Dr. SOEURN Visal
Following the Big Launch (16 December 2019), Foundation Year conducted its Orientation week from 17-20 December 2019. The purpose of this Orientation week is to welcome new students, inform them about the university policies, rules and regulations, Foundation Year curriculum, and university services such as eLearning center. All things necessary to ensuring the students transition from high schools and be ready for university life and feel at home at UP.
Orientation week was a busy week involving students in different programs: Student Orientation, University Preparatory Workshops, English Placement Test, English and Maths Exemption Exam, ID Card Registration and Photography, Treasure Hunt, IT Services for Students, as well as specific Technical
Orientations by the Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, and Faculty of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology.
The Student Orientation was managed by Foundation Year with cooperation from faculties (i.e. Pharmacy, Medicine, Dentistry, English and ICT) and two service offices (i.e. the Learning Center and Registrar Office).
Students also attended University Preparatory Workshops, which were arranged in 6 parallel sessions, each of which lasted 150 minutes. The primary content of these workshops entailed sharing extra-curricular activities and team-building activities. In these extra-curricular activities, the students engaged in discussions, both whole-class and group, about challenges they would oversee during studies in higher education. The facilitators then shared tips /strategies to generate and support learning and strengthen motivation.
While the extra-curricular activities focused on students sharing overseen concerns and challenges in university life, the important team building activities included activities where students (who were divided into groups) built bridges from recycled paper and newspapers. Each group was provided with some recycled paper and newspapers, a big roll of transparent tape, a pair of scissors, and a glue stick. They had to build a bridge of their own passion with the provided materials. These bridge building activities were aimed to promote team spirit, learning autonomy, co-operation, hard work, continued motivation, resilience and sustained efforts – all extremely important skills for both learning and everyday life.
The students were also introduced to Treasure Hunt via quizzes in UPOP. The intent of these online quizzes is to:
o provide access to UPOP content on a mobile device via UP Hotspot and the Moodle app;
o teach students how to use online resources including students own accounts
o test access to UPOP via students own user account and login;
o demonstrate understanding of where to access technical help if needed; and
o identify the rules, policies and procedures of the University, the Learning Center, the Registrar’s Office, the Foundation Year Office, and the Information Office.
Quiz takers who got all questions right were randomly selected and five top winning quiz takers were then identified. These outstanding winners are: (1) Kheng Lyhorng, (2) Sea Arewin, (3) Lim Porkey, (4) Sam Virakyuth, and (5) Visith Sokunkachna. They each were given a gift pack which includes one UP T-shirt, one UP mug, and two UP notebooks.
Welcome to our new students – an exciting future awaits.
