[Prof. Karen Goodlad]

What was the most important experience you had so far today…

Please provide an example of something you felt was a success today…

Is there something that could have been communicated in a more effective manner? What needs to happen to make the communication more effective?

What part of the session did not go well? How do you know?

What do you feel is the most important information you shared with our students so far today?

What information will you not cover in the next session?

What happened today that you did not expect or anticipate? How will you replicate or avoid this scenario again?

What are your goals for the next session?

Would you start and end the session in the same manner?

Provide one piece of advice to the next group of Faculty Facilitators.

[Prof. Karen Goodlad]

Faculty Notes and Observations, August 11, 2015
Faculty Facilitators: Nathan Astrof, Maria Bilello, Marco Castillo
Session Leaders: Maureen Archer, Karen Goodlad

Student Leaders
• Student Leaders were mature, prepared, and engaging. They were willing to share their college experiences in a professional manner.
• Student Leaders are assigned to the Academic Basics Sessions for all four days of orientation, allowing for great continuity.
• Expect your Student Leader to have experience with these sessions.
• They were actively engaged in the ice-breaker portion of the sessions.
• New students connected with the Student Leaders due to their common perspective as students/learners.

What Worked Well
• New students appreciated candid advice and strategies from faculty and Student Leaders (make it personal for success at City Tech).
• PREZI: five slides were perfect to spring board conversation about college life.
• Use the information learned in the Ice-Breaker as a common talking point throughout.
• Slide “What does it mean to be a college student?” seemed to create an interactive environment.
• Slide “Student to Learner” led to useful conversation about procrastination, syllabus, responsibility, and absence policy. Students had interesting and diverse perspectives on the relationship between these words.
• Slide with Provost’s message lead to a discussion of opportunity. Students perceived the slide positively, as presenting failure as an opportunity for personal development.

What Happened that was Unexpected
• Be prepared to speak about college policy (absences, withdrawal policy…), some students had concerns about rules and regulations vs. extenuating circumstances. (The “what ifs” of life.)
• The facilitators had more fun than they expected
• Each group was different.
o Some groups were quieter and listened while others tended to actively engage.
o Size also changed, there were far fewer students after lunch

Suggestions to Consider
• Create a positive atmosphere upon arrival
o Play music as new students enter the room (Ask Student Leaders to choose music fitting for the session).
o Walk around the room to greet students
o Communicate that the students made a wise choice by choosing City Tech (“Welcome to YOUR Future” = Your future at City Tech,)
• New students identified strongly with Student Leaders, use them wisely to promote conversation/active dialogue.
• Some groups were less interactive than others, make sure to have available strategies for engagement

Looking Forward…
• We may want to consider having a photographer document these sessions for future City Tech publications
• Students enjoyed touching upon the Outliers book. Perhaps we should consider purchasing an assortment of books related to personal development (e.g. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, etc.)

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by Prof. Karen Goodlad.

[Prof. Karen Goodlad]

Faculty Notes and Observations, August 13, 2015
Faculty Facilitators: Maria Bilello, Lisette Santisteban, Celeste Waddy
Session Leaders: Maureen Archer, Karen Goodlad
School of Professional Studies

Number of Student Attendees: Group A, 79; Group B, 110; Group C, 54, total participants = 243

Important Note
Students will participate in two other breakout sessions. One on college policies and the other on college life. Make sure to focus on academic standards and goals.

Student Leaders (comments from the 8/11 sessions were repeated)
• Student Leaders were mature, prepared, and engaging. They were willing to share their college experiences in a professional manner.
• Student Leaders are assigned to the Academic Basics Sessions for all four days of orientation, allowing for great continuity.
• Expect your Student Leader to have experience with these sessions.
• They were actively engaged in the ice-breaker portion of the sessions.
• New students connected with the Student Leaders due to their common perspective as students/learners.

What Worked Well (many sentiments were repeated, listed here is new insight)
• Interacting with the Student Leaders created a more comfortable environment for the new students.
• Discussion of the new student’s majors helped to invigorate conversation when they were otherwise quiet
• The “ice-breaker” question was used at different times in the session and included different questions (what is your hobby, what is your major, what are your career goals…). The more specific questions helped to create conversation.
• The Student Leaders selected music to play as the students arrived. The music seemed to be appreciated by the new students.
What Happened that was Unexpected
The Facilitators for today have lead orientation and 1st year student in the past so their expectations were in line with the progress of the sessions.

Suggestions to Consider
• New students identified strongly with Student Leaders, use them wisely to promote conversation/active dialogue.
• Some groups were less interactive than others, make sure to have available strategies for engagement
• Listen more than you speak, all the students have a lot to contribute to their own understanding of how they will develop as learners in a college environment.

