1. Establishing Inverted & Online Pre-Orientation Programs
for New Student Success
Presented by
Laurel Gilbert & Natalie Meyer
Miami University (OH, US)

2. Overview

3. Considerations for Special Population Orientations
Barriers to Student Success
Summer Melt = Unconnected Students
Condensed Timeline = Rushed Conversations
Data Dump = Unanswered Questions
Reduced Course Options = Uneven Classroom Populations
Bringing Down the Barriers
Increase Student Buy-In
Give Equal Access to Courses & Resources
Harness Student Excitement
Interact with Their Future

4. “In a flipped advising approach, the student should come better prepared to the advising session. This goal is to diminish the need of the advisor to use the advising session as a means of primarily presenting information to students. Instead, the focus of the session shifts to helping students make meaning of their academic and career planning. Thus precious time is freed to help students with their planning and decision-making.”
-G. Steele. “Creating A Flipped Advising Approach.” NACADA Clearinghouse of Resources

5. Orientation Processes
Then
Now
Transfer
6 hour new student orientation
20 minute Advising & group registration sessions
1 hour online orientation
1 hour Advising & one-on-one registration session
International
45 min large group pre-Advising info session
30 min group advising
Remaining classes
35 minutes online & 30 minute individual remote advising appointments
Register w/ domestic students

6. Regional Transfer Orientation
“As a transfer student, the college felt the same as other schools I’ve attended. College is college.
Transfer Students:
Learn to use Miami’s existing LMS (Canvas)
Have already been oriented to a university environment
Take quizzes to ensure content mastery
Have a one-on-one appointment with an academic advisor to register and apply transfer credit
Reported (99%) feeling “prepared” or “well prepared” to begin classes after the Orientation
“Liked the option of online...Miami’s online version showed me everything I needed to know to start taking classes.”
“The only questions I had after were about how online lab experiments worked and how to get my hands on the equipment.”

7. International Students
Summer 2017
Canvas (LMS at Miami)
Signed up for placement tests via Canvas course modules
Completed lessons with quizzes and ensured preparation prior to advising appointment
Remote advising via online platform
Registered via BannerWeb
In-person orientation (in August) sessions
Year
Pre-Arrival Completion Rate
Pre-Arrival Retention Rate
2016
19%
85%
2017
91%
94%

8. Scaling Up: Where we are now
Uncouple placement tests from advising & registration
Collaborate & communicate with campus partners (look across institutional boundaries so as it scales up everyone’s on the same page and can learn from each other)
Student communication
Inform all at the same time.
Timeline of process (big picture)
Streamline checkout process
Increase automation of administrative processes
Challenges:
Consult Stakeholders
How testing relates to orientation
Streamlining processes across divisions
Technologies
The Future (and beyond)

9. iNVERTED aDVISING & oRIENTATION
As a result of Inverted Orientation:
Academic and Orientation resources given to students in LMS
Feedback loop
Students experience a greater a sense of belonging at the time of admittance
Minimal staffing needed
Face to Face time at Orientation can be used to reinforce and delve deeper into content

10. Outcomes Avoid ‘data-dump’
Interact with Advisors & feel connected to the university prior to arrival
Become familiarized with LMS
Experience enhanced meaningful interactions upon arrival
Cost & time savings for the university & the student

11. Citations
Tucker, B. (2012, Winter). The Flipped classroom: Instruction at home frees class time for learning. Education Next, Retrieved from
Steele, G. E. (2016). Creating a flipped advising approach. NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources. Retrieved from