Orientation
The NCTN Promising Practice Series presents detailed descriptions of
strategies from the field that are designed to promote the successful
transition of students from ABE to postsecondary education.
Contributed by
Cape Cod Community College/SUCCESS College Transition Program
Joan Kieran, Coordinator, JKeiran@capecod.edu
A member of the New England ABE-to-College Transition Project
New England Resource Center, World Education, Inc.
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Rationale and Background of the Practice
Why did you institute the practice?
To run a successful college transition program we needed a vehicle to develop a sense of community and trust in the classroom in a very short period of time. We also needed a way to address the emotional and psychological barriers many students have that can undermine their success in the transition class and in college. We wanted to find a way to help the students begin to change certain perceptions they have about themselves and about college.
Many GED students have low sense of self-efficacy when it comes to academic work. Many GED students don't feel they are smart, they feel that college is going to make them smart. We need to help the students change that perception, to recognize that they already have the intelligence to pursue college, that college will give them more information and a broader perspective, but that they have already demonstrated that they have the ability to succeed in college. The students often have a lot of anxiety around being in school. Many have poor time management skills, misconceptions regarding who goes to college, and many don't have a large support system to help support them as students.
We developed a program orientation that would begin to address all of these issues: build a strong cohort, provide students a clear and comprehensive overview of the academic and social goals of the program, and build motivation for success in the program and in college.
What information or research did you draw on in choosing this practice?
I drew on the ten years of experience that I and the other SUCCESS staff members have working with GED students and the work I have done studying adult learning. I have a background in corporate training. From that experience, I know that it is important to present information in the right order and at the right moment to achieve a successful training experience. I use a video, The Business of Paradigms, which I used in a corporate training. The video is very powerful and helps students examine the importance of being able to change in order to grow.
The orientation itself is a source of on-going research. We record students' issues and reflections during the orientation and we use that information as we evaluate the success of each cohort. It's like a living laboratory; we are constantly re-evaluating the model.
When and how did the practice begin? How has it evolved?
We have been running a program orientation since the program started in January 2002. We tried doing everything in one day. That was too rushed and did not give the students a chance to relax, develop a sense of comfort and community. We also decided to provide nice meals. We really wanted to communicate that we felt the students were special and that we wanted to reward their willingness to participate in the college transition program. This year all of our transition students will be dually enrolled in our program and at Cape Cod Community College. This is a major step for the program. The students will participate in the college's orientation as well as the SUCCESS orientation. So, we are still evolving.
Description of the Practice
How do you implement the practice?
You need students to commit to two days -- basically ten hours of program orientation. The orientation agenda for Day One includes an ice breaker/community building activity followed by introductions from students, program staff including all of the teachers, the counselors, and the program secretaries. This is followed by a group activity designed to have each student articulate what he or she will need to feel comfortable and to thrive in the classroom. Lunch is catered and the students meet college staff in a comfortable informal setting. Lunch is followed by the video, Paradigms, or an equivalent video or activity designed to address the issues that surround the importance of being able to make life changes. Homework is assigned; students are asked to write a paragraph on what they need to feel comfortable in the class. Students must read the first two chapters of Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADD Give You the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution by Jonathan Mooney and David Cole.
Day Two starts with an activity from the homework, then the class engages in a time management activity. Students are given a planner from the college. They review the planner that includes information on all of the services offered at the college. Students put the SUCCESS program's calendar directly into the planner. Students must bring the planner with them to each class. During lunch, former program graduates that are currently attending Cape Cod Community College join the students and share their experiences. After lunch, students review the program's syllabus and the materials they will need for the class. See attached agenda and activity worksheets.
What steps would a program or practitioner need to follow to replicate the practice?
You need to dedicate a period of time to accommodate all of the activities that take place during the orientation. There must be a staff member that is familiar with a number of community-building activities and can facilitate group interaction. This staff person must have the time in his or her job to organize the activities and to contact the college staff and former students. Additional staff members must participate and support the orientation. You also should have a budget for good food.
What are the staffing and staff skill requirements?
Along with the staff skills mentioned above, adult education experience is essential, much more than experience with college teaching. The staff really needs to understand the needs of this population. You need to be able to introduce complex and difficult concepts, but you need to be able to simplify them and break them into manageable units.
You need a staff that has the time to communicate with each other on an on-going basis; a staff that thinks about the student as a whole person and works as a team. We constantly modify the orientation and other aspects of our program based on our discussions of our students' successes and challenges.
Challenges
What challenges has the program encountered in implementing this practice?
The challenge is always the amount of time it takes to organize and facilitate the orientation with limited resources.
Evidence of Impact and Effectiveness
What have been the advantages and outcomes of this practice?
The orientation definitely creates a strong sense of community and enthusiasm in the students. They are excited about the work to come. They have built a support system for each other that continues to develop and is supported and nurtured through out the semesters. The students bring their planners and materials to each class, which helps with organization and with the students' sense of being responsible for their own learning.
Do you have actual evidence of its effectiveness?
It is hard to isolate the effectiveness of the orientation as opposed to other aspects of the program. Although it's anecdotal, after each orientation at least one student emerges as the class "mother," the person(s) that takes on the responsibility of being in touch with everyone in class. We have seen this happen every semester we have run the program. That student(s) checks up on the student that isn't in class. That student(s) tends to take on the responsibility of writing our alumni newsletter, SUCCESFUL TIMES. That newsletter follows up on our program graduates. It is the "class mother(s) who stay in contact with the cohort and writes the newsletter.
Although many factors influence a student's retention in the program, the SUCCESS program has consistently high rates of student completion and transition to Cape Cod Community College. We see these groups of students continue to support each other when they get to the college campus. They keep in touch and share information regarding the quality of instructors. Students come back to us and tell us that they do stay in touch with each other.
NCTN Promising Practice Series
Volume 1 Issue 1
September/October 2004
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