In-House Innovation: Designing Your Own Online Orientation

Please provide a one-paragraph overview of the session.‎ (200 words or less): Discover how UNF Online researched, designed and developed a student-centered orientation designed to support online graduate and adult learners. Attendees will explore aligning an orientation to institutional and divisional goals and finding ways foster a sense of belonging among the online learning population. This session outlines the collaborative, data-driven process behind the Online Osprey Orientation—from initial research to instructional design to implementation and campus rollout. Attendees will gain practical strategies for building or enhancing their own online orientation using existing campus resources. Learn how intentional design, cross-departmental collaboration, and continuous improvement can bring awareness to your online graduate population and elevate online student success.

Session Agenda/Outline (200 words or less): This session explores the development and implementation of UNF Online’s Online Osprey Orientation, designed to enhance student success and foster community. Attendees will learn about UNF Online’s mission and how the orientation aligns with both institutional and division goals of preparing students, increasing awareness of virtual resources, and strengthening affinity with the university.

We’ll walk through the planning process: identifying gaps in support for our online population of graduate and adult learners, securing stakeholder buy-in, analyzing existing institutional and SUS orientation models, and collaborating with instructional designers on the most effective methods.

We will also address the challenges during the build process, including regrouping after setbacks and reconnecting back to the initial mission of supporting online graduate and adult students. We will cover the campus-wide vetting process and how to collect feedback from content experts.

We will cover the launch strategy focused on targeted communication across students, faculty, and departments, and ongoing communication efforts. We’ll share student feedback from the first year and discuss ongoing improvements and expansion efforts.

Finally, we’ll provide a brief walkthrough of the Online Osprey platform and highlight its impact on the student experience over the first year of service.