Many introductory students face challenges adjusting to new geographic, social, and cultural contexts involved in their course of study, yet the extent of a student's integration and "sense of place" in an academic environment is associated with their performance and persistence toward related goals. This case study describes a…

In 2020, staff at Griffith University, Australia used a best practice and evidence-informed orientation event framework to create the University's first series of fully online, university-wide orientation sessions. The PECS design framework was created to ensure that orientation events at Griffith focused on developing students' sense of belonging…

This study contributes to child voice research that seeks to understand the early childhood education and care (ECEC) experiences of young children. Forty-seven children from seven disadvantaged communities in NSW Australia, including urban, rural and remote areas, participated in a face-to-face interview guided by Ecocultural theory. The children…

Globalization process went very quickly and move brings tremendous impact and implications for life, including educational institutions. Objectively, students in public schools and private are increasingly far deviated from the values of religious and moral values, the brawl between students, pornography and pornographic, played by students, abuse…

New counseling students often have strong reactions to the concept of privilege and become anxious when expected to address issues of multiculturalism personally and professionally. In this article, the authors describe a new student orientation model that focuses on addressing privilege and offer steps toward embracing multiculturalism and social…

Research findings on optimum use of the first day of class are mixed. Past data gathered from students from various disciplines support a first day designed to distribute the course syllabus and explain class expectations, rules, and policies. Additional literature supports a different approach to the first day; one designed to immediately engage…

This paper is a case study of a Master of Library and Information Studies degree program online option that has been unusually successful in retaining and graduating students. Design characteristics of this program that has maintained a retention rate of over 90 percent over five years are described and mapped to the literature on distance…

Five elementary teachers explain how they orient pupils and get learning started on the first day of school--whether or not their supplies or textbooks have arrived--by building learning activities around a common interest like dogs, earthworms, football, or the Statue of Liberty. (Editor/SJL)

Presents ideas and activities for use with kindergarteners. Includes tips for teachers to use during the first weeks of school. (JMB)

The Penn State Libraries' Open House activities for incoming students find Access Services staff extending beyond their everyday routines to creatively help relieve students' fears of the library and understand how Access Services can help them. Serving on the Access Services Open House Committee offers staff many opportunities for development as…

Presented are 61 warm-up activities and games to help children get acquainted, review basic skills, and "get back in gear" after summer vacation. (SJL)

This learning guide is an instructional packet for the task of completing student forms that are required for students entering various programs at Ridge Vocational-Technical Center (RVTC). It identifies rules and regulations that students must follow. For each of the six enabling objectives, some or all of these materials may be presented:…

The author suggests children's books and interdisciplinary activities that deal with the changes and adjustments that children face at the beginning of a school year: learning names, meeting new people, and overcoming the fear of being different. (SJL)

First-year engineering students at Robert Gordon University (Scotland) were presented with a task-oriented induction program. Students were divided into groups and assigned a facilitator, later personal tutor, to whom they could refer. Student reaction to the experience was very favorable. Effect on progression rates is yet to be determined. (AEF)

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to find ways to help themselves and/or others adapt to new situations (including school and community facilities). The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at…