Orientation 2010 Report

8/13/2019 Orientation 2010 Report

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Report on 2010 Orientation Activities


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Orientation 2010 Report Page: 1

PURPOSE

The Orientation Program is designed to facilitate the academic, cultural and social

adjustment of first year commencing students. Program activities are linked to the Key

Strategic goals of the University, namely enhancing the Student Experience, developing

excellence in Learning and Teaching, and encouraging participation for students from

diverse cultural and social backgrounds.

The Orientation Program is identified as a process that extends beyond the first few weeks of

a student's first semester at university. Orientation and transition activities at the University of

Sydney are seen to commence with the Universitys contact with prospective students, their

parents and schools. The process continues in the provision of the intensive events and

programs run through Orientation Week, and extends through to specialised programs for

students during their first year at Sydney. The Orientation Program is closely linked with the

First Year Experience activities being developed by the Faculties.

Students in their first year have special learning needs arising from the social andacademic transition they are experiencing. From multiple starting points, all students areon a journey to becoming self-managing or self-directed learners, and the first-yearcurriculum must help them get there. Kift and Nelson, 2005 p. 229

Development of the Program was ongoing in 2009, with the Project Group continuing to work

cooperatively in developing the integrated program for Orientation Week activities on the

Camperdown and Darlington campuses. Links continued to be provided to Orientation

activities on the other campuses. Project Group membership and Terms of Reference are

listed at Appendix C.

The introduction in 2009 of formal feedback through electronic surveys and focus groups of

first year students extended the quality assurance mechanisms and informed program

planning. Key changes implemented for the 2010 program included:

1. changed title of program from Sydney Welcome Orientation and Transition (SWOT) to

Orientation, to increase the salience of the program to students and convey a whole

of University approach.

2. expanded visibility of the program through postcards, booklet, website, posters and

promotional materials. Moststudents found out about program through multiple

methods (e.g. 60% via enrolment day, 52% through word of mouth, 52% through

Orientation postcards, 49% through the University of Sydney home page). From 2009

to 2010, there was a decrease in the number of students who did not attend the


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program because they did not know of the program (from 20.9% of non-attendees in

2009 to 11.9% of those who did not attend Orientation in 2010).

3. restructure of the Orientation website and site location to increase ease of navigation,

content language and structure, and access to resources and support. A banner to

the site was available from 8 faculty sites, the Universitys Current Student, Future

student, and Start sites, as well as the University of Sydney Union. Statistics from the

web-report indicate that more than 14,000 visits to the website occurred in the weeks

leading up to and for the duration of the program. Changes to the site also included

increasing downloadable resources, and expanding year-round transition information

to facilitate adjustment to University beyond the first few weeks.

4. co-location of all academic seminars and transition sessions within the Eastern

Avenue Complex, to allow students easy access to all components of the program,

without getting tangled in Uni Maps, acronyms, and diverse campus locations. This

also facilitated cross promotion of events within the program.

5. expansion the rural and interstate students program, with direct outreach to the

students and expanded social interaction opportunities, resulting in a 10 fold increase

in attendees (from 8 to 79 attendees, 2009 Vs. 2010).

6. increased contact with senior level students through employing trained Student

Ambassadors to present academic and personal support services information within

10 faculty welcomes, and at 5 Residential College fresher presentations. Training and

access to the Student Ambassadors for the Faculty welcomes and residential college

fresher events produced two clear gains:

a. higher engagement between first year and senior level students, with

increased face validity to the message content.

b. previous resources to provide these messages at welcomes had been

sourced from the Counselling Service. Resources were redirected to

developing and renewing transition seminars, and enabled repetition of

seminars across the Orientation program.7. streamlining the Orientation timetable, to increase visibility of transition seminars, with

repetition of key seminars.

These changes to the program are sustainable, with inbuilt quality assurance and continuous

improvement cycles. Many changes for the 2010 program were cost neutral. For example,

increased use of personalised emails to invite students to attend the Mature age or Rural and

Interstate student welcomes greatly reduced printing and mail-out costs for this year, and

resulted in greater attendance than 2009.


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ORIENTATION PROGRAM COMPONENTS

University Welcome to New Students

Each year, The University Welcome to New Students marks the commencement of the

Orientation Program. This is a student's first opportunity to experience a formal University

event in the Great Hall with the carillon and a large academic procession, accompanied by

the University organist. In 2010, students were welcomed by The Chancellor Her Excellency

Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, The Vice-Chancellor Dr. Michael Spence, the Presidents of

the Students' Representative Council and The University of Sydney Union, and the O-Week

Directors. Principal Officers, Residential College and Faculty representation in this year's

academic procession numbered 65. The event was very well attended by students with The

Great Hall being filled to capacity (700 seats plus standing). Planning for 2011 will include

exploring external broadcast options to accommodate overflow of students.

Promotion

Promotion of the Orientation 2010 program included distribution of the Orientation 2010

postcard and booklet; an Orientation 2010 website linked to the look and feel of postcard and

booklet, containing extensive links from University sites; word of mouth; direct email to

students, as well as information included in presentations at University community outreach

events such as Sydney Uni LIVE! and Information Day. The program was highlighted to

students accessing assistance through the Student Help Line staffed by Student

Ambassadors. All promotional merchandise and websites were developed in line with the

Brand Guidelines, as one of the first large scale public-facing events for the University since

rebranding in January, 2010.

Orientation 2010 Postcards

The postcards were designed in consultation with Digital and Print Media. The postcard was

available to all students at in-person enrolment. Newly enrolling first year internationalstudents were targeted through distribution at Daily Arrival Sessions presented by the

International Student Support Unit (18 January-12 March 2010) and to local students at the

Student Centre enrolment sites (25 January-29 January 2010).

Orientation 2010 Booklet

Following developments to the booklet in 2009, and feedback from the survey and focus

groups, further refinements were made to increase ease of use as an event program,

streamlining information about Faculty welcomes, academic information sessions and


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transition talks. Information regarding Orientation activities held on the Sydney

Conservatorium of Music (SCM), the Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) and Cumberland

campuses was included in the booklet.

The booklet was distributed by mail to all newly enrolling first year students (local addressesonly). Copies of the booklet were distributed to newly arriving international students at

International Student Orientation sessions presented by the International Student Support

Unit (15 - 18 February 2010). For reference, the image on the booklet is replicated on the

front of this report.

Orientation 2010 website

The website was updated by the Student Experience Coordinator, Student Support Services,

supported by staff in Digital and Print Media. The website and booklet were developed in

parallel with each other, as in previous years, to strengthen Orientation Program identity and

provide visual consistency. Downloadable pdfs of the booklet and the Orientation Week

timetable were made available.

As discussed above, the Current Students Orientation site was reconfigured to include

Orientation event information, whereas a separate campaign website had been developed

previously. This Orientation site is live year round, with periodic updating of the information

and resources contained on the site. The site contains dynamic feature panes, links and

images. The site remains live throughout semester, with ongoing uploading of resources and

information about transition and skills acquisition.

The Orientation 2010 button (and link) featured on the University home page, Future

Students (START) and the Services for Students and Current Students pages. Faculties

were advised on how to link to the site from their websites. Most Faculties offering

Orientation to undergraduate students posted the button on their home page.

Within the Orientation 2010 site, University services and information were highlighted by links

to key websites including START, the MyUnistudent portal, ICT Computer Access Labs, IT

Assist, Services for Students, Student Life, Getting Around (campus maps) and Security

Services (safety on campus). The Contact Uspage provided direct email links and phone

numbers to enable undergraduate students to directly contact Faculties, University services

and the RTA transport information site.


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The Starting Uni Quiz was situated within the site and on the home page, providing dynamic

links to information and resources located within the Orientation site.

