Engaged Orientation.
Challenge
Online students can be isolated and not feel part of the Auburn Family. The students who have never before taken an online class must learn to navigate the online experience. Further, online learning design must intentionally create opportunities for interaction between peers, support staff and faculty.
Objective
Connect students with Auburn and introduce them to the Auburn culture, traditions and values. Additionally, ensure students understand their program’s layout, their expectations and the resources at their disposal to support them throughout the program.
Solution
Auburn Online developed an online orientation course that introduces the students to the Auburn Family including the rich culture and history. The course also provides an introduction and flow of the program, the success strategies, guidelines about time and self-management.
Details
The orientation course has been designed for the online programs taking into consideration the specific needs of the students. The course explains the technical requirements and walks students through the online study environment. The course also introduces new students to the Auburn Family, including culture, popular traditions and the Auburn Creed. The course leverages modern tools to introduce students to the rich history of Auburn University using an interactive timeline.
The course describes the requirements of the program and guides students through study strategies and the support system available to them. Auburn Online recognizes that online students work alone and need to find intrinsic motivation to get through the program; therefore, the course offers certain supplemental resources to help them get more disciplined, provide organization tools and interactive material to be more focused and productive. The students navigate course features which are similar to instructional strategies used in the program courses, and submit assignments and quizzes in a low-stakes way to get familiar with the Canvas learning management system.
Partners for Success
Harbert College of Business (BSBA Program), School of Nursing (RN-to-BSN Program), Office of Academic Effectiveness (Auburn First student and parent orientation programs)