Pilots Prevent
July 13, 2021
Last fall, Orientation pivoted from in-person workshops to an online series due to COVID-19. But the pivot worked out so well, it inspired a whole new Orientation strategy.
Turns out, much of the information students need to know before they start their undergraduate journey at UP is best conveyed through online courses before they even step foot on campus— topics like how to take advantage of all the resources offered at the library or how to get involved in student government. Packaging this information into an online course means students can absorb it at their own pace. They can pause the course and come back to it whenever they have time and as often as they like.
“We wanted to reduce the amount of information overload that tends to occur during Orientation weekend and give students a chance to learn about the UP experience, our campus culture, and the wide variety of resources we offer before they arrive on campus,” says Jeromy Koffler, Director of Student Activities and head of the Orientation planning committee.
To that end, the planning committee engaged the services of Advantage Design Group, a multimedia design and software company that specializes in creating custom online orientation programs for universities. Through interactive text, quizzes, videos, and slideshows, UP’s new Orientation platform, which launches in early August, presents key information in a fun and engaging format. As students complete each module, they’re free to move on to the next, and they can revisit the modules anytime they like.
“We believe this pre-arrival orientation will be beneficial for all new students,” says Koffler, “and due to the circumstances of this past year, we will be inviting our returning sophomores to go through it as well.”
When the new, custom-made, online Orientation platform launches in early August, incoming students who haven’t been on campus before—first-years, of course, as well as transfer students and even sophomores—can create an account, log in, and get to know all of the ins and outs of life at UP before they even leave home.
Koffler says the new online Orientation platform is a game-changer. Having already learned the most essential preliminary information, students will arrive on campus with far fewer questions and a lot more answers. Even better, they’ll have a lot more time to participate in fun activities and get to know their peers through in-person Orientation events during their first few days UP.
Although ADG provided the tools to create the platform, Koffler says it took a lot of hard work from a lot of different people to provide the content. “The pre-arrival orientation was put together by the Orientation planning committee, representing several departments from across campus, but I want to give special credit to all of the students who have provided valuable input and gave of their talents to make this project possible.”
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