• Section 1 - Background and Purpose
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Section 4 - Procedure
• Responsibility of Students
• Responsibilities of First Year Experience Reference Group
• Responsibilities of Orientation Working Parties
• Responsibilities of Student Enrichment
• Responsibilities of Colleges
• Responsibilities of Student Services
• Responsibilities of Student Associations
• Responsibilities of Student Support Areas
• Responsibilities of La Trobe International
• Responsibilities of Sports Organisations
• Responsibilities of the Library
• Responsibilities of the Division of Residential Services
• Responsibilities of Marketing and Engagement
• Section 5 - Definitions

Section 1 - Background and Purpose

(1) Student orientation is a series of academic and social activities that occur prior to commencement of classes each semester.

(2) Orientation Week is designed to facilitate students’ engagement with their courses, their peers and their learning communities.

(3) These Procedures have been developed to ensure that Orientation Week is consistent across all of La Trobe’s campuses, is relevant to all commencing students and of a high quality.

(4) Orientation Week is a timetabled activity held in the week prior to the official commencement of classes and requires a whole-of-University approach. The week is designed to reach all commencing domestic and international students and it is considered compulsory for students to participate.

(5) For a variety of reasons, many commencing students are unable to attend Orientation Week. Therefore all organisational units need to ensure systems are put in place to identify late commencing students and students commencing into second year with advanced standing and, ensure information is provided to facilitate their engagement with their courses, their peers and their learning communities.

Section 2 - Scope

(6) Refer to the Undergraduate Student Orientation Policy.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(7) Refer to the Undergraduate Student Orientation Policy.

Section 4 - Procedure

Responsibility of Students

(8) All commencing undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students have a responsibility to attend Orientation Week as it is the official commencement of their academic year.

Responsibilities of First Year Experience Reference Group

(9) The First Year Experience Reference Group is responsible for ensuring the University provides a high quality, engaging and effective program of activities during Orientation Week by:

1. Establishing minimum standards for activities across each campus
2. Reviewing plans proposed by campus Orientation Working Parties to ensure
3. Orientation Week includes social, academic and campus engagement
4. Monitoring the provision of academic orientation for later enrollers or students with advanced standing commencing into a second year.

Responsibilities of Orientation Working Parties

(10) Each campus of La Trobe University has an Orientation Working Party which reports to the First Year Experience Reference Group. The Orientation Working Parties have representatives from colleges, divisions, campuses and student associations and are responsible for developing Orientation Week plans relevant to their particular commencing student cohorts.

(11) The Orientation Working Parties will be responsible for:

1. Overseeing the University-wide promotion of Orientation Week and Re- Orientation within the first four weeks of semester
2. Reviewing the effectiveness of the Orientation Week program through student feedback gathered from the University-wide Orientation and Transition Survey (or similar tool), and other immediate evaluations conducted during Orientation Week to ensure the relevance and quality of future programs
3. Reporting to the First Year Experience Reference Group (FYERG) outlining the organisation of campus-specific activities and identifying appropriate levels of resourcing and priorities for expenditure
4. Working with Student Services to ensure that late enrolling students have access to the same information and services as those provided during Orientation Week.

Responsibilities of Student Enrichment

(12) Student Enrichment’s focus is on building and maximising informal learning experiences of La Trobe University students and contributing to students developing sense of community. Student Enrichment play the central role in coordinating Orientation Week and the Connect Volunteer program across all campuses. They will be responsible on all campuses for:

1. Developing, coordinating, evaluating and continually improving Orientation Week and related programs such as the Connect Volunteer Program and Ready4Uni website in consultation with major stakeholders
2. Chairing of or actively participating in the Orientation Working Parties on each campus
3. Providing stakeholders with templates, guidelines and resources to ensure there is a consistent and equitable approach to Orientation Week across all campuses
4. Managing and allocating central room bookings for Orientation Week activities on the Melbourne campus
5. Developing the content and overseeing the design of the Orientation publication and websites.

Responsibilities of Colleges

(13) Colleges play a critical role in the development of commencing students’ sense of belonging at the University, and for supporting commencing students to be capable learners. During Orientation Week they do this through College and Course information sessions that prepare students for their studies by:

1. Being explicit and consistent about learning expectations including course and learning outcomes, technological and assessment requirements, and teaching and learning methods
2. Describing successful approaches to studying in the discipline
3. Describing the services available to support student transition to La Trobe University
4. Facilitating their connections with first year teaching staff and key administrative staff in departments, colleges and support services
5. Promoting involvement in University life including engagement with peers, their Connect Volunteers, later year students, student clubs and societies and Student Enrichment programs.

(14) College administration teams will be responsible for:

1. Ensuring that, where possible, enrolment is not scheduled during Orientation Week. Where this is not possible all efforts should be taken by the College to ensure that enrolment sessions are not run at the same time as College and Course academic sessions
2. Ensuring (through working with Student Services in the identification of late enrolling students), that late enrolling students have access to the same information and services as those provided during Orientation Week.

