This Summer Programming Made Me Stay at UTM! Designing and Delivering Impactful, Accessible and Sustainable Transition Programming for New Students

In this session, the University of Toronto Mississauga will share how the Academic Advising team from the Office of the Registrar collaborated with the Centre for Student Engagement to create a hybrid summer transition program to welcome and prepare new students for their first year of university. Our session will highlight how student affairs can come together with the university’s academic side to deliver a holistic and seamless experience for new students. Lizzio’s Five Senses Model (2006) is one of several theories that underpin our programming. The overall approach to the collaboration between academic and co-curricular supports/offices could also be summarized by the following: “The first-year experience is not a single program or initiative, but rather an intentional combination of academic and co-curricular efforts within and across postsecondary institutions.” (Koch &Garner, 2006). Participants of this session will get a glimpse inside the UTM’s transition programming between when a student first accepted their offer to the first day of classes. The presentation will share data, and focus group results, and include an interactive experience of how new students experienced academic advising and peer mentorship programming through a multi-media and technological experience.

Learning Outcomes

• Be able to recognize 3 key features of a successful hybrid transition program
• Be able to Identify 2 benefits of cross-campus collaboration in supporting new incoming students
• Be able to illustrate at least one takeaway that could help improve the new student experience in their home institutions