Promotion to University staff

Principal Officers of the University, Deans, Heads of Schools, Heads of Residential Colleges

and key administrative staff were provided with information regarding the Program and

invited to attend theUniversity Welcome to New Students.

An all-staff email was sent in the week prior to the Orientation program to promote

awareness of the upcoming events.

Role of Convenor in other promotional activities

The Orientation Convenor and the Student Experience Coordinator continued to have

responsibility for the coordination and development of the program, for liaison with the O-

Week Directors from the University of Sydney Union; the mail out of the Orientation booklet

plus the O-Week 10: A Space O-dyssey flyer; the promotion of information regarding the

Faculty and School Welcomes; and the organisation of the University Welcome to New

Students. Staff from the Graduations Office, Student Centre assisted with the organisation of

the University Welcome. Student Ambassadors from Marketing and Student Recruitment

were employed for the Orientation mail out, as ushers at the Official Welcome, guest

speakers within the Mature-Age, Rural and interstate and Broadway welcomes, and as

representatives for student services in Faculty welcomes.

Orientation 2010 Evaluation

Evaluation of the Orientation 2010 program and promotional materials was conducted

through the Web Report, through feedback questionnaires at seminar and information

sessions, as well as a repeat of the 2009 e-survey to undergraduate students in weeks 4-6 of

semester 1, 2010.

The Web Report indicates strong continued use of the website as a source of information for

commencing students. The website is live from December, in time for the January Info Day,

and remains accessible through the Orientation campaign. In the first few weeks of semester

the site changes to year-round content. The Web report indicates users book marked, and

returned to the site. Usage of the site rose steadily from Enrolment in January, peaking in the

days leading up to and during the Orientation campaign. Visitors to the site were local and


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international. The website will remain a key marketing and information tool for the Orientation

program. A copy of the full Report is available in Appendix E.

Through both e-surveys in 2009 and 2010, the majority of students reported that attending

the Orientation enabled them to feel a sense of belonging to the University (more than 65%

Agree (A) or Strongly agreed (SA) ), to identify sources of support on campus (59% A or SA),

to find their way around campus (84% A or SA), to enjoy their first few weeks on campus

(67% A or SA) and to feel more comfortable on campus (83% A or SA).

Moreover, specific seminars are delivered to provide an increase in academic and

intrapersonal skills to assist adaptation to new study environment. More than 95.4% of

students who participated in the 2010 transition seminars reported that the session was

informative and helpful, and 93% reported that they would recommend the session to future

students.

As a new student who is slightly older than the norm, and returning from a few years in

another country this type of strategy-oriented talk was very beneficial, not just for at uni for

in life as well. Friends and Contacts seminar participant

Welcomes and Orientation activities are provided to specifically target the needs of each of

the following cohorts: Broadway scheme students; Rural and Interstate students; Mature age

and Part time students. Transition seminars and academic skills workshops enable all

students to develop academic, personal and social skills to achieve to their potential at

University level.

Over 38.6% of first year students who completed the e-survey for the 2010 program reported

being from a Non-English Speaking Background (NESB). One quarter (24.5%) of all students

were the first in their family to attend university, and 8.3% were Australian rural students. Ofthe rural students, close to 45 % attended a rural public school, and 6.6% attended the TAFE

sector. More than 10% of all respondents were more than 22 years old.

In the 2010 e-survey, more than 70% of non-attendees to the Orientation program reported

in retrospect that they should have attended. Please see Appendix D for a full copy of the

Orientation 2010 survey. Recommendations stemming from the student survey will be

included in the overall recommendations and planning for the 2011 cycle.


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Links with the University of Sydney Union (USU) and other student groups

In the week proceeding Semester One, the Orientation 2010 Program continued to be

provided in parallel with USU O-Week 10. This parallel programming continues to recognise

the value of the total University of Sydney experience and the importance of the integration

of academic and social, cultural and sporting activities in student life at the University.

To facilitate the programming of activities, key USU representatives are invited to attend

Orientation Project Group meetings. Each year the Convenor of the Orientation Project

Group liaises with USU staff as well as the O-Week Directors to ensure effective

collaboration between Orientation and O-Week activities. The staff from University services

and Campus Infrastructure Services are also closely involved in facilitating and supporting

Orientation and O-Week activities.

In 2010 and under the banner of O-Week 10: A Space O-dyssey stalls were available on

the Front Lawn and Eastern Avenue for three days (Wednesday-Friday) while other activities

were held at Manning House. Other entertainment events were held in the evenings

throughout the three days.

The USU worked cooperatively with the Orientation Project Group to ensure cross promotion

of events through the Semester One Orientation period. The Orientation 2010 booklet and

website included promotion of O-Week 10 activities. The Orientation website included

information on all student organisations and provided links to the USU, the Students

Representative Council, Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association and

Sydney University Sport

Similarly, the O-Week 10 website included links to the Orientation 2010 website. The

promotional mail out to first year students was jointly funded by the Orientation Program and

the USU. During O-Week 10 the USU distributed additional copies of Orientation booklets

from Information tents on the Front Lawn and to USU Student Point of Contact (SPOC)

volunteers at O-Week training sessions.

Specific Programs

The intensive Orientation to the University program was provided over three days, 24-26

February 2010, and included the University Welcome to New Students, Faculty Welcomes

and Information Sessions, and academic skills and transition seminars. More detailed

descriptions of the programs offered can be found at Appendices A and B.

The University Welcome, and the Faculty and School Welcomes continue to be integrated

into the Orientation program due to the key importance of commencing students feeling


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connected with the academic staff of their Faculty and Departments and being integrated into

the academic life of the University, and to positively impact upon student retention. The

Faculties of Arts, Science, Economics and Business, and Veterinary Science continued to

provide extended Orientation activities held in addition to their Faculty Welcomes. The

faculties of Health Sciences, the SCA and SCM run independent Orientation programs

containing Faculty welcomes.

The 2010 Program included extended activities by the University of Sydney Library, the

Learning Centre and Counselling Service as outlined in Appendix A. Based on feedback from

the 2009 evaluations and survey, ICT undertook a review of service provision and developed

an orientation program team to initiate changes to service provision within the Orientation

period. Students were encouraged to drop into one of the ICT Computer Access Labs for

free essential computing skills courses, activate their UniKey account to access email and

explore the MyUnistudent portal. The ICT report is included in Appendix F

The Koori Centre held open days across the Orientation program. The Financial Assistance

Service offered information sessions. The Mathematics Learning Centre, Disability Services

and the Careers Centre held open days. The International Office provided seminars on

Student Exchange opportunities whilst studying at Sydney. The International Student

Support Unit offered a session for International students within the Orientation program, in

addition to the Daily Arrival sessions conducted for students from early January 2010 as

international students arrived on campus and International Student Orientation Program.

Outcomes and future directions

The Orientation Program contributes significantly to the Universitys welcome to new

students. Attendance at all activities continues to be strong, and has increased at a number

of activities. Feedback from students attending workshops indicated a high level of

satisfaction with the Program. An outline of the various activities involved and the level ofattendance at activities, where available, is provided in Appendix A.

A review of the Orientation 2010 Program by the members of the Project Group was held on

8 April 2010. The review indicated a successful outcome for 2010, endorsed the program

developments trialled this year, and looked at ways of taking forward the support of students

during 2010.


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The Project Group notes that developments of the Program will need to be informed by the

University of Sydney White paper, as well as responding to demands for increased support

and assistance to students from diverse equity cohorts. The development of Virtual Colleges

will be watched with interest. Many of the faculty welcomes and cohort welcomes offered in

the Orientation program could function as a launching pad for connection within the Virtual

colleges structure, linking students to senior peers and academic staff from their first days as

an enrolled student at the University.

