Date of Award

6-2-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Rhetoric and Writing

First Advisor

Karen Kuralt

Abstract

UA Little Rock's mandatory online graduate orientation takes about 15 minutes to complete. For all the information presented in that short time, is it useful? Lack of information retention among graduate students after orientation highlights the need for assessment. This research addresses UA Little Rock's graduate orientation program by applying Saul Carliner's physical, cognitive, and affective information design theory. I conducted focus groups with graduate students, report their perceptions of orientation programming, and combine their feedback with technical communication theory and best practices. Results show that students have issues with the orientation process and suggest improvements at all levels of Carliner’s design framework, such as hosting the course on Blackboard, including video content in addition to text, and involving graduate faculty and administration. I provide recommendations based on these results for the redesign of UA Little Rock's graduate orientation process that can improve our students' graduate school experience.

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