Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2019 5 UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA A WELCOMING EXPERIENCE New orientation initiatives connect students with their campus By Jim Timlick for the Free Press The University of Manitoba is hoping to better help first-year university students adjust to campus life with a series of new programs. University of Manitoba photos Adjusting to campus life can be a challenging experience for many first-year university students. The University of Manitoba is hoping to make that experience a little less challenging with a series of new programs it is introducing this summer. The initiatives follow a recent review undertaken by U of M administrators to determine how to enhance the existing orientation services that were already being delivered to new students. "In the past we had orientation as one day," says Ali Wood-Warren, co-ordinator of the U of M's First Year Centre. "What we realized is that orientation is not so much an event as it is a process. "What we want is for students to become more comfortable on campus. We want them to feel they are part of the campus and that it's not 'the' campus, it's their campus." One of the new undertakings is What's Next?. The first in a series of UM Orientation events, the initial session took place June 1 and offered students and their families an opportunity to explore the U of M campus and learn more about registration requirements, financial aid options and other resources. Wood-Warren says What's Next? offers a more comprehensive approach to helping students settle into university life than the Head Start program it replaces. "We've opened it up to be more of a general session rather than just meeting the folks who run the programs. It's an opportunity for students to see how things fit together," she adds. In addition, the university is now offering two new workshops for first-year students during the month of July: Career Choices and Get Ready to Register. Career Choices is designed to help students begin thinking about possible careers and learn what academic resources are available to help them make the right vocational choices. Get Ready to Register provides help with scheduling courses, using the Aurora registration system and developing better time-management skills. "What we've tried to do is simplify (registration) for students so they can be confident they've selected the right courses and the right number of courses and are headed in the right direction," Wood-Warren says. Another new offering for first-year students is the Making the Grade! event. It's open to all U of M students registered to attend classes in the fall and is aimed at helping them make the transition from high school to university. It offers tips on everything from getting a student card and activating an Active Living Centre membership to how to use the libraries and make the best use of classroom time. As part of UM Orientation 2019, students were able take part in Summer University Advantage beginning in July. The program offers students an opportunity to get a jump start on their academic studies by taking part in the first-year Introduction to University course. "What students study in the course is basically how to learn. It helps students understand how we learn and how we take knowledge in," Wood-Warren says. New students will also be able to learn how to write academic papers and develop successful study skills as part of a pair of academic prep boot camps slated for Aug. 29. Transitioning to university life can be even more challenging for people studying in a new country. To help make that process a little easier, the U of M's International Centre will host a pair of orientation sessions for international students on Aug. 27 and 28. The sessions will provide students with information on how to get settled in Winnipeg, cultural differences in an educational setting and knowing their academic rights and responsibilities. To supplement the various in-person sessions, the university recently launched UM Essentials. It's an online guide on how to achieve success as a new U of M student through a series of modules that focus on a range of subjects including how to engage in the community, preparing for a future career, diversity on campus and academic integrity. Students are automatically enrolled in the course and receive a certificate upon completing it. One orientation program that will be back for another year is Welcome Day. This year's event will take place Sept. 3. It's a chance for new students to connect with each other and familiarize themselves with campus before the first day of classes. It includes the All About U Expo, which highlights many of the services and resources available at the school. Wood-Warren says the focus of the day has shifted slightly this year, as much of what it used to offer is now available online through the UM Essentials program. For more information, visit Umanitoba.ca / orientation. ❚

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