A Guide to Getting Started

1. Look around

2. Gather your data

3. Engage your team

4. Sample activities

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Use this self-assessment with your team to help you identify your current practice and problems that students may encounter as a result of your current practice. Download an editable Onboarding Self-Assessment

• Student surveys of matriculation steps, counseling meetings, and support needs CCSSEE data

• Local abbreviated and comprehensive ed plan data

• Student Equity and Achievement (SEA) data: retention and enrollment data

• Focus groups with high school and first-year students

• Student communications systems assessment: What information are students receiving and when are they receiving it?

• Guided Pathways data (CalPass) for first-time enrolled students

Whom should you include?

• Counseling and Instructional Faculty

• Classified staff from A & R, Outreach, EOPS, Financial Aid, and Counseling

• Deans overseeing Student Development

How do we get started?

• Start with your self-assessment and data to develop an understanding of the problems or barriers students face in the onboarding process.

• Schedule regular meetings to provide time, space, and energy to understand the barriers students are facing with onboarding at your college and to develop creative solutions that meet students at their starting point.

• Explore questions in groups that can lead to ideas for solutions. Here are some questions to get you started. You can use these with the “How might we…” questions you developed in your self-assessment.

  • How can we support students in exploring their interests and how they align with opportunities at the college?

  • How can we identify students early who will benefit from one or more of our support programs?

  • How can we help students prepare for their counseling meetings to make the best use of their time with the counselor?

  • How can we better prepare to provide a more personalized approach to college onboarding and orientation?