The Project Group affirmed the value of the continuation of the program to meet the needs of

undergraduate students in transition to tertiary study at the University of Sydney.

Jordi Austin

Acting Director, Student Support Services

Convenor Orientation 2010 Project Group

May 2010


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Orientation 2010 Report

APPENDIX A - SUPPORT SERVICES

The University Library

In 2010 Library staff welcomed students and introduced them to the Library as the

starting point for information and research.

12 multidisciplinary libraries had welcome banners and lollies at each information

desk. The Library provided handy credit card sized Express Student Guides which

provide information about the University of Sydney library including location maps

to direct students to the appropriate library.

The web quiz from 24th Feb to 9th March attracted 2269 completed entries and

allowed students to explore information about their libraries and subject areas in

an attempt to win one of 3 i-Pod Nanos or 11 i-Tune gift cards.

Students were encouraged to visit the libraries related to their faculties or subject

areas and were provided with information about all the different libraries. Several

thousand students attended introductory sessions in libraries. Tailored classes,

aligned with Units of Study and specific information skill sets, also began in O-

week and will continue to run throughout the year. Orientation week tours were

offered in some libraries and were well attended.

Faculty Liaison Librarians participated in welcome functions arranged by Faculties

and departments and for specific programs. There were academic orientations for

Architecture, Arts, Engineering and IT, Science and Veterinary Science first year

students. The library participated in the welcomes for new Undergraduate and

Postgraduate International Students. Librarians also made presentations to

Postgraduates in Architecture, Arts, Law, Engineering and IT, Science, Sydney

College of the Arts and Vet Sciences.

Information about the Library and its services was included in welcome packs for

incoming students.

The Library also provided online support through Getting started podcasts, and a

range of online i-Research learning modules such as Plagiarism and academic

honesty; Finding items on your reading list; Finding journals using databases and

Search smarter:search faster.


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ICT Computer Access Labs

The primary ICT objective of the Orientation 2010 program was to consolidate and

promote knowledge of student computing services on campus amongst the student

population of the University. Focus was placed on the new intake of students for the

2010 academic year. The secondary objective was to form a template of activities for

further development across future orientation periods.

To this end, four key programs were offered:

o general introductory lectures for new students (including faculty welcomes),

o ICT information sessions covering fourkey areas (Basic IT skills, How to use

an ICT Access Lab, How to use MyUni and How to use eLearning),

o wireless setup assistance and,

o an information stall at the USU O-week event to engage with students

regarding ICT student provisions.

These events were attended by both ICT Access Labs staff and members of the ICTfrom various service portfolios.

The introductory lectures were anecdotally well received, working in partnership with

the ISSU at Main and FHS campuses. We additionally had an opportunity to provide

ICT content across all Faculty welcomes through the general Orientation program.

Our hope is to have content available online in the form of information videos which

can be made available for students to peruse through at their leisure.

ICT Information sessions had a low turnout rate of only 25 students over 25 classes,

leading to satisfaction ratings, received from feedback forms, of 90 percent. Further

demand exists in holding these types of sessions periodically during semester.With

regards to wireless setupassistance, on average, 75 laptops were serviced per day

during the orientation period.

At the USU stall, over 200 wireless setup guides were handed out, with a similar

amount of FAQs disseminated upon request. From a customer connection point of


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view, this level of interaction proved to be of most value for ICT members who

normally dont have direct contact with students. The peak period of activity at the

stall was between 10am to 12pm.

Between 15th February to the 26th of February 2010, we experienced the following

volume of students utilising computers at the ICT Access labs locations at Main,

FHS, Camden, SCA, Nursing, and The Conservatorium campuses. These figures

reflect time intervals of 8am to 6pm on weekdays:

o A total of 4524 students

o A total of 11622 login attempts

o Average time of 46 mins spent on computers

Overall, these orientationeventsgave us a fair indication of where we need to be as

a service group.

Careers Centre

During Orientation Week, the Careers Centre had a number of student career

ambassadors on campus who handed out promotional material and encouraged

students to sign up for job vacancies through the Job Alert system. DuringOrientation, 392 students signed up for Job Alert and in Weeks 1 & 2, a further 2563

students signed up. The Careers Centre attributes the sign-up rate in Weeks 1 & 2

to both the promotion of the service during Orientation and to the lunchtime drop-in

sessions that the Careers Centre conducted during Orientation and Weeks 1 & 2 of

First Semester.

The drop-in sessions (where students could talk with a careers adviser and were

shown around the Resource Centre) were popular with students. We saw a total of

34 students in O-Week and a further 92 students in Weeks 1 & 2.

The Careers Centre also conducted the following sessions:

Casual Employment Wednesday 24 February, attended by 85 students

Casual Employment - Thursday 25 February, attended by 60 students

Careers staff did not personally participate in Faculty Welcomes but contributed a

slide to the presentation on Services to Students conducted by student ambassadors


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at all Faculty Welcomes. A slide about our services was also given to the Office of

Graduate Studies to present on behalf of the Careers Centre at the Induction

Program for Postgraduate Students.

The Careers Centre staffed a booth at the BBQ lunchtime fair that followed the

Engineering & IT Faculty welcome, speaking to 65 students at that session. Careers

Centre staff presented at the ISSU welcome session for Full Degree Students

Orientation Program attended by 350 students and staffed a table at the Welcome

lunch and morning tea, speaking to a total of 235 students across the 2 days.

Counselling Service

The Counselling Service presented workshops and seminars across an array of

topics and issues relevant to commencing students. Written feedback, in the form of

standardized evaluation questionnaires, indicated that the seminars were useful and

relevant, in an appropriate format, and that respondents would recommend the

seminars to future commencing students. The majority of students found out about

the seminars via the Orientation booklet. There was a mix of undergraduate and

postgraduate students in all seminars. The number of international students was

higher than previous years with the majority of evaluations coming from students who

identified as international.

In terms of attendance and feedback while every attempt is made to get students to

fill in evaluations forms depending on the time the workshop is scheduled audience

members may be rushing to the next event and the number of evaluations may not

accurately reflect the numbers attending.

In 2010, seminars were provided on the following topics plus new programs*

Friends and Contacts: to help students establish a support network by

developing new friendships, joining clubs and societies, and liaising with

University staff. 6 students filled in evaluations forms.

Have I made the right choice to help students clarify their decisions about

university, course choice and to provide transfer information. 28 students

filled in evaluations forms.

Succeeding at Sydney: to help students develop realistic strategies for

coping with the transition to independent study, and to develop skills for

success. 68 students filled in evaluation forms.


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Coping with Stress: to help students recognise sources and signs of stress

and to help them develop effective coping strategies. 51 students evaluated

this seminar.

*Happiness: exploring sources of motivation in the face of challenge and

opportunity of the academic environment. 37 students provided evaluations.

*Counselling Service staff coordinated student ambassadors to participated in

Faculty Welcomes at most undergraduate faculty welcomes. Student

ambassadors introduced students to issues that they may confront through

their studies, and directed them to the range of support services available on

campus, including Services for Students, Careers and Scholarships.

*Presentations were provided to the Residential Colleges. A student

ambassador visited most Residential Colleges during the course of the

Orientation Program.

Residential Advisor training was provided to some residential Colleges where

invited.

In 2010, the highly successful Mature Age and Part-time Students Welcome was run

by the Counselling Service for the fifth year. Students were contacted individually by

email and were invited to attend an information seminar and social activity. The

program included a presentation by the Counselling Service on Surviving and

Thriving as a Mature Age Student,and both the Learning Centre and the Financial

Assistance Service provided key information relevant to this student group. In

addition, a senior year mature age student shared his experiences and strategies for

coping at University. Further presentations were provided by the SRC and Student

Union and, to conclude the session, a Q and A panel (which included a

representative from Fisher Library) answered questions arising from the audience.

