1 Online vs. In-Person Orientation

Samantha Clement, International Student Advisor II

Katy Blackwood, Assistant Director

International Student Services, Texas A&M University

Texas State NAFSA Meeting

February 24, 2012

2 About Texas A&M University

College Station, TX

49,000 students

4th-largest public U.S. university

4,600 int’l students

• Fall: 1,200 new int’l students

• Spring: 190 new int’l students

• Summer: 80 new int’l students

76% are graduate students

Texas A&M University defines

any student who is not a U.S.

Citizen or Lawful Permanent

Resident to be an international

student.

3

Rationale for Presentation

• How do you do your orientation programming?

• In-Person Orientation?

• Online Orientation?

• Both?

• How long have you been in the field?

• Less than 5 years?

• 5 to less than 10 years?

• 10 years or more?

• We want to share our experiences!

• Learn from our mistakes

• Benefit from our achievements

4

Overview of Orientation Programming • 2008 & Before

• Mandatory in-person orientation

• 2009

• Online orientation (OO) alternative to mandatory

in-person orientation

• 2010

• OO mandatory

• In-person orientation optional

• 2011 – Present

• OO mandatory

• In-person orientation expanded to International

Student Conference (ISC) held twice a year

5

Who Does What?

Online Orientation

Int’l students required to take OO:

• Those planning to enroll for the first

time who will reside in U.S. take OO

before arriving

• Those who have or will change status

to F-1 or J-1

• Those who have taken a leave of

absence for one year or more and wish

to resume enrollment

International Student Conference

Invited to attend ISC:

• New int’l students

• Current int’l students

• Family members of int’l students

• Faculty and staff

• Resource fair hosts

• Other schools/organizations?

Fall 2011: 1,278 people completed OO,

1,269 new int’l students checked in

Fall 2011: 785 people attended,

including 566 new int’l students

6

Online Orientation

Fall 2009

1 track

PDFs online

Paper completion form

13 sections

13 presentations

2010 - 2011

New software

4 tracks:

+ F-1, J-1, Other

Nonimmigrants, Not

Nonimmigrants

13 sections

19 presentations

Spring 2012

12 tracks:

+ TAMU/TAMUG

+ Distance Learning/On-

Campus

12 sections

34 presentations

Fall 2012

38 tracks:

+ Grad/Undergrad

+ In U.S./Outside U.S.

12 sections

83 presentations

7

OO Sections

Sections in red have a quiz.

1. Introduction

2. International Student Services

3. Getting Here

4. Immigration Basics

5. Employment

6. Taxes

7. Health Care and Health Insurance

8. Living Essentials

9. Personal Safety

10. Getting Involved

11. Academic Integrity

12. Conclusion

8

Sample OO Tracks

Track

#

Track Description

Campus Status On-Campus /

Distance Learner

Undergrad /

Grad

Inside U.S. /

Outside U.S.

1 College Station F-1 On-Campus Undergrad Inside U.S.

2 College Station F-1 On-Campus Undergrad Outside U.S.

3 College Station F-1 On-Campus Grad Inside U.S.

4 College Station F-1 On-Campus Grad Outside U.S.

• Most tracks have all 12 sections

• The specific content in each presentation differs by track

9

Characteristics of Online Orientation

• Launch 2 - 3 months before semester begins

• Email new admits

• Students take OO prior to arrival

• Section quizzes

• Must complete OO to schedule Check-In appointment

• Registration hold placed if not completed by 15th class day

10

Accessing OO

• Access through link on ISS website

• Log-in using NetID & Password received upon application to Texas A&M

• Responses to online registration form determine appropriate track

• Demo version available online

11

Completing OO

• Complete sections in specified order

• Webpage updates as sections & quizzes are completed

• Previous sections are available for review

• Quizzes:

• Must answer 100% correct

• Shown which questions were answered correctly and incorrectly

• If incorrect, taken to first slide, review section again, & re-attempt quiz

• Upon completion, access Check-In Registration Page & sent confirmation

email

12

Software Comparisons

• authorPOINT Lite

• Camtasia Studio

• Adobe Presenter

• iSpringFree, http://www.ispringfree.com/

• Converts PowerPoint to Flash to be embedded on a website

• Easy to add/change content

• Audio & video

• Advance slides forward and backward and complete at own pace

• Free!!!

• Some issues require programming knowledge to resolve (Javascript)

13

14

15

Web Accessibility & Usability

• Consider State and Federal laws concerning website

accessibility and usability.

• OO should be accessible and usable to all regardless of

disability, location, experience or technology.

• Check if your page is compliant at http://webaccess.tamu.edu/.

16

Instructional Design Considerations

• Fundamental way to determine effectiveness of OO

• Make sure what is taught matches what is assessed

• All assessment questions must tie back to particular points made

• Common error: Teaching information that creates knowledge

and assessing attitude/opinion

• i.e. Stating the services provided by the counseling center and then

asking the student about the benefits of those services is not effective

Ms. Zahira Merchant, PhD student,

Educational Technology

17

A case study asks a student to apply the knowledge learned to a

particular situation provided.

