Eastern Oregon University Division of Distance Education

EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

Why did we develop the orientation?

EOU began offering distance degrees in 1979.

Regional centers in ten counties of Eastern Oregon were established. Coordinators worked with students from their regions in face to face fashion. The Orientation was begun as a way to introduce students to the institution and to distance learning. Orientation sessions were scheduled on a regular basis for groups of prospective or newly admitted students.

In 1993 a non-credit Degree Planning Workshop was added as a way to involve admitted students in the planning of their own degree programs. The philosophy behind this was that students would feel more ownership of their programs and more confident they were on the right track toward graduation. The Workshop was designed to guide students through an understanding of transfer credits, institutional and program specific graduation requirements, and the policies and procedures related to registration and academic progress. The Workshops were offered for groups of students in a one day format. Students were then expected to develop a degree plan in cooperation with their advisors. By this time the program had expanded to include all of Oregon and additional centers had been established.

As the program grew to include out of state students, the Orientation and Degree Planning Workshop were put online. At this time Center Directors may choose to conduct face to face group workshops but many of them are using the online version.

I returned to EOU in 1999 to work exclusively with out of state students. A couple of years ago I took over advising of local students who prefer online learning to classroom attendance. However, I was so impressed with the effectiveness of the online Workshop I require this version for both local and out of state students.

How we ensure participation?

 Workshop is a requirement for DDE students and this is made clear in all our materials.

 It is non-credit and the charge is $50.

 We do have students object to this requirement from time to time and not all students participate or complete the process fully.

 Advisors deal with these situations in different ways.

 I generally provide assistance with the actual planning of the degree if students have communicated regularly with me. A degree plan is required in order to be admitted to specific programs and most of us use this to nudge students toward preparation of a plan. We are allowed to waive the requirement in the case of extenuating circumstances.

 We very frequently hear from students completing the Workshop that they were initially reluctant but believe it was extremely beneficial.

 We are sometimes a little “hard nosed” – if students complain a lot we may see this as an indication of a pattern and perhaps our program is not appropriate for them.

How has this made a difference?

 Students develop a solid relationship with advisors at the onset and have also been introduced to other advisors and students with whom they share experiences.

 We now offer 6 degrees, including LBST. 20 Minors and PAP’s available within the LBST degree. The Workshop introduces a variety of options and helps students evaluate the various alternatives. This reduces the incidence of changing programs further along and thus may shorten the time to graduation.   The ODPW introduces students to the Blackboard system so they are well prepared for future online courses.

 We believe our students move through their programs more smoothly by becoming well informed at the beginning. They have all been introduced to an essential base of knowledge – may not remember it all but they have the tools they need to locate answers.

 This doesn’t resolve all problems – dates & deadlines?

 Comments and advice to other students in the final lesson are extremely positive.

 ODPW - Students understand the information more fully through the online Workshop and feel less overwhelmed than is often the case in the full day face to face sessions.