Rogers State University’s Division for Student Affairs announced the development and deployment of an all online, on demand New Student Orientation for the upcoming academic year. New Student Orientation is designed to welcome new students to RSU and provide them with relevant and timely information for the success of their first-year college experience.
“A critical component to student affairs programming is expanding access to maximize student involvement in a way that is meaningful and impactful on the student experience at RSU. That is exactly what the Division for Student Affairs has accomplished by presenting New Student Orientation via an online format,” Dr. Robert Goltra III, vice president for student affairs, said.
Students will complete the orientation by viewing pre-recorded segments at their own pace. The videos and slides create a supportive atmosphere which allows students to pause to take notes and replay segments. The units include a welcome and introduction to RSU, advisement and enrollment, paying for college, student support and student engagement.
Paul Eicher, director of student development, was instrumental in planning, producing and executing the content for the new programming.
“The online component changes the delivery model, but it doesn’t change our enthusiasm. The instructors are very excited about working with the first-year students to make their transition as seamless as possible,” Eicher said.
New Student Orientation is crafted as a piece of the First-Year Experience to strategically deliver information students need to maximize their time as a Hillcat while meeting their educational objectives.
“NSO takes the students through the information they need to know to get started at RSU,” Tracy Emmons, director of first-year and transfer experience, said. “The First-Year Experience course, UNIV 1152, picks up from there and continues to provide information on campus resources as well as help students develop skills to be successful during their academic career and beyond.”
Dedicated RSU faculty, staff and administration have worked diligently for the past two years to create The First-Year Experience, a unified approach to educating and preparing students for college life. The university determined that the best place to begin building the entire first-year experience was in crafting an effective and meaningful course required of all first-time freshmen students to RSU.
“With the knowledge and support the students will receive from this course, the university hopes to see an increase in retention of our first-time freshman students,” Emmons said.
Students can complete the online orientation at www.rsu.edu/nso.