Virtual OrientationExploring Digital Engagement and Transitioning

for Student Success

Angela Burnie, Manager, Student Life

5th Annual Student Success Provincial Conference

ORIENTATION HISTORY

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Pri

or

to W

inte

r 2

01

5

Orientation 3 days prior to

start up

Win

ter

20

15

-Fa

ll 2

01

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Day 1 of fall semester is Academic

Orientation

Orientation activities

Day 2 - 10

ORIENTATION STRATEGY

FALL 2017

Faculties develop program-specific activities and content to

introduce students to their academic programs (range from prior to

start up through first week)

Orientation activities Day 2- 10

Virtual Orientation week before school

Orientation website revamp

Orientation webinars Day 2-10

ORIENTATION STRATEGY

FALL 2017

Faculties develop program-specific

activities and content to introduce

students to their academic programs (range from prior to start up through first

week)

Virtual Orientation

week before school

Orientation website revamp

and strategic Orientation email communication to

new students

Orientation activities Day 2 - 10

Peer-to-Peer Call

Campaign to check in

with new students

Orientation webinars Day 2 - 10

In the fall 2017 semester, Seneca welcomed

9478 full-time new students. 2046 were

international students

FULL-TIME ENROLLMENT AT SENECA

NUMBER OF FULL-TIME NEW STUDENTS

FALL 2017 WINTER 2018

CAMPUS Domestic International TOTAL Domestic International TOTAL

Newnham 3465 1305 4770 1340 756 2096

Seneca@York 1801 430 2231 812 293 1105

Markham 407 226 633 193 185 378

King 1687 56 1743 396 23 419

Yorkgate 0 0 0 66 2 68

TOTALS 7432 2046 9478 2807 1259 4066

ORIENTATION WEBSITE ANALYTICS

Aug. 14: Welcome email from Student Services

Aug. 22: Smart Start @ Seneca Virtual Orientation

Aug. 29: Orientation reminder email

Sept. 5: First day of the term

Pageviews up 8.08% from last year (45,816)

Unique pageviews up 9.23% from last year (36,371)

ORIENTATION ACTIVITIES

Faculties developed program-specific activities and content to introduce

students to their academic programs and to other college services:

• Guest speakers, field trips, team-building activities, pathways and

progression through program

Day 2 – 10 Programming

• Services Fair

• Health, Wellness, Safety day

• Webinars (Top 10 Tips for a Successful Start, Making Sense of

Awards & Bursaries, Mature Student Webinar)

• Social Events

• Indigenous-focused programming and resources

• MySeneca support with ITS

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CALL CAMPAIGN

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Student Call Campaign Fall 2017

6,122 Total students called

From those calls…

1,094 of issues resolved through referral

2502 of students were satisfied with their startup

2,526 Students missed by phone and received follow-up email

ORIENTATION ASSESSMENT

To assess how well goals were met, students were invited to complete

a survey in Fall 2017 (1,463 responses received: 14% response rate).

Questions Fall 2016 Fall 2017

Domestic & International Students

Were you aware of and/or did you use the Orientation website? 47% 70%

Were instructions clear in the emails you received? 61% 84%

Were you warmly welcomed when you arrived on campus? 72% 81%

Were the Orientation ambassadors helpful in answering your questions? 79% 91%

Overall my Orientation experience was positive. 69% 79%

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Virtual Orientation

VIRTUAL ORIENTATION GOALS

Increase online supports and resources available to new students

To provide participants with a sense of connectedness within the

Seneca community before arriving on campus.

Provide programming to meet the unique needs of our growing

international student population

Prepare students for their start at Seneca

VIRTUAL ORIENTATION FORMAT

Access to the platform from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Fun videos featuring the Deans introducing students to their

program areas

Resource videos to assist students with setting up their online

accounts, taking their Skills Assessment, and completing other

important tasks

Videos exploring Student Life at Seneca

3 live sessions (webinar format):

• Top 10 Tips: A New Student Checklist (11 a.m.)

• International Student Session (9 a.m. and 1 p.m.)

Live chat available all day featuring staff from various departments:

Student Life, International Student Services, Financial Aid, Learning

Centre, Recruitment

Let’s meet Seneca’s President,

Vice-President Academic

and Deans

Let’s explore the Workcast platform

VIRTUAL ORIENTATION

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Fall 2017

564 Unique attendees

223 attendees were International students

315 Questions answered in the live chat

99 students completed virtual orientation survey

Of those 99 students…

87% felt more excited about starting at Seneca as a result of Virtual Orientation

54% liked learning about services and resources available best

VIRTUAL ORIENTATION FALL 2017

82% of students felt that Virtual Orientation prepared them for their

first day either fairly or extremely well

43% of students spent between 1 – 2 hours in the online platform

“During virtual orientation I feel like all the questions I had

were answered for me. They made me feel secure and

ready for this fall when I start my first semester that I won't

feel lost or worried because now I got some information to

help me through the year at Seneca. Very well presented

and very organized each presentation. It's good to know

that people have been through what I'm going to

experience and that I won't be all alone starting my class.

Thank you Seneca and looking extremely forward to

starting at Seneca.”

QUESTIONS?

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