
– Enhance the first year experience
– Improve academic performance
– Provide a memorable first experience
– Key benefits for upperclass students
So What? Implementation
• Golden Beginnings: Pre-Orientation Program – Project Serve
So What? Implementation
• Golden Beginnings: Pre-Orientation Program – Project Lighthouse
So What? Implementation
• Project Ignite – a pre-orientation experience for first-year
students wanting to jumpstart their student leadership &
engagement
• Project Forge – outdoor, wilderness-based program
• Project Build – emphasis on teamwork & soft skills for first-year
students in Werth College of Science, Technology & Math
So What? Implementation
• Curriculum development using Lattuca & Stark’s (2009) model:
– Purposes:
– Content:
– Sequence:
– Learners:
– Instructional Processes:
– Instructional Resources:
– Evaluation:
– Adjustment:
So What? Implementation
• Program marketing & participant recruitment
• Utilization of campus & community partners
• Balancing the separation of track identities while allowing for
intersectionality & cross-campus collaborations with other preexperiences (International Student Orientation, KAMS
Orientation, LLC Orientation, Marching Band Orientation, etc.)
So What? Implementation
• Upperclass student leader (Guide) engagement & development
Now What?
• Break into 6 different groups across the room to identify what
strategies you would utilize to develop a pre-orientation
program:
– Group 1: Service immersion Pre-O program
– Group 2: Pre-O program for first-generation college students
– Group 3: Student leadership & engagement Pre-O program
– Group 4: Outdoor/wilderness/adventure-based Pre-O program
– Group 5: Pre-O program for STEM students
– Group 6: Other – you select the focus for you group
Lessons Learned Along the Way
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Start small with 1 Pre-O program & then expand.
Understand the interests of your students.
Collaborating with campus partners is key!
Curriculum development will set the stage for a successful (or
failed) Pre-O program.
• Be intentional in engaging post Pre-O with program participants.
• Balance the desires for separate track identities & the
intersectionality of the program.
• Engage faculty – they have great ideas to reimagine the first year!
Reflection
What is 1 strategy that you can utilize to
implement a Pre-O program on your
campus?
Expanding Our View of EO to Include Pre-O
Brett L. Bruner, Director of Transition & Student Conduct –
[email protected]
Carla Parra, Student Director for New Student Orientation –
[email protected]
Jasmine Hernandez, Pre-Orientation Program Team Leader for Project Lighthouse –
[email protected]
Morgan Klaus, Pre-Orientation Program Team Leader for Project Serve –
[email protected]
2017 NODA Region IV Conference | Dallas, TX