Approximately 100 students participated in the event. Feedback was highly positive,

with all respondents indicating that they would recommend the event to future matureage students. The University of Sydney Union provided a social event after the

information session that was extremely well attended.

The Broadway Welcome was re-introduced this year providing an orientation

program for students entering the university under the Broadway scheme. In 2009

this program had been part of the SOAR Welcome that had included Commonwealth

Learning Scholarship students. Changes in the scholarship funding structure for

2010 however resulted in a decision to revise the target group for this orientation

program.


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All commencing students entering Broadway scheme were contacted individually via

email. Approximately 35 students attended on the day. The Broadway program is

held in the week before Orientation to ensure privacy, as students have expressed

concern about being identified as a Broadway student by other commencing

students. Student Ambassadors gave presentations to commencing students about

accessing university resources and their experience in managing the transition to

university. Other presentations through the afternoon included addresses on coping

with change and time and stress management from the Counselling Service, along

with information from the Learning Centre, Financial Assistance Service, and the

Students Representative Council. A Q and A panel also included participants from

the Library and the Student Union. Students were given the opportunity to meet

other students through organized activities and social events built into the days

program.

In 2010, the Country and Interstate Welcome also became a high profile activity

within the Orientation program. For the first time, rural/interstate students were

identified and contacted individually via email to invite them to attend the two hour

welcome program. Over 80 students attended the session that included: practical

information about transport and activities in Sydney, ideas for managing transitions

into new learning and social communities, information about financial support options

from the Financial Assistance Service and advice from a Student Ambassador,

himself a rural student, about coping with the first year student experience. The

information session was followed by a luncheon provided by the University of Sydney

Union which facilitated social support networking among these students.

The student presentation presentations for both the Mature Age and the Country and

Interstate programs have subsequently been uploaded as podcasts available to allstudents on the university Orientation website.

Innovation 2010

In recent years, the Counselling Service provided talks about Student Support

Services at the various Faculty Welcomes. The aims of these talks have been to

raise the profile of the range of services available and to encourage new students to

seek help early if they begin to get into any difficulties. This is a key task in the

pursuit of making student support services as accessible as possible to students in

need. Counsellors had traditionally delivered these talks, however, the feedback last


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year indicated that students would find the material more meaningful and engaging if

it were provided by other students. This valuable feedback was the catalyst for a

fresh approach. Initially, the presentation package was revised through a process of

consultation with Student Ambassadors. A group of Student Ambassadors were then

provided with training by the Counselling Service in how to deliver the new

presentation from a personal perspective and to convey key messages relating to the

importance of seeking help proactively and early. Talks were offered to all faculties

and residential colleges and the vast majority scheduled space for this in their

welcome events. Informal feedback indicated that these were generally very well

received by students and event organisers alike, the latter suggesting that the new

model was a significant improvement on the previous and provided clear information

and got the key messages across effectively.

Accommodation Service

The Accommodation Service provided two hour-long information sessions. These

included a powerpoint presentation and a question and answer session. The

presentation provided:

A description of the different on-campus options, the application process, and

details of current on-campus vacancies

an overview of resources available to find off-campus accommodation

a description of different types of off-campus accommodation including

current costs

a discussion of the Accommodation Database, including a demonstration

showing how to access and search it

information about tenancy matters and places to get information and

assistance.

information about other assistance and resources the Accommodation

Service provides, including information about using public transport to get toUniversity and resources to help students set up a home

An information pack was provided which included:

The 2010 Accommodation Service booklet

The University of Sydney Transport Guide

Map of Suburbs around the Camperdown and Darlington Campus with

travelling times.

The SRC Accommodation Checklist with tenancy tips and warnings


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The Accommodation Service inspection checklist, listing things to check when

inspection a property

Office of Fair Trading and Tenants Union of NSW information about renting

accommodation, paying a bond, and living in share accommodation

25 students attended on Wednesday 24 February and 10 students attended on

Thursday 25 February. 26 students completed evaluation surveys" The results from

the evaluation survey indicated that of the 26 respondents 9 students strongly agreed

and 16 students agreed that the session was informative and helpful. One student

was undecided.

Feedback included:Wonderfully comprehensive the speaker was very lucid, engaging and thorough

made everything wonderfully clear! Went through everything in great detail which

was so helpful. Thanks!

and

Very informative, very dynamic. Positive attitude.

Accommodation Information Sessions for international students

From 12 January to 11 March, Accommodation Information Sessions were presented

for newly arrived international students. The sessions were held Monday to Friday,

ran for an hour, and were attended by a total of 530 international students over the

period.

The sessions were interactive and included a powerpoint presentation, question and

answer session and information packs were provided. The sessions addressed the

specific accommodation needs of newly arrived international students.

Students were asked to evaluate the session through a short questionnaire. The

overwhelming majority agreed or strongly agreed that:

The session covered the topics they wanted to know about

The information was presented clearly and was easy to understand

The written information in the information pack was clear and useful

The information provided was sufficient to commence their accommodation

search


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Their concerns and questions were effectively addressed by the

Accommodation Officer

They had enough time to interact with the Accommodation Officer

Disability Services

Disability Services held an open morning, where students could informally meet with

a Disability Services Officer and ask questions. One student attended the drop-in

session. The service will look to reverting to the more successful Mentoring Access

Program, as conducted in 2009, for the 2011 Orientation program.

Financial Assistance Service

The Financial Assistance Service provided one information session called Money

Matters. The session was well attended, with 30 students attending on Thursday 25

February.

The session covered financial assistance available at the University and information

regarding Centrelink assistance. Budgeting and debt management, with a particular

focus on credit card debt, were also discussed.

The Financial Assistance Service also gave presentations at the Broadway

Welcome, Mature Age and Part-time Welcome, and the Rural and Interstate

Welcome.

International Exchange Program

The 2010 Orientation program was very successful for the Study Abroad and

Exchange team. Due to cost restraints, we cut back our stall participation to two days

(Thursday and Friday), however, the position of the stall was excellent and we saw a

steady stream of people coming through.

Our presentations were very well attended, with a full house on the Wednesday and

approximately 75 on Thursday. We have seen a great amount of interest at our

events throughout first semester from students who attended these sessions.


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International Student Support Unit (ISSU)

In addition to the International Student Orientation held from 15 to 18 February and

the Daily Arrival Information Sessions held from 18 January to 12 March, the

International Student Support Unit delivered seminars during Orientation on 24 and

25 February.

The feedback received from students attending the Daily Arrival Information Sessions

was positive in terms of delivery and content. These Sessions covered information on

student services, accommodation, personal safety, transport, banking and taxation,

student visas, trips and activities, overseas student health cover and adjustment to

life and study in Sydney.

Within the Orientation timeframe, the seminars on 24 and 25 February focused on

adjustment to study and life in Sydney and emphasised strategies to assist with this

adjustment and the support services available. The presentation emphasised

participation and allowed for a question and answer session. Forty-eight students

attended the seminars. While this does not appear to be a large number it should be

noted that these students had not attended a Daily Arrival Information Sessionor the

International Student Orientation.

ISSU staff believe these late arriving students are a high priority in terms of delivering

the information emphasised during the Orientation seminars. As such, two

orientations were run for late arriving students on the Monday and Tuesday of the

second week of semester. Feedback from the ISSU on-line questionnaire for

evaluating orientation indicates a large number of students arrived too late to attend

the International Student Orientation, and because students who arrive late are

generally disadvantaged. These catch up orientations are required to ensure our

duty of care and legislative responsibilities are satisfied.

