Two-Way Orientation: Round Table Discussion
25 Annual Conference on the First Year Experience
February 2006
th
Facilitators
Diane Savoca, Coordinator of Student Transition
[email protected]
Donna Spaulding, Coordinator of Staff Development
[email protected]
Institution Students
Objective:
Create a list of effective orientation strategies and techniques that prepare faculty and
staff to relate with new students.
Some Strategies from St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley
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Student presenters at New Faculty Orientation
Staff Development Day Guest Speakers
CONNECT with high school faculty, counselors and administrators
Celebrate Student Persistence Interviews and events
Some Strategies from St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley
Student presenters at New Faculty Orientation
Student leaders provide both formal and informal sessions for the new faculty during
their first semester on campus. An example agenda is attached.
Staff Development Day Guest Speakers
Kay McKinney spoke about The Community College Survey of Student Engagement.
She presented the results of our 2004 Student Engagement Survey. The survey will be
administered again this year. The website is provided in the attached bibliography.
David Stillman, author of When Generations Collide, discussed the implications of his
book in the educational setting.
CONNECT with high school faculty, counselors and administrators
The college faculty and staff participated in a discussion with counter parts from the area
high schools. Agenda is attached.
Celebrate Student Persistence Interviews and Events
In October 2005 appreciative inquiry fascinators conducted 60 interviews with faculty,
administrators and staff. A description of appreciative inquiry and a copy of the
interview sheet are attached. Also, the website for Appreciative Inquiry is provided in the
attached bibliography. Two celebration and planning sessions have been held with a third
is planned in March.
Peer Leaders Presentation to new full time
faculty:
August 9, 2003
A – 245
11:30 A.M.
J. C.-
Demographics of student body
Cindy-
Observations from the classroom
Farhana -
Student Transition Resources
Ask them to go through the gift bag. Make sure they know that they can get
multiple copies of the handouts, flyers and the newsletter.
1.
2.
3.
4.
All -
Campus Tour Video
Know What is Expected - video
Success Seminars – see memo
Share what seminars you found to
be most helpful.
As peer leaders we can:
Visit your classroom – What we know now that we wish we knew
then…
We are most often asked to talk about procrastination.
What do we expect from an instructor
Syllabus
Fair deadlines
Appreciative Inquiry is the study and exploration of what gives life to human systems
when they are at their best. It is an organization development methodology based on the
assumption that inquiry into and dialogue about strengths, successes, values, hopes and
dreams is itself transformational.
It is founded on the following set of beliefs about human nature and human organizing:
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People individually and collectively have unique gifts, skills and contributions to
bring to life.
Organizations are human social systems, sources of unlimited relational
capacity, created and lived in language.
The images we hold of the future are socially created and, once articulated,
serve to guide individual and collective actions.
Through human communication (inquiry and dialogue) people can shift their attention
and action away from problem analysis to lift up worthy ideals and productive
possibilities for the future.
How Does Appreciative Inquiry Work?
The process used to generate the power of Appreciative Inquiry is the 4-D Cycle. Based
on the notion that human systems - people, teams, organizations and communities grow and change in the direction of what they study. Appreciative Inquiry works by
focusing the attention of an organization on its most positive potential - its positive core.
The positive core is the essential nature of the organization at its best – people’s
collective wisdom about the organization’s tangible and intangible strengths, capabilities,
resources, potentials and assets.
The Appreciative Inquiry 4-D cycle unleashes the energy of the positive core for
transformation and sustainable success.
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Definition – choose a positive focus for the inquiry
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Discovery – inquire through interviews and share stories of positive moments,
locate themes that appear in the stories
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Dream – create shared images of a preferred future
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Delivery – innovate ways to create that future
Why Does Appreciative Inquiry Work?
Appreciative Inquiry works because it treats people like people, and not like machines.
People are social. We create our identities and our knowledge in relation to one another.
We are curious. We like to tell stories and listen to stories. We pass on our values,
beliefs and wisdom in stories. We like to learn and to use what we learn to be our best.
And we delight in doing well in the eyes of those we care about and respect.
Dsavoca2006
First Year Experience Conference
Orientation: A Two-Way Street - Roundtable Discussion
Interview Sheet
*****Exceptionally Positive Moments*****
1) Based on your experience at your institution, share a story about orienting faculty and
staff to new students. When have you witnessed or been a part of something that was
effective? Who was involved? What did they do? What did you do? How did you feel?
What did the student do? How did this experience help the staff and faculty to relate to
new students?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2) Give one or two examples of specific techniques or strategies that have worked at
your institution to orient faculty and staff to new students.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3) In regards to orienting staff and faculty to new students, what three wishes do you
have for your institution?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Selected Bibliography for Two Way Orientation
Prepared by Diane Savoca and Donna Spaulding
Annual FYE Conference February 2006
Articles
1. Barrett, F., & R. Peterson. “Appreciative Learning Cultures: Developing
Competencies For Global
Organizing.” Organization Development Journal 18
(2000).
2. Chickering, A. & Gamson, Z. “Seven Principles for Good Practice in
Undergraduate Education.” AAHE Bulletin March 1987.
3. Goldberg, R. A. “Implementing A Professional Development System Through
Appreciative Inquiry.” Leadership and Organization Development Journal 22
(2001): 56-61.
4. Mohr, B. J., E. J. Smith, & J. M. Watkins. “Appreciative Inquiry and Learning
Assessment.” Journal of the Organization Development Network 32 (2000): 3652.
5. Stetson, N., & C. Miller. “Appreciative Inquiry: A New Way of Leading Change
Without Resistance. Community College Times 15 (2003).
6. Stetson, N., & C. Miller. “Lead Change in Educational Organizations With
Appreciative Inquiry.” Consulting Today (2003).
Books
1. Bushe, G. R. The Appreciative Self: Inspiring the Best in Others. In Clear
Leadership. Palo Alto: Davies-Black, 2001. Ch. 7
2. Cooperrider, D & D. Whitney. Appreciative Inquiry: The Handbook. First ed. CDROM.Lakeshore Publishers.
3. Cooperrider, D. & S. Srivastva. Appreciative Inquiry in Organizational Life
Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization Toward A Positive Theory
of Change. Eds. D.Cooperrider, P. F Sorensen, D. Whitney.2000.
4. Lancaster, L. & Stillman, D. When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why
They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work. HarperCollins, 2002.
5. Palmer, P. The Courage to Teach. Jossey-Bass, 1998.
6. Rendon, L. Innovative Higher Education. Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
1994.
Presentation
Stetson, N., & C. Miller. Appreciative Inquiry: A New Way of Leading Change In
Schools and
Colleges. 12th Annual International Chair Academy Conference,
2003.
Videos
“Leadership and the New Science,” CRM Learning
“Celebrate What’s Right with the World,” Star Thrower Distribution Corporation
Websites
http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu
http://www.ccsse.org/
Community College Survey of Student Engagement