How Purdue University Manages Orientation for 8,000+ Students Using Mobile Technology and Gamification

Executing a 4-day orientation program for 8,000 students might sound chaotic, but Purdue University's approach proves that scale doesn't have to sacrifice personal connection. Through strategic use of mobile technology, creative gamification that turns attendance into friendly competition, and a carefully trained volunteer team of 700+, Purdue has built an orientation experience where massive feels intimate and structured feels fun.

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Purdue's Boiler Gold Rush By the Numbers

• 8,000+ students participating in 4-day orientation programming across multiple campuses.
• 700+ student volunteers trained and deployed as orientation leaders and supervisors.
• 600,000+ app sessions recorded during orientation week.
• 75% opt-in rate despite orientation being optional and paid by students.

What You'll Learn

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In this webinar, Craig Johnson (Director of Orientation Programs at Purdue University) reveals how his team manages one of the largest university orientation programs in the country, including:

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Planning and partnerships: building a year-round operation

• Starting orientation planning 12 months in advance with campus-wide partners.
• Building relationships with housing, athletics, academics, and entertainment units strategically.
• Understanding partner priorities and timing to avoid reaching out during busy seasons.
• Aligning missions with diverse stakeholders from residential life to themed entertainment centers.
• Creating mini seed grants with faculty to develop festival-style projects for orientation week.

Structure vs. flexibility: balancing guidance with exploration

• Designing highly structured mornings with 50-75 