Many files on this site require Acrobat Reader. To get free Reader, click above.

New Student Orientation

What have we learned about our program through engaging in the assessment process?

This year, the Office of New Student Orientation has learned many valuable lessons while engaging in the assessment process. Our participation in UGA assessment workshops, use of the Trac Dat database system, development of an assessment plan and impact report has increased our awareness and knowledge of the assessment process. More specifically, we have learned that we need to:

• Better clarify our mission statement and our program goals.
• Ensure that all outcomes (program, student learning, student development, faculty development, staff development) are specific and measurable.
• Determine how data will be collected, used and analyzed for staff development outcomes.
• Dedicate more time for all staff members to develop and review assessment items.
• Provide the Director more time for Trac Dat training and maintenance of the database system.
• Establish a clear timeline for evaluating all of our first year and transfer student programs.
• Establish a clear timeline for evaluating the student-staff training programs.
• Ensure that all of our assessment methods are yielding the information we proposed it would.
• Dedicate more time to the development and review of the NSO Assessment Plan.

• Our office continues to maintain high attendance rates of new students participating in New Student Orientation programs (98.5%).
• Our college representatives found our one-on-one assessment meetings useful and a perfect venue for making decisions for upcoming programs. These meetings are now a standard part of our assessment process.
• As a unit, all staff members dedicate more time to the development and implementation of the New Student Orientation assessment plan.
• Our office continues to maintain high overall approval ratings by new students who participate in New Student Orientation programs.
• New students continue to acknowledge that our student orientation counselors and assistants are well trained. For the third year in a row, incoming students have indicated that our counselors are very knowledgeable about campus resources, services and activities at NC State University.

What have we improved in our program through engaging in the assessment process?

There are other areas in which our program has shown improvement while engaging in the assessment process. As a program, we have improved in the following areas:

• All outcomes for the 2003-2004 NSO Assessment Plan have been reviewed to ensure that they are clearly stated and measurable.
• Staff development outcomes have been clearly defined and staff members understand how the data will be collected, used and analyzed.
• Assessment review and discussion is a standard agenda item in NSO weekly staff meetings.
• The Director continues to dedicate time on a weekly basis to maintain and update TracDat files.
• Timelines have been developed for evaluating all first year and transfer student programs.
• Timelines have been developed for evaluating the student-staff training program.
• Better documentation of the details of our assessment plan has been developed.
• Better documentation of the decisions that have been made based on evaluation results have been developed.
• All NSO staff members are now responsible for data collection, analysis of data, writing of results and reporting of results on various levels.
• Better assessment methods or tools are being used to measure outcomes.
• Better evidence that assessment is on going and continuous in NSO.
• Assessment is now a component of the NSO web page. All annual reports, impact reports and assessment plans are now available to our visitors via the web. We continue to share our information with other universities and colleges.

Overall, the assessment process this past year has allowed the Directors of New Student Orientation the opportunity to become more knowledgeable of the purpose, benefits and importance of a strong assessment plan. We have learned that assessment results are able to influence decision-making regarding the revision and design of subsequent orientation programs.

What We Have Improved Part II:

• We improved communication with our incoming students (spring entry) by hiring three Virtual Orientation Counselors. Virtual Orientation Counselors are now available to respond to students who have questions about our program or their transition to NC State University.
• We improved our ECD 223 Orientation Counselor Training course by incorporating topics such as diversity, sexual and racial discrimination, and student safety as a standard component of the course curriculum.
• New Student Orientation uses a variety of means for communicating orientation program information to prospective students (publications, telephone, internet). New Student Orientation hired additional personnel (Assistant Director) to assist with the design of the NSO web site, and the development of online surveys, applications and confirmation forms.

What policy changes have we made as a result of engaging in the assessment process?

New Student Orientation has made internal policy and procedure changes as a result of engaging in the assessment process. Examples include:

• One additional staff member has been hired during the orientation season to work with and coordinate efforts for students who require special accommodations (Disability Services for Students). Clear procedures have been established so all accommodations are arranged, documented and paid for by NSO.
• The ECD 223 course curriculum was reviewed and revised this past year. The topic of Sexual and Racial Harassment has been added as a standard part of the course syllabus. The Office for Equal Opportunity sponsors this program for NSO.
• The ECD 223 course curriculum was reviewed and revised this past year. The topic of Disability Services for Students has been added as a standard component of the summer training program for student staff members. Orientation Counselors receive intense training regarding Academic Regulation on Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities, and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). These topics are now part of the training program that all staff members receive. The Office for Equal Opportunity sponsors this program for NSO.
• The process by which incoming students register for classes was changed this past summer (2003). During Orientation, students were required to register for courses from one main computer lab on campus (FLTC). This past year, two colleges (Agricultural Institute and College of Management) re-designed the registration process by operating their own computer lab during Orientation. This additional lab space allowed the course registration process to move much more quickly as well as allow students the opportunity to visit a computer lab in their designated college. The guidelines that NSO and Registration and Records developed for this process allowed students to have access to their academic adviser, chemistry adviser and math adviser no matter which lab they used.
• In 2002, transfer students indicated that they needed to have more face-to-face time with an academic adviser. As a standard component of the 2003 Transfer Orientation program, NSO has required that all colleges and academic units have a mandatory afternoon advising session. NSO has now made this a standard requirement of all one-day programs (summer, fall, spring).