As higher education institutions develop fully online course programs to provide better access for the non-traditional learner, there is increasing interest in identifying students who may be at risk of attrition and poor performance in these online course programs. In our study, we investigate the effectiveness of an online orientation course in…

In response to California State Assembly Bill (AB) 3, which requires the state's community colleges to implement orientations and other specified matriculation services, Fullerton College (FC) developed two orientation videos in 1989 for native speakers of English and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) students. The videos were used by counselors…

An overview is presented of the beginning teacher program in the Frederick County (Maryland) schools. The focus of the program is on three concerns: (1) the problems of beginning teachers as perceived by themselves and others; (2) the kinds of support efforts that presently exist; and (3) implications for the future development of support programs…

The Model Teacher Induction Project (MTIP) is a research model program for the induction of beginning teachers. The program is being field tested along with a satellite project aimed at building and studying similar staff development programs. This paper reports on what has been learned from the MTIP and its satellite effort. A review of research…

A description is presented of a model teacher induction program that has been evaluated as very effective. When the first-year teacher signs a contract in a participating school, the Induction Support Team is formed immediately. This team consists of a school administrator, a mentor teacher, and a University consultant. The purpose of the team is…

It is pointed out in this discussion that mentoring, as a delivery tool in a beginning teacher induction program, has great potential, and the use of experienced educators in guiding relatively inexperienced teachers is of value not only to the first-year teacher but also to the mentor. In examining the goals of mentoring-induction programs, the…

This paper presents research findings that suggest a framework for developing essential support systems for beginning teachers, and describes two induction-year pilot projects, now in operation, based on those findings. One project is a Master's level course instituted in August 1987 at the Univesity of Houston; the other is a program…

This paper describes the development of a state initiative to improve the quality of induction programs for new teachers in Maryland. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) based its decisions about appropriate teacher induction programs on a variety of information sources from research and practice. The important steps in the creation…

This paper reports on the development and implementation of a mentoring program to assist beginning teachers that was established in a public school system as part of a statewide effort to improve the induction process for teachers in Minnesota. One of the dominant characteristics of most mentor programs is the appointment of an experienced…

This paper describes the orientation program conducted for distance students at the University of Central Queensland in Queensland, Australia, and outlines the steps in developing and conducting such a program. Information is included on the rationale for the orientation program, program objectives, program design, including issues, location,…

This study on induction practices analyzed data collected from collaborative research on more than 150 beginning teachers in Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia. This paper documents and describes the organization, structure and activities of eight induction programs; identifies and discusses…

In this presentation a faculty member at Salem College, shares problems and advantages in the teacher induction program in North Carolina. Revised standards and guidelines for the preparation of educational personnel were adopted by the state in 1983 to establish quality assurance for teachers and administrators in North Carolina. New policies…

This document presents a two-year overview of the University of Alabama/Birmingham First-Year Teacher Pilot Program, designed to share the responsibility for aiding beginning teachers among the teacher training institution, the local educational agency, and the State Department of Education. Objectives of the program were to determine first-year…

A description is given of a teacher induction seminar designed for preservice student teachers and required by the teacher training program at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (Kenosha, Wisconsin). The seminar, called "Discipline and Classroom Management," focuses primarily on the assistance/support model of beginning teacher…

A description is given of the state-mandated Kentucky Beginning Teacher Internship Program. Upon successful completion of a teacher education program and passing required tests, a teacher candidate is issued a certificate of eligibility that is valid for one year, and in the course of the next four years must successfully complete a year of…