Responsibilities of Student Services

(15) Student Services has a key role to play in orienting students from Enrolment through to Orientation Week and beyond. Student Services will be responsible for:

1. Promoting Orientation Week as an essential activity during enrolment and through related publications
2. Ensuring Orientation Week room bookings roll over from year to year and take priority over room allocations for non-teaching activities
3. Ensuring that commencing students enrolment information is provided to Student Enrichment in a timely manner to support the efficient administration of the Connect Volunteer Program
4. Providing Student Enrichment with weekly enrolment information for the first four weeks of each semester to ensure that all late enrolling students can participate in the Connect Volunteer and Re-Orientation programs.

Responsibilities of Student Associations

(16) Student Associations have an important role in supporting commencing students sense of belonging and engagement through the provision of social activities, clubs and societies, and support services. The responsibilities of Student Associations on each campus include:

1. Designing and delivering high quality and accessible social activities during Orientation Week that are appropriate to the values of the La Trobe University community, and are aimed at encouraging peer interaction and connectedness
2. Ensuring clubs and societies are present at key Orientation activities, including those delivered early in semester
3. Providing information to commencing students about student associations’
4. services and activities and encouraging commencing students’ use of them
5. Ensuring there is sufficient funding to support these activities as stipulated in each association’s Funding Agreement with the University
6. Ensuring that social activities are not timetabled at the same time as core University-wide or College-based activities and sessions, and that events that include alcohol abide by relevant policies.

Responsibilities of Student Support Areas

(17) There are a range of organisational units that provide the scaffolding around students’ academic life, for example the Equality and Diversity Unit, Indigenous Student Support, Counselling Service, Student Hub and the IT Help Desk. These student support areas will be responsible during Orientation Week for facilitating students timely access to services by:

1. Promoting services and facilities to support students in their health and wellbeing
2. Providing students with the necessary life skills, assistive technology or tools to meet their course requirements
3. Ensuring the messages that are provided to students during Orientation Week are relevant to their immediate needs in line with the just in-time service delivery model. For example, information about housing, transport, parking, financial aid, assistive technologies and being safe on campus.

Responsibilities of La Trobe International

(18) La Trobe International has important responsibilities to help ensure that international students are equipped with the information and skills they will require to adjust to life in a new community and University. With regard to Orientation Week they will be responsible for:

1. Ensuring that international students are provided with essential information on arrival in Melbourne on services to support them whilst they are studying and living in Australia. (As this is delivered on arrival, essential information sessions may be provided before, during and after Orientation Week to capture all newly arriving students). Ensuring that Orientation Week activities are appropriate, accessible and meet the ESOS standards, as well as the needs of international students
2. Ensuring that Orientation Week is promoted effectively to international students.

Responsibilities of Sports Organisations

(19) There are a range of different sporting associations and centres across La Trobe University. Where applicable these sports organisations will be responsible for:

1. Delivering appropriate high quality social activities during Orientation Week that encourage peer interaction, safety and community
2. Ensuring commencing students are made aware of the opportunities to be involved in sports clubs
3. Promoting a healthy student lifestyle through sporting clubs and University sporting facilities.

Responsibilities of the Library

(20) As a key academic service and learning facility, the Library plays an important role in helping students develop the library research and information literacy skills needed for successful course and learning outcomes and the inquiry / research graduate capability. New students need to gain some awareness of the nature and extent of scholarly information resources and related support available to them from the Library and develop some confidence in using library resources, services and facilities.

(21) During Orientation Week, the Library:

1. conducts orientation tours and activities to help ensure students are aware of the Library's group and individual study spaces, facilities and service points, both physical and online
2. promotes and provides opportunities and incentives to sign up to 'getting started' classes conducted in the first weeks of semester eg. finding materials on a reading list, introduction to referencing
3. delivers information via orientation materials about the Library's scholarly
4. resources, information services, and learning spaces
5. supports colleges to ensure that information about the Library's discipline specific information resources and services are included in college orientation programs.

Responsibilities of the Division of Residential Services

(22) The Division of Residential Services provides a diverse range of residential life programs and activities to support students’ transition to University life. The Division of Residential Services will be responsible for:

1. Ensuring that students of Residential Colleges are aware that Orientation Week is the official commencement to their academic year and that students are encouraged to attend the University Orientation Week program
2. Designing and delivering appropriate social activities during Orientation Week that encourage peer interaction, safety and community, and abide by the University’s policies on provision of alcohol
3. Ensuring that activities and sessions organised are not timetabled at the same time as University-wide or College-based sessions.

Responsibilities of Marketing and Engagement

(23) Marketing and Engagement will be responsible for:

1. Ensuring Orientation Week is prominently promoted on the University website
2. Assisting with the design, development and printing of the Orientation Week publication
3. Providing advice on appropriate strategies to promote Orientation Week within the University community and to commencing students.

Section 5 - Definitions

1. Orientation Week: A series of academic and social activities that occur in the week prior to commencement of classes of each semester. Designed to facilitate student’s engagement with their courses, their peers and their learning communities.
2. Transition: An ongoing process of integration and engagement with university life both academic and social [and the identification that at different times in this process students may require specific support and knowledge].
3. Commencing student: Any undergraduate or postgraduate course work student coming at La Trobe University for the first time.