Learning Centre

The Learning Centre presented nine introductory Learning to Learn lectures over the

three day Orientation 2010, 24-26 February, one of which was repeated. Over 2600

students from a wide range of Faculties attended these introductory lectures and

student evaluations were very positive. Lecture notes and presentation slides were

accessible for students to download from the Learning Centre website.


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The Learning Centre Orientation 2010 lectures and attendances were:

Strategies for Successful Learning c 180 students

Lectures and How to Use them c 250 students

Successful Essay Writing in First Year c 600 students

Developing Critical Thinking Skills c 350 students

Collaborative Learning c 160students

Report Writing Skills c 420 students

Learning about Plagiarism c 380 students

Developing Oral Presentation Skills c 280 students

Learning Centre funded activities provided for first year students were:

Twenty seven hours of academic skills workshops specifically targeting First

Year students in the LCs Central Program in first semester.

In addition, the LC provided the following support for first year students:

Orientation programs for new students in a number of Faculties and other

Units, such as ISSU, Mature age Welcome and the Broadway Welcome

An Academic Skills Program for new International students at Cumberland

Campus in February.

Teaching and materials for the Koori Centre Academic Skills Program in

February.

Additional study skills resources (Understanding Yourself as a Learner,

Being a More Effective Learner, Using Planners and Plans) published by the

Learning Centre made available on the LC website for downloading.

Finally, as part of the Learning Centres Faculty Program, a range of learning and

teaching activities were provided for first year students. These are supported by

Faculty funding on a cost-recovery basis for teaching and marking:

Diagnostic assessment of students writing, using the MASUS procedure

developed by the Learning Centre. The total first year Semester 1 cohort of

357 students in the Units of Study, ENGG1803 and ENGG1805 in the


22/57


Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies was assessed using

MASUS. Follow up language support sessions focusing on academic

communication skills, designed and delivered by LC staff were integrated

into the above-named Units of Study: ENGG1803 and ENGG1805.

LC staff participated in the Staying on Track seminars conducted in March

2010 at both Camperdown and Cumberland campuses.

Mathematics Learning Centre

The Mathematics Learning Centre, together with the School of Mathematics and

Statistics, organised mathematics bridging courses during February. In 2010,

approximately 280 students attended these courses. The Mathematics Learning

Centre invited students to drop-in and meet the Centre's staff during an open day in

Orientation. Mathematics Learning Centre staff participated in the Faculty of

Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources orientation program.

Alumni Relations Office: Mentions in 2010 Faculty Welcomes

Goal

This program was built on the 2007 initiative to introduce the concept of alumni and

its significance to new students as soon as they are on campus, and using the

Orientation Faculty Welcomes was an ideal opportunity. We aim to lay the

groundwork for a range of alumni familiarisation and student-alumni engagement

programs, on which we could build as students progress through their university

career, so that by the time they graduate they are a committed and hopefully active

University of Sydney alumni.

Strategy

The ARO contacted all Faculties with the request to use the following text in their

official Orientation Week welcomes:

"As a newly-enrolled student, you are now part of the University of Sydney

community, and when you graduate you will become a life-long member of Sydney's

alumni community ('alumni' is Latin for 'graduates'). Through the Alumni Relations

Office, this community offers a worldwide network of friendship, support, services and

benefits, which I hope you will take advantage of over the years."


23/57


In addition the ARO developed for 2010 a PowerPoint display that faculty alumni

representatives or faculty staff can show at new student welcomes and other

functions.

The ARO is continuing to roll out this program, through:

Message and PowerPoint distribution via Deans/Faculties.

Alumni text in Orientation publications and on the Orientation website

Updating of alumni text as new student-alumni engagement programs are

launched, most notably the online mentoring program.


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APPENDIX B - FACULTY EVENTS

Faculty of Arts

This year the Faculty of Arts welcomed over 2000 new first year undergraduate

students into our fifteen degree and combined degree programs, and almost half of

these students signed up to participate in the Arts Network Mentoring Program. The

program began this year on Monday 22 February with Welcome Day, an exciting

event incorporating activities such as an interactive role-play about the joys and

challenges of first year, small group activities for students in the same degree

program, and a Must See, Must Have, Must Do tour around campus.

More than 500 of these new students attended our official welcome in Wallace

Theatre on Thursday 25 February. A highlight of this event was a highly voluble

Ancient Greek Debate, in which seven of our academic staff contributed their views

on the true nature of love. The debate gave students the opportunity to begin to learn

about the extremely different and interesting perspectives brought to knowledge and

enquiry by the many different discipline areas represented in our Faculty.

Senior student mentors continued to support first years over the challenging first few

weeks of the semester. We also introduced a new activity in Weeks One and Two

this year: a series of Degree Pathways Forums, designed to ensure that new

students developed clear understandings of both the requirements and the

opportunities of their degree program.

Further transition activities were conducted within lecture and tutorial groups. For

example, over 2,000 students in twenty junior units of study completed an online

tutorial in information literacy skills as part of their preparation for their first

assessment activities. This online resource, ARTS1000 eSearch to Research, has

been developed jointly by the Arts Network Team, the University Library, and the

Sydney eLearning Team.


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Faculty of Economics & Business

The Faculty of Economics and Business has undertaken a variety of initiatives to

assist students in their orientation and transition in the Faculty and the University ofSydney:

1: Ongoing development of an orientation website

(http://www.econ.usyd.edu.au/orientation)

information for students (Workshops, Mentoring Programs, Careers Advice,

Facultys Clubs and Societies)

information for parents/sponsors/agents

information about teaching and learning

information about living in Sydney

links to Sydney Welcome Orientation and Transition (Orientation) website

and University of Sydney Union O-Week

2: 2 !3 hour orientation program for Postgraduates and Undergraduates

separately covering a range of resources and interests, introduction to the peer

mentoring program, informal meeting with academic staff.

Topics include:

Student Services Finding your way through the maze

Academic Honesty policy

Lessons on Blackboard (staff & student intranet platform)

Settling in and introduction to the Peer Mentoring Program

Accounting Accreditation (postgraduate)

Careers Advice

Managing Study Expectations Yours and Ours Accessing Library Services

3: Program-specific and discipline-specific orientation sessions, ranging from one

to two hours, with post-session refreshments provided:

o Bachelor of Commerce

o Bachelor of Economics

o Master of Commerce


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o Master of Commerce- Accounting Majors

o Master of Economics + MCom Economics Majors

o MHRMIR, MOrgCoaching + MCom Employment Relations and HRM

Majors

o MCom Transport and Supply Chain + Logistics Management Majors

o Master of International Business + MCom Intl Business Major

o Master of Professional Accounting

o Master of Marketing

o MCom Business Information Systems Major

o GradCert Innovation and Entreneurship Major

4: 4 x 1 hour International Students Sessions during Orientation for

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students

5: 1.5 hour evening welcome event for postgraduate coursework part-time

students in Week 4, including presentations on the special needs of part-timers

and targeted Faculty and University support. Refreshments provided.

6: Eight transition sessions running at various times throughout O Week:

http://www.econ.usyd.edu.au/learning/students/workshops/transition

Succeeding with Groupwork (for UG and PG)

Writing an Academic Essay (one session for UG only and one session

for PG only)

How to be an Independent Learner (for UG and PG)

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (PG only)

Learning Smarter Not Harder (for UG and PG)

Critical Thinking (for PG only)

Making the Grade (for UG and PG)

7: 3 x Technical Skills Workshops held in Computer Labs during O Week:

Using Spreadsheets (for PG only)

BlackBoard 9- eLearning (Individual sessions for UG and PG Students,

and one session for Non-Accounting Students)

Using Library Resources (Individual sessions for UG and PG Students,

and one session specific for Accounting Students)


27/57


8: Further workshops - Students are also encouraged to attend workshops

available within and beyond the Faculty, including:

Skills Workshop for postgraduate students who want to develop aspects of

their learning practice for postgraduate study, week 4.

