Melissa Kendall
A makeover is in store for the Pierce College online orientation program, due to receive an update next year that will make the site more user-friendly and accessible.
The new online orientation program will include student testimonials regarding classes and campus life, but the most important upgrade will be accessibility by hearing- or visually impaired students, an addition made in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The upgrade will also give more access to those students who can’t make it to campus or those that prefer to stay off campus and still receive an education.
It will also allow them to access information regarding educational programs, majors, and distance learning programs. The new software will also allow links to be put up on the page to lead students to other systems, such as a degree-audit system, which will tell students where they are at toward achieving their goal and what classes they need to achieve it.
Another feature that the new program will offer is online advising. The advising will be made available to first year students so they can see what a typical first year at Pierce should look like. Students will be able to communicate with advisers via email through the site if they have questions or concerns about their schedules.
Though the new program will bring Pierce up-to-date with the growing shift toward online accessibility, many students prefer the old way of doing things. Yvonne Chavez, a second-year student at Pierce, said that she prefers face-to-face communication.
“I think it will benefit you later to go speak to someone in person,” Chavez said. “It just seems like they help you more when you’re sitting across from them because it’s more personal.”
Deaf student Manik Yervandyan said she doesn’t use the Internet much.
“Sometimes administrators don’t understand what we need, and we need a lot of patience,” she said. “I prefer to go into classrooms to see how it is, and to communicate face to face.”
The old fashion way of meeting in person with advisers will not be replaced by the new online program, and will still remain an option for students. The new program is being put into place for students like Johnny Kearney, who prefer to handle things online.
“I got advising from friends and high-school counselors,” Kearney said. “I’m on my computer for hours every day. If advisement was offered online, I would have used it.”
Phyllis Braxton, dean of counseling, believes the upgrade to the online orientation program is a huge step forward in reaching out to all kinds of students.
“It will be helpful for students by creating a comparable experience for those who stay home,” she said. “We are trying to provide for those who work and can’t get over to the campus, and for those who prefer to take online classes and do not want to come to campus at all.”