• Benefits

• Better equip students to apply knowledge in different contexts

• Students more versatile in understanding of content

• Example

• State the services provided by the counseling center and then present a

case study about a student in a particular situation and ask which

service(s) would apply.

Case Studies as Assessment Tool

18

Presentation of Content

• Present content from “Do” rather than “Don’t do” perspective

• Give “non-examples”

• Proximity of information

• Consistency of labels

• Emphasis

• Font

• Color scheme

• Audio vs. video

• Consider users with English as a second language

19

In-Person Orientation

2008 & Before

1 – 2 days

Varying presentations,

one at a time

All students together

Resource fair

New students only

2009

Offered two identical

orientations on

different days/times

for students to choose

3 break-out sessions

by status

All other presentations

one at a time

2010

Renamed ‘New

International Student

Conference’

1 day/time

20 concurrent sessions

2011

Renamed

‘International Student

Conference’

Invited current

students &

faculty/staff to attend

Added lunch

33 concurrent sessions

2012

Added faculty/staff

sessions

Expanded registration

materials

37 concurrent sessions

20

• Lanyard

• Nametag

• Ribbon

• Agenda

• Session Descriptions

• Refreshments

• Concurrent Sessions

• Resource Fair

… FREE to attend!

What’s Included in the ISC?

21

Registration & Sign-In Process

• Still improving each semester

• Initial impression of conference

• On-the-spot attendance statistics

• Real time updates to social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter)

22

• All ISS staff members

• About 40 volunteers, mostly students

• Presenters

• Resource Fair hosts

• Refreshment vendors

• Building proctor

• Equipment rental vendor

Who Makes It Happen?

23

ISC Agenda

24

Sample Concurrent Sessions

So I Have this F-1 Visa… Now What?

Health Care and Insurance: You’re

Covered!

Getting Involved: The World beyond

the Classroom

Know Your Legal Rights!

It’s My Last Semester… Now

What?

Aggie Spirit 101: Understanding

Aggie Traditions & Terminology

Student Counseling Services: We’re Here to Help You

The Ins and Outs of Working On-

Campus at Texas A&M University

Date Night: Dating and Courtship

Customs in the U.S.

Succeeding as an International

Student in a U.S. Classroom

Howdy, Families of International

Students!

U.S. Police: They Protect and Serve

What Can the Office of Graduate Studies

Do for Me?

Optional Practical Training (OPT): How to Successfully File

for OPT

Academic Training: What to Know

before You Apply

New in Town?! Learn to Navigate the Bryan/College Station Community

Understanding U.S. Taxes

Help! I Need Money: Financial Aid for

International Students

To the Ends of the Earth: International

Student Travel

Curricular Practical Training (CPT): What to Know

before You Apply

25

• It’s All So Different: Arrival, Orientation, and Adaptation

• The Baggage That Can’t Be Checked: What Educational

Experiences International Students Bring from Home to the U.S.

Classroom

Two Faculty/Staff Sessions

26

• 40 – 50 tables

• On-campus departments & organizations

• Dining Services

• ISS

• Rec Center

• Student organizations

• Community organizations & businesses

• Apartment complexes

• Police departments

• Financial sponsors

• Assign table locations

Resource Fair

27 SUMMARY

The question

should not be

Online vs.

In-Person

Orientation

but rather how

to do both!

28

Why We Do Both

• Answer common questions prior to arrival

• Reach more students with critical info

• Flexibility in communicating important info

• Fewer document errors and questions at Check-In

• Use ISC for Q&A, in-depth info, & interactive discussion

• Able to present wider variety of info at ISC

Benefits far outweigh both the financial and workload-related costs!

29

New Student Survey Results

• Fall 2009

• 80% satisfied or very satisfied with entire orientation process

• Fall 2010

• 82% satisfied or very satisfied with OO

• 83% satisfied or very satisfied with NISC

• Fall 2011

• 86% satisfied or very satisfied with OO

• 88% satisfied or very satisfied with ISC

30

What We Wish We Had Known

Online Orientation

• Realistic completion timeline

• Team effort

• Choosing software

• Programming knowledge

• How to enforce

• Educating campus about new

process

• No YouTube in China!

International Student Conference

• Transportation

• Weather

• Campus politics

• Free food ≠ Stress-free

• Coffee with your creamer?

• Room temp. water though 100°

31

Future Plans

Online Orientation

• Quiz question bank

• New software

• Incorporate more videos

• Instructional design

• Student demo version

• Expanding online workshops

International Student Conference

• Location

• Schedule of events

• Sessions offered

• On-site session evaluations

• Current student survey

• Faculty/staff survey

• Lunch process

• Marketing plan

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Samantha Clement, International Student Advisor II

Katy Blackwood, Assistant Director

International Student Services

Texas A&M University

979-845-1824

http://iss.tamu.edu

iss@tamu.edu