Maths Learning Centre workshops in algebra, working with graphs, sigma

notation, etc., week 4

Faculty of Economics and Business workshops on examination techniques,

week 6 and 13


28/57


Faculty of Science

More than 500 new students and around 120 parents were welcomed to the Faculty

of Science at the Student Transition Workshop and Parents' Program on Sunday,

21stFebruary 2010. This workshop, which has been held every year since 1997, is a

wonderful chance for students to meet other new friends and for parents to have

those last minute concerns and questions addressed. The event included welcomes

from the staff, talks from current students including hints on how to survive and

prosper in first-year, formation of peer groups, tours of the campus and a trivia

competition that was run by the student science society SCISOC.

The peer groups were formed on the basis of the students' University timetables,

enabling students to meet those who have similar interests and chosen the same

subjects in an out-of-class setting. These new peer groups grow usually into an

extensive network of friends and contacts during the first semester with students

providing each other with support and assistance throughout the first year and the

succeeding years of their degree.

The Parents' Program included formal welcomes, a short seminar on the challenges

students face in making the transition from school to university, reflections on first

year from two senior students, and a presentation about employment possibilities for

science graduates from the University Careers Service. These were followed by a

very lively question & answer session. The day concluded with afternoon tea in the

main quadrangle. Academic staff from the Faculty acted as workshop leaders and

support persons, ably assisted by a team of student helpers throughout the day.

The event also introduced the Faculty of Sciences new mentoring and leadership

program. This program will provide on-going support and encouragement throughout

the semesters and build active participation and discussion with research staff.

The Science Faculty's Welcome to New Students was held on Wednesday, 24th

February in the Eastern Avenue Auditorium. The hour-long event was packed out

with over 500 new students queuing outside for a spot. A warm welcome was

expressed by the Acting Dean who then introduced the First Year Directors of each

School in the Faculty. The Directors presented objects chosen to summarize the

nature of their disciplines including a Rubix cube race, a levitating magnet and an

oscillating chemical reaction.


29/57


The event concluded with Dr Karl who packed life, death and everything in between

into his advice to the new students.

After a hearty round of applause for the Acting Dean, everyone made the short walk

over to the courtyard at the back of the School of Chemistry for the first SCISOC

barbeque of the semester. The smell of sausages (both meat and vegetarian, of

course) filled the laboratories for the remainder of the day.

Other events run during orientation week for new and returning students were

lunchtime barbeques given by the Schools of the Faculty, a chemistry magic show by

the post-graduates students from Chemistry and a series of introductory talks for

students planning to be involved in the Facultys Talented Students Program.


30/57


APPENDIX C

Orientation Project GroupTerms of Reference

The Orientation Project Group is involved in the planning, delivery and review of thewelcome, orientation and transition activities for commencing undergraduate students at theUniversity of Sydney Camperdown and Darlington campuses.

The first year activities within faculties on the Camperdown and Darlington campuses arepromoted through the Orientation website and booklet.

The welcome orientation and transition activities at other campuses of the University are

included in the Orientation website and booklet.

Terms of Reference

develop the Orientation Strategic Plan for First Year Academic Orientation andTransition in line with University's Strategic Directions 2006-2010, Learning and

Teaching and The Student Experience, jointly with Faculty Strategic Plans

develop coordinated, visible and active involvement of the University in academic

orientation and transition

develop timetable of activities including Chancellors Welcome, Faculty andDepartment Welcomes and the activities of central student support services including

Alumni Relations, ICT Computer Access Labs, International Office (International

Exchange Program), Koori Centre, Learning Centre, Library, Marketing and StudentRecruitment, Mathematics Learning Centre, Sydney Talent, The Sydney Summer

School and Student Administration and Support.

develop the Orientation website and booklet

promote the Orientation Program to prospective students and families, enrolledstudents, and staff of the University

determine and organise best publicity options for Orientation, including the Orienation

booklet and website

liaise with the University of Sydney Union regarding O-Week activities

develop a (Re)Orientation Program for Second Semester commencers and other First

Year students

develop ongoing orientation, transition and retention support at the Universitythroughout the First Year by central student support services including AlumniRelations, ICT Computer Access Labs, International Office (International ExchangeProgram), Koori Centre, Learning Centre, Library, Marketing and StudentRecruitment, Mathematics Learning Centre, Sydney Talent, The Sydney SummerSchool and Student Administration and Support, and within Faculties and

Departments.


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Orientation Project Group

Membership April 2010

Ex-officio members

Acting Director, Student Support Services

(Ms Jordi Austin) Convenor Orientation 2010

Alumni Relationsnominee (Ms Hazel Baker)

Facultynominees

Faculty of Arts (Dr Nerida Jarkey)Faculty of Economics and Business (Dr Michael Paton)Faculty of Pharmacy (Dr Lorraine Smith)

Faculty of Science (Dr Adam Bridgeman)

Information and Communications TechnologynomineesManager, Help Desk Services (to be confirmed)

Manager, Support Services (Ms Madeleine McCabe)Access Labs Supervisor (Mr Rishikesh Shankar)

Internal CommunicationsnomineeStudent Communications Manager (Ms Joanna Cohen)

International Officenominee (Ms Kate Smart)

Koori Centrenominee (Ms Tanya Griffiths)Koori Centre nominee (Ms Sarina Solar)

Learning CentreHead (Dr Helen Drury)

Learning Centre nominee (Dr Angela Ardington)

Marketing and Student RecruitmentUndergraduate Marketing Manager (Mr Kaveh Ghezel)

Mathematics Learning CentreHead (Ms Jackie Nicholas)

Social Inclusionnominee (Ms Simone Ross)

Student Administration and Support

Careers CentreHead (Ms Inta Heimanis) or nominee (Ms Nitsa Athanassopoulos)

Counselling Service Head (Ms Philomena Renner)

Equity Support Servicesnominee (Mr Ben Alfred)

International Student Support UnitHead (Ms Lidia Nemitschenko)

Student Centrenominee (Mr Dennis OHare)

The Sydney Summer SchoolDirector (Dr Jillian Stewart)

University LibrarynomineesManager, Client Services Law Library (Ms Linden Fairbairn)Team Leader SciTech, Engineering Library (Ms Irene Rossendell)

Invited:

Faculty of Health Sciencesnominee (to be confirmed)

University of Sydney Unionnominees

Programs Manager (Ms Louise Anthony)Marketing Manager (Ms Samantha Bala)Events Manager (Ms Clare Van De Wall)

Support:Student Experience Coordinator, Student Support Services (Ms Monique Williams)


32/57


APPENDIX D

Orientation 10 Survey - See attached

APPENDIX E

Orientation Web Report - See attached

APPENDIX F

ICT Orientation Report See attached


33/57

Page 1

Orientation 2010 SurveyOrientation 2010 SurveyOrientation 2010 SurveyOrientation 2010 Survey

Please tick the box below if you agree to the Conditions of Entryfor this survey. By agreeing toparticipate you will be automatically entered into the draw for a chance to win a $250 Co-opBookshop voucher.

Thank you! If you would like to participate in the Orientation 2010 Survey for a chance to win a $250Co-op Bookshop voucher, please read the Conditions of Entryand enter the survey again throughyour email.

