OPTIMIZE Newsletter

Advantage OnDemand^TM is our new subscription service to an ever-growing portfolio of orientation videos. Topics are categorized to easily fit within your orientation’s primary sections, like Academics, Finances, and Heath and Safety. You can also choose videos designed for audience segments, like parents and families. So, as you think about how to best inform families about resources and supports available to their students, you can also provide families with insightful information as they adjust to the transition to college along with their student. Here’s an example.

Safety on campus a multi-faceted initiative that can be difficult to explain with consistency. That’s why The University of Tampa choose to communicate its safety programs in one, concise video. From introducing students to campus security personnel, to showing students how to use technology, to helping students understand the importance of preparedness, a safety video is a great way to give parents and families greater peace of mind, too!

Shannon Calega, Director of Orientation and Family Engagement at UT worked with our script writers and video producers to identify a student host, film on campus, and incorporate relevant b-roll clips. The result is a positive, upbeat, and easy-to-understand introduction to essential safety topics for students and their families.

As you know, your Advantage Orientation^® includes tons of options to provide access and present relevant content to specific audiences. To give parents and families access to your online orientation, you’ll need a function we call Guest Access. You can send families an invitation with a link to a distinctive login screen or integrate the link within your existing parent portal. From there, which content you decide to serve families is completely up to you. It’s easy to designate a portion of your existing content to give families an abbreviated student experience or create alternative content slides just for them.

As a separate login page, you can customize identifying information such as name and email. Information and orientation activity are recorded and viewable on an administrator’s report. Guest Access is $2,500 and includes two guest types of your choice. Here’s a preview of what the guest login experience is like at The University of Illinois at Chicago.

You can use your Advantage Orientation^® platform as a foundational family engagement tool, just like you do for students. As an audience segment (or member group), you can serve families content within your platform that is uniquely relevant to them. Take them on a distinct journey. Get as creative as you want! Use the "Guest Access" function to make this happen.

SELECT EACH VIDEO to see how San Jose State University introduces parents to Academics compared to the student introduction.

San Jose State University

Led by Gregory Wolcott, Assoc. VP, Student Transition and Retention Services, the “Spartan Link” online orientation for parents and families mirrors the student experience with an emphasis on relevancy, voice, and tone. Content was developed for a separate track which included videos to welcome and introduce primary topics to parents and families. Care was taken to adapt the scripts and choose on-screen talent more “relatable” to parents and families.

Filming on Campus