How Bronx Community College reaches and teaches its students has changed a great deal because of the pandemic. But not what is taught. A case in point: the New Student Orientation (NSO) that every incoming Bronco experiences.

“We’re still doing what we would have done on campus,” says Associate Dean for Student Development Manny Lopez. “The modality of how we’re going to do it is different, but the effort and initiatives and outcomes will certainly be basically the same.”

As new students register, an invitation to NSO is automatically sent to them. Conducted on Blackboard, the orientation consists of nine “modules” — PowerPoint videos on topics like financial aid, student life, the college community standards, learning technology, etc. After watching each video, students are asked a question or two about the content they have just absorbed.

Online orientation, which takes 90 minutes to complete, replaces seven live sessions. “But you don’t have to go through the whole orientation at one sitting. You can take the first two or three whenever you want, then finish the other modules at a later date. It is self-paced.”

Students receive a Certificate of Completion when they have gone through the entire course. They can then immediately apply for a laptop loaner for the Fall semester.

“The orientation is designed to give students new to college or transfers who are new to BCC a sense of how to be successful at Bronx Community College,” says Dr. Lopez. The first step: go to the NSO webpage.

Good luck!