Graduate school can be intimidating, and students in a professional program may not have been in school for decades. While they often bring great excitement and appreciation for the coursework, they can sometimes bring a different set of anxieties about their capabilities and time management, among other things. Additionally, there is simply a lot to learn even before they arrive on campus. With an eye toward building a welcoming, collaborative, and inclusive community, and focusing on better managing student retention from acceptance through matriculation, Northwestern University’s Master of Science in Communication program built a pre-orientation Canvas site called Countdown to Coursework. The purpose of the Canvas site is for students to engage with the program and each other while gently (re)introducing them to a sampling of the work they will experience at Northwestern. This session will talk more about the strategy and outcomes of using Canvas in this way and will give a tour of the pre-matriculation student experience.