1. Thank you for agreeing to participate in the survey

1. I agree to participate in this survey and to be entered into the draw*

2. Thank you!

3. Information about you

1. Please tell us a bit about you. Are you...?

2. Are you...? (tick as many as apply)*

3. Have any of your family studied at University?

4. Have any of your friends studied at University?

Ye s

nmlkj

No

nmlkj

Male

nmlkj

Female

nmlkj

Local Student

gfedc

International Student

gfedc

Full time

gfedc

Part time

gfedc

Mature Age

gfedc

Non English speaking background

gfedc

Yes, Sydney University

gfedc

Yes, but not at Sydney University

gfedc

No

gfedc

Yes, at Sydney University

gfedc

Yes, but not at Sydney University

gfedc

No

gfedc


34/57

Page 2


We are interested in your knowledge of the University before you began, and where you are from.

5. The Uni runs many information days and University Experince days to

help students decide about their course. Did you come to any of the

following?

6. Are you an Australian rural student?

4. Rural student experience

1. Where did you go to school?

5. Information about you

1. What age group are you?

Sydney Uni LIVE! (August)

gfedc

Sydney University Open Day (January)

gfedc

University Experience day (confirm name and dates)

gfedc

Ye s

nmlkj

No

nmlkj

Rural public school

gfedc

Rural private school

gfedc

Metropolitan public school

gfedc

Metropolitan private school

gfedc

Tafe

gfedc

Other

gfedc

17-18 years

nmlkj

19-21nmlkj

22-25

nmlkj

26-36

nmlkj

37 +

nmlkj


35/57

Page 3


2. What Faculty are you from?

3. Did you come to Orientation 2010 (22-26 February)?

6. Didn't attend Orientation?

1. Please tell us why you did not come to Orientation 2010

(tick as many as apply)

7. Your experience of Orientation 2010

Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

gfedc

Architecture

gfedc

Arts

gfedc

Economics and Business

gfedc

Education and Social Work

gfedc

Engineering and Information Technologies

gfedc

Health Sciences

gfedc

Pharmacy

gfedc

Science

gfedc

Sydney College of the Arts

gfedc

Sydney Conservatorium of Music

gfedc

Veterinary Science

gfedc

Ye s

nmlkj

No

nmlkj

Didn't know about the program

gfedc

Couldn't take time off work

gfedc

Was out of Sydney on holidays

gfedc

Hadn't arrived in Sydney yet

gfedc

The program did not look interesting/relevant to me

gfedc

Attended my residential college orientation instead

gfedc

Attended my campus orientation (SCA, CON, FHS)instead

gfedc

Attended International Student Daily Arrival Session instead

gfedc

Other (please specify)


36/57

Page 4

Orientation 2010 SurveyOrientation 2010 SurveyOrientation 2010 SurveyOrientation 2010 SurveyWe are interested in what events you attended, how useful you found these events, and what wecould do to improve the Orientation experience.

1. How did you hear about the Orientation 2010 program? (tick as many

as apply)

2. Which days of the program did you attend?(tick all that apply)

University of Sydney Home pagegfedc

Faculty Home page

gfedc

On enrolment day

gfedc

START website

gfedc

Orientation postcard

gfedc

Orientation website

gfedc

USU O-Week website

gfedc

Orientation booklet

gfedc

USU O-Week brochure

gfedc

Word of mouth

gfedc

Other (please specify)

Friday 19 Feb

gfedc

Monday 22 Feb

gfedc

Tuesday 23 Feb

gfedc

Wednesday 24 Feb

gfedc

Thursday 25 Feb

gfedc

Friday 26 Feb

gfedc


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Page 5


We are also interested in the O-week social activities you may have attended

3. Which events did you attend?

8. USU O-Week events

1. Did you buy an ACCESS card?

2. How many clubs and societies did you join?

3. Did you find the grouping of stalls by category (eg Recreation, Science,

Environment etc) made it easy to navigate your way around the stalls?

Faculty Welcome

gfedc

University Welcome (Great Hall)

gfedc

Academic seminars and Transition information sessions

gfedc

Broadway Welcome

gfedc

Mature age welcome

gfedc

Rural and Interstate welcome

gfedc

Careers Service open day

gfedc

Casual Employment information sessions

gfedc

Library tours

gfedc

ICT lab sessions

gfedc

Ye s

nmlkj

No

nmlkj

None

nmlkj

1

nmlkj

2-3

nmlkj

4-5

nmlkj

5+

nmlkj

Ye s

nmlkj

No

nmlkj


38/57

Page 6


Please tell us of your expectations about Orientation.

4. Did you attend any of the night time events? and if so, how would you

rate them?

Didn't go Poor Good Excellent

Opening Night Party in

3Dnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Comedy Night nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkjTwilight Screening at

Twilightnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Band Night nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

5. Did you feel there was enough variety in the O-Week events (day and

night)?

6. Did you go on the Campus Bus Tour? and if so, how did you rate it?

7. Did you find the SPOC's (O-week Volunteers) Useful for providing

information and directions?

9. Your Transition to Uni

Any comments about the night events?

Ye s

nmlkj

No

nmlkj

Any Comments?

Didn't go

nmlkj

Poor

nmlkj

Helpful

nmlkj

Very helpful

nmlkj

Ye s

nmlkj

No

nmlkj

Didn't know about them

nmlkj


39/57

Page 7


Please tell us if attending Orientation 2010 helped you to get to know the uni and to meet fellowstudents

Please feel free to provide feedback about the Orientation program. We are keen to hear about whatworked well, and where we can improve.

1. Please rate the following statements about what you may have

expected from Orientation before you came to Uni...Did you expect to...

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

meet academic staff nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

meet fellow students nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

gain academic skills nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

be shown around

campusnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

learn how to use the

librarynmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

have fun on campus nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

join l ots of clubs and

societiesnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

2. Any other expectations that you had before attending Orientation

2010?

10. Your experience of Orientation 2010

1. Did attending Orientation 2010 help you to...

Strongly disagree DisagreeNeither agree nor

disagreeAgree Strongly agree

meet fellow students nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

meet academic staff nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

identify academic

skills for successnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

find my way around

the campusnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

locate the library nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

identify and set up

computer resourcesnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

become aware of

sources of support on

campus

nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

feel more comfortable

on campusnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

enjoy my first few

weeks at Uninmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

feel connected to the

Uninmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

feel as though I

belong at the Uninmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

11. Your feedback on the program


40/57

Page 8


Thank you!

1. What were the best aspects of Orientation 2010?

2. What aspects are most in need of improvement? Any suggestions?

3. Do you know where to go to...(tick if yes)?

12. Thank You!

Log into MyUni

gfedc

Change your timetable

gfedc

find your faculty office

gfedc

contact your faculty librarian

gfedc

find a computer lab

gfedc

use your unikey

gfedc


41/57

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48/57

ICT ORIENTATION 2010 - REPORT

ICT ORIENTATION 2010 REPORT

PDF DOCUMENT

AUTHORS:

MATTHEW ETHERDEN, ICT ORIENTATION COORDINATOR

WILLIAM LAM, ICT ORIENTATION COMMITEE MEMBER

RISHI SHANKAR, TEAM LEADER, ICT ACCESS LABS

3 May 2010

Version 1.3


49/57


ICT ORIENTATION COMMITTEE 3 May 2010 Page 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview 3

Staff volunteer program 4

Student engagement 5

Outcomes and recommendations 6

Conclusion 9


50/57



OVERVIEW

2010 Orientation Program

Each year, the University of Sydney, in conjunction with the University of Sydney Union (USU) and other

external campus guilds, runs an orientation program for new and returning students. These activities rangefrom formal welcomes, faculty information sessions, and on campus social activities.

The Universitysorientation occurs in varying degrees, when the first offers are given out to new students,until the start of semester. The USU Orientation (O-Week) is held across the last three days of the weekbefore Semester 1.

