(from The Chronicle of Higher Education) How to get the lessons and insights of new-student orientation to sink in? College and university campuses are experimenting with new techniques and formats to safely acclimate new students to what can be a bewildering new culture of freedoms and controversy — without overwhelming them. What works best, administrators say, are programs led by students themselves, tailored to the school's specific student body, and lasting over a period longer than a few days. For example, the University of Oregon stretches orientation over a six-week period known as "the starting block." Nearly 30 percent of colleges surveyed offer some form of extended oreintation. However, one element of Oregon's orientation focuses on sexual-assault prevention and happens in two days shortly after students arrive, to ensure that they get the message in their most vulnerable time on campus.
See the full article, plus other articles about orientation, on The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscriber-only content).
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