| With a history of diminishing enrollments and high attrition rates, colleges and universities have been examining new methods for retaining students and enhancing student success. One retention strategy which has been receiving extensive publicity in many two-year as well as four-year institutions is the freshman orientation course. The freshman orientation course, also known as the "freshman seminar" or the "extended orientation course," is a course offered to incoming freshman to assist them in having a smooth transition into the college environment. Typical topics in a freshman orientation course may include study skills, college policies and procedures, stress and time management, alcohol and drug awareness, career development, and a variety of personal development topics.;This dissertation provides a theoretical basis on which freshman orientation courses are designed. The topics for discussion include course goals, course content, course scheduling, grading and assignments, and course instruction. Empirical studies completed on several freshman orientation courses are also provided.;This dissertation evaluates a freshman orientation course taught at Reading Area Community College, a small college in Eastern Pennsylvania. "College Success Strategies" is a one credit course required of all incoming freshman to the college. This course is statistically analyzed to measure differences in student retention, Grade Point Averages, and utilization of college counseling support services as a result of taking the course. A student self rating scale is presented in a pre-test post-test design to measure differences in student perceptions of knowledge acquisition and of comfortableness in the college environment as a result of completing the course. Additional information about the course is obtained from students through a questionnaire and a reaction paper. |
