International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue X, October 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Examining the Views of Students on the Orientation Program for Fresh Students in the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

 Professor Esther Rhoda Ababio1, Felicia Commey2
¹Directorate of University Health Services, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
²Department of Population and Health University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract: The study examined the views of students on orientation programs organized for fresh students in the University of Cape Coast at the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic year. Students’ involvement theory was adapted. Qualitative data was collected from purposively selected respondents and key informants in the University and analyzed using a thematic approach. The study revealed that the duration of the program was short and therefore packed which make it too stressful for the students. During the orientation exercise, some of the expectations of the students were met whilst others were not.

I. INTRODUCTION

Globally, higher educational institutions organized an orientation for their fresh students due to the immense benefits to them. Various benefits of orientation for first-year students have been identified by scholars. Some of these benefits include easing into college life, increasing comfort with interaction among peers and faculty, raising individual retention rates, and a better understanding of one’s self. According to Evensen, (2017) orientation program seeks to provide students with the opportunity to engage with the university as a whole before their academic activities commence (The relevance of fresh students’ orientation is grounded in the Student involvement theory. The theory provides a platform to understand what and how environmental influences affect students’ development and what kind of involvement matters to achieve a specific outcome. The theory also portrays the degree of student involvement such as quality and quantity lead to certain development aspects and how the program, curriculum, policy or practices be designed to encourage student involvement (Binti, Fadhilah & Anuar, 2019). Student orientation takes different forms. Some take place a week before the academic semester begins, during the semester and in other cases, according to the institution’s preference. Regardless of the form it takes, orientation is a university’s main opportunity to introduce and integrate new students into the campus community and culture, form class and institutional identity and prepare students to begin lectures (Alnawas, 2015). According to Oladele (2000), the purpose of orientation is to help students feel emotionally secure and better adjust to a new environment, especially during a critical transition period.