Task 7: Orientation
The Task Assignment

We have found that an effective way to begin a Scenario-Based Curriculum is with a simulated “new employee orientation” which introduces students to the scenario, the work they will be doing, and any general faculty expectations.

Realism seems to make beginning the course more fun and engaging. If this appeals to you, study the examples provided – SDM VP Welcome and Welcome to CPS – and adapt the material to create an orientation presentation appropriate to your course and audience. (Note that both of these are introductions to entire Carnegie Mellon West master’s programs, so the scope of material presented is likely to be greater than will be appropriate for your course.)

For community college students, an orientation that includes a Welcome to CIS 075C (the class) and a separate Welcome to C-Bay (the scenario company) has worked well for the Practicum in Enterprise Security course. That orientation material is available at http://elc.fhda.edu/faculty/orientations.html

Given that the orientation may be multifaceted (e.g., introduction to the course, to the scenario, and to teamwork), you may also want to make a schedule for distribution to the students. Visit the orientation material above to review the orientation schedule for the latest Practicum in Enterprise Security course. Another version of the orientation schedule is available for downloading as a .doc

Updated: September 25, 2006