ICT objectives

The primary objective of the ICT Orientation 2010 program was to consolidate and promote knowledge ofstudent computing services on campus amongst the student population of the University. Focus was placedon the new intake of students for the 2010 academic year.

The secondary objective was to form a template of activities for further development across future orientationperiods.

ICT activities

As ICT continues to innovate in supporting students, it became paramount for us to engage with the studentpopulation face to face. This gave ICT team members an opportunity to communicate the full range of studentservices on offer.

The following activities were undertaken:

Staff vo lunteer pro gram

Organising committee

Stall volunteers

Student engagement

Introductory lectures

Information sessions

Wireless setup assistance

USU O-Week Stall


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STAFF VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Organising committee

Given the relative scope of this initiative, it became necessary to form an organising committee to manage the

activities listed below. It is important to note that participation was administered on a voluntary basis, withsome members generously donating their time whilst on annual leave, with casual staff bearing the load ofoperational tasks. Planning for this activity commenced in September 2009 with the following teams:

Operational and strategic

Matthew Etherden (Coordinator and Committee Chair)

Glenn Russell (FHS Orientation)

Linda Zhang (Secretary)

Jason Williams (Graphics Designer)

Guy Kabos (Logistics)

Chris Browne (Logistics & Presenter)

William Lam (Documentation, Reporting, Faculty of Heath Science (FHS) Campus Rep.)

Support ing

Joy Enriquez (Communications)

Rishi Shankar (Communications)

Relationship Management (Faculty welcome liaisons)

Jenny Malapetsas (Finance)

Stall attendees

The orientation team were generously supported by ICT staff who volunteered their time at the O-Week ICTStall. Attendance was managed through hourly rosters across three days.

To maintain a level of consistency in providing students with relevant information on ICT student services, aseries of training workshops were conducted by the organising committee prior to stall attendance.

Groups which took part as volunteers included:

ICT Executives

Helpdesk Services, Service Management

Infrastructure, Service Management

Field Services, Service Management

Information Security, Service Management

Support Services, Service Management

Enterprise Application and Training, Service Management

Business Analysis, Academic Services

Architecture, Integration and Information Services

Project Management, Academic Services

Relationship Management, Faculty Services


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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

It is important to note that promotion of the ICT activities to students was made through the Orientationwebsite and booklet athttp://www.usyd.edu.au/current_students/orientation.shtmlin addition to the followinginformation streams listed below.

Introductory lectures (15th

Feb. 17th

Feb.)

Our primary stakeholders, the International Student Support Unit (ISSU), invited ICT to deliver a series ofintroductory lectures on student computing. These consisted of 15 to 30 minute presentations, deliveringinformation on general IT resources offered by ICT to students of the University.

Topics covered were:

student computing labs - ICT Access Labs

Unikey accounts

MyUni

swITch Sydney Mail

wireless access

college access

Faculty welcomes (22nd

Feb. 26th

Feb.)

The University Orientation group assisted with communication of ICTs student services bypresenting generalinformation within all official Faculty Welcome programs. An Information article was also published on theUniversity bulletin citing ICT student service provisions.

In addition, the ICT Relationship Management team acted as faculty liaisons for the ICT Access Labs team indelivering information to respective stakeholders at a grassroots level in addition to presentations acrossFaculty Welcome programs.

Information Sessions (22nd

Feb. 2nd

Mar.)

The objectives of these sessions were to give students a working knowledge of how to utilise the full range ofICTs student service catalogue. These were offered daily, with two supplemental sets of classes offered inthe first week of semester 1. The each class was conducted across a half hour period and covered thefollowing topics:

Basic IT skills

How to use an ICT Access Lab

How to use MyUni

How to use eLearning (WebCT)

Wireless setup assistance (22nd

Feb. 26th

Feb.)

Wireless sessions were offered daily, assisting students with wireless access on personal laptops.

USU O-Week ICT Stall (24th

Feb. 26th

Feb.)

In communication with the USU, an information stall was secured by ICT. The primary objective of thisinformation stall was to uniformly distribute information about the student computing resources on campus.
http://www.usyd.edu.au/current_students/orientation.shtmlhttp://www.usyd.edu.au/current_students/orientation.shtmlhttp://www.usyd.edu.au/current_students/orientation.shtmlhttp://www.usyd.edu.au/current_students/orientation.shtml


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Examples included FAQ content for ICT Access Labs and Helpdesk, campus maps and wireless and collegesetup guides were amongst the pieces of materials distributed. Stall participation was managed in pairs, withone Access Lab staff member teamed up with ICT staff.


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OUTCOMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Staff volunteer program

Orientat ion c omm it tee

The committee received invaluable support from ICT staff in developing innovative ways to deliver theorientation program. The group received a healthy balance of opinions on how to conduct activities, bothstrategically and operationally. The committee as a whole worked well together and all members contributedto the success of the program.

Some recommendations for future Orientation teams include:

planning ahead at least 3 months in advance to secure a budget,

communicating the program in person across team meetings,

participating in the Student Ambassador Program (which allocates 1 member per business unit)

securing branded material at least one month ahead of activities (brochures, merchandise, flyers

etc), building stall partnerships with University hardware vendors,

request for allocation of stall positioning amongst vendors for a uniform information channel.

Stall attendees

Given the healthy take-up rate of stall volunteers, and the good will shared during attendance, stall volunteersreported positive outcomes in terms of:

being given the opportunity to share information about student services on campus,

having awareness of frontline teams who support students,

making new networks and creating avenues to share ideas,

gaining knowledge of ICT escalation channels that exist for students.

Some recommendations for future stall volunteer teams include:

providing branded apparel prior to attendance,

requesting confirmations of attendance per daily roster 24 hours beforehand (in case ofemergencies),

requesting information on what volunteers would like to gain from the experience (e.g. discussionon project ideas for student service delivery).

Student engagement

In t roductory lectures

Positive anecdotal feedback was received from both the students and ISSU representatives as to the contentof information provided. Subsequently, a spill over effect occurred after each session with the ICT AccessLabs teams being approached onsite for further information on ICT services.

Sessions at FHS and Camden campuses were conducted in lecture theatres as well as the ICT Access Labslocales. Familiarising students to the computing environment through a localised setting such as an AccessLab proved popular and effective.

Some recommendations for future lecture programs include:


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closer engagement with Relationship Management for official ICT allocated timeslots forpresentations and/orcloser engagement with the University Orientation group for official ICTallocated timeslots for presentations,

developing an ICT Student Services information video that can be screened in lieu of physicalattendance at Faculty Welcome programs.

In format ion sessions

Whilst many students took information flyers for these classes and stated their interest, the turnout wassmaller than expected with 25 students in total over 5 days.

As an additional information resource, the classes proved to be of value for students attending.

Some recommendations for future information sessions include:

running these sessions after O-Week activities to avoid conflict with competing events,

extending communication plan to advertise sessions through student portals such as MyUni,

providing further avenues for students to give qualitative feedback (existing feedback forms

reported an average of 90% satisfaction ratings),

expanding the range of sessions to accommodate student groups registered with DisabilityServices,

posting content online across mediums such as screen casts.

Wireless setup assistance

The bulk of wireless assistance requests were received at ICT Access Labs locations with an average of 75personal laptops per day serviced at a one to one basis during USU O-Week. This made the inclusion of aseparated classroom environment for assistance ineffective. Attendance was minimal.

Some recommendations for future wireless assistance include: securing space within ICT Access Labs locations as wireless setup areas,

allocation of a secondary Technical Assistance ICT orientation site (originally in scope for 2010,but not pursued to due to logistical issues with staff presence, secur

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Orientation 2010 Report

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