Innovative Practice

New Student Orientation at the Two-Year College – An Appreciative Approach

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Abstract

Over the years, New Student Orientation (NSO) at Midlands Technical College (MTC) has become more intentionally student-focused. The NSO team at MTC is striving to develop intentional positive relationships with students by implementing the six phases of the appreciative education model into on-campus orientation. After a brief overview of the six phases of appreciative education, as they are outlined in the 2013 article by Bloom, et. al., there will be detailed examples of how MTC has implemented all six phases of appreciative education – disarm, discover, dream, design, deliver, don’t settle – into NSO. The next section will be used to share some of our orientation survey data, as it correlates with the overall goal of the AE model and its phases. Finally, the concluding remarks will summarize why using an appreciative model for NSO at a two-year college increases the potential for developing positive relationships with students.  

Keywords: Technical College, Appreciative Education, Orientation, New Students