Tina Helmstreit, program manager for orientation and student support at MiraCosta College, and her team worked tirelessly, using a combination of methods to provide orientation material to their incoming students. While completion rates were respectable, Tina knew they needed something to make the process both more efficient and effective: a digital solution capable of keeping up with the evolving demands of student onboarding and retention. Students report an appreciation for their online orientation experience, a clear indication of how engagement impacts completion.

Students Love the Experience

Results from student survey responses at the end of the orientation align with the high completion rates and are equally enviable:

• 79% find the orientation to be helpful
• 88% find the orientation to be engaging
• 93% feel more prepared for the upcoming semester due to the orientation

From Three Processes to One

“In fall 2019, we were at the height of our work in my department – we were so proud of hitting 76% orientation completion for our incoming cohort, which required modalities online, in-person, and for our high school students. So, there were three different processes to make this happen. It was a lot of work, and we were tired.”

Little did Tina know then that her team would eventually have one digital experience platform with the kind of autonomous functionality, scalability, and data to simplify their orientation efforts and achieve the highest student completion rates the community college has ever seen.

After the pandemic, the team decided to shop for a vendor capable of balancing their goals and considerations. These included:

• Mandated and legislative-based content
• Timely information
• The ability to add new programs
• Editing access for other departments
• Automated reporting
• A beautiful design

In addition, Tina wanted an orientation that offered customization to create unique experiences among different user groups. After a lengthy procurement process, the team secured the leading solution from Advantage Design Group^®.

Building Consensus

Advantage Orientation^®, offered by Advantage Design Group^® for educational institutions worldwide, creatively blends videos, graphics, quizzes, and dynamic style options with practical information and discovery tools to stimulate student engagement. The browser-based platform is entirely customizable for schools and highly flexible for users. It enables students to progress at their own pace and access on any device, providing convenience and encouraging completion.

“One of the beautiful things is that it has an automatic reminder that my team doesn't have to send after 10 days of not completing orientation, and it picks up right where students leave off,” Tina says. “Having a tool that can do all these things makes a huge difference for us and our students.”

One piece of advice Tina has for institutions considering an online orientation: the overall journey requires effort and patience, even if the production experience itself is easy.

“On my side, we had to identify a review committee that included collaboration across the entire district,” Tina says. “That was a tedious process. And then there is rallying your team, creating campus buy-in, making sure there's goal alignment, and getting feedback, including feedback from your students – the process takes time.”

Tina recalls that while meeting internal challenges, working with Advantage Design Group^® remained smooth. She says the project manager and development team were true professionals—supportive, organized, and able to maintain high-quality standards while adjusting to unexpected delays.

She added that the effort paid off in the end because MiraCosta now has a much more seamless orientation process, along with flexibility that allows any department member with access and minimal training to update content easily and quickly—and to only one modality—as needed.

Numbers Tell the Tale

Using the platform’s built-in analytic tools, Tina and her team can access and track data more efficiently. After launching the orientation in July 2022, the results show impressive improvement in completion rates.

According to Tina, MiraCosta’s onboarding completion rates in the spring terms have been historically low due to several demographic factors. In the spring, just before launch, she said students completed orientation materials at a 68% rate. The 85% completion rate for Spring 2023 represents a 17% increase over the previous year.

“In one year, we jumped up that much,” Tina says. “I mean, that’s huge. These are big wins for our department. They’re big ones for our district.”

For Tina and her colleagues at MiraCosta, the reason for investing in Advantage Orientation^® is clear.

Look what happens when you have an all-in-the-pocket, cohesive, robust tool that works for you. You can close out at an 85% completion rate with something that is self-paced, automated, easy, and engaging for students – and allows you to get your sleep.

Advantage Orientation^® is one of many digital recruiting and orientation solutions offered by Advantage Design Group^®. Packages are tailored to your needs, budget, and timeline. To learn more, request a tour.