Looking Forward…
• Many student left after lunch. Create an incentive to stay for the entire day.
• Seek more give-aways, some with a City Tech logo

[Prof. Karen Goodlad]

Academic Basics Sessions: Report on Student attendance August 18th 2015
Group A: 64, Group B: 79, Group C: 50

Academic Basics Sessions: Report on Student attendance August 20 th 2015
Group A: 83, Group B: 142, Group C: 93

NOTE: after lunch students are more tired and quieter as well as the attendance tends to drop.

Student Leaders- the faculty on Tuesday 8/18/15 and Wednesday 8/20/15 endorse these comments
• Student Leaders were mature, prepared, and engaging. They were willing to share their college experiences in a professional manner.
• Student Leaders are assigned to the Academic Basics Sessions for all four days of orientation, allowing for great continuity.
• Expect your Student Leader to have experience with these sessions.
• They were actively engaged in the ice-breaker portion of the sessions.
• New students connected with the Student Leaders due to their common perspective as students/learners.

Successful “ice-breaker” questions used on August 18th 2015 sessions:
• What are you thinking of studying?
•Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
•Do you want to explore other majors at “Citytech” or is this the major you are committed to?

Successful “ice-breaker” questions used on August 20th 2015 sessions:
● Moving students desks into a circle configuration with students in their major.
● Aligning the student’s desk into a “horseshoe” configuration
● Using a “Quick Survey” Asking why students chose Citytech:
Location, Cost, Reputation and refer by a friend.

Feedback on the Prezi: same both days(8/18 & 8/20)
Slides which stimulate most discussion with new students:
•What does it mean to be a college student?
• What does it mean to you to grow from a student to a learner?
•The length of the Prezi was perfect

Topics covered in academic basics, August 18th 2015 and August 20th 2015 sessions:
•Time management
•Importance of knowing deadlines and how to find that information: financial aid, when computer
lab is open.
• Syllabus-Why it is important and what it is
•What you learn in college is “How to learn” because in certain technology fields by the time
you graduate, the technology has changed.
•Students were informally polled on “How much time do you spend on social media”?
and how that can be a detriment to being a successful College student.
• Faculty communicated with the students that they made a wise choice in choosing “Citytech”

Important words discussed in the 8-18-15 sessions:
•Be motivated
•Discipline
•Self agency

What Worked Well
• New students appreciated candid advice and strategies from faculty and Student Leaders (make it personal for success at City Tech).
• PREZI: five slides were perfect to spring board conversation about college life.
• Raffle tickets were used for participation today and prizes were given out at lunchtime. Prizes included movie tickets; CityTech blanket .
• Raffle tickets kept the level of engagement high, more so than the books
• New students and student leaders liked the music playing in the rooms when students entered
• Faculty facilitators walking around the room and greeting the students
• 8/20/15 Faculty were really happy with the level of engagement of the students.

What happened that was Unexpected (8/18/15):
• Some students were not clear of their major
• Many students unclear if they enrolled in the associate degree program or a B-Tech program.
• The facilitators had more fun than they expected and the students were more engaged then
the faculty facilitators thought they would be.
• Students asked: Should we rent or buy textbooks?
• Questions about transfer credits
•Each group was different.
o Some groups were quieter and listened while others tended to actively engage.
o Size also changed, there were far fewer students after lunch

What happened that was Unexpected (8/20/15):
● Students were not clear if in an associate or B-Tech track
● Asked who is my academic advisor?
● Many students confused about accessing emails
●Students asked about college sports and clubs
● Wanted to know about online classes in their major.

Suggestions Going Forward: (great ideas in my opinion)
1. •Many students who attended a session prior to academic basics came with questions about
the previous session.
1) We are a school of Technology. Let’s showcase that by having kiosk stations by elevators
or the welcoming center where tablets will be that new students can type in questions
they have. These questions will be answered under “FAQ” section of the orientation
either Facebook page or website.
2) Maybe make a session “D” in which half the student go to get Citytech “ID” and the other
half get a “Library “tour?
3) Since we all stressed the syllabus, we should walk the student through a syllabus.
Choose a course everyone will take like speech or English.
2. ● On the computer-keep multiple tabs open so if a student asks about Blackborad, Cuny first
or Student degree audit, you can show the student.
3. At 1:45 pm so students are not lost in transit to their Departments, have the department student
volunteers come to meet and greet the departments perspective students and walk them to
their department.

To facilitate communication among the students as they leave the academic sessions:
Conversational Prompts:
– At the 11 to 11:45 sessions encourage them to have lunch with someone in their new major.
– Suggest they find someone who is in 1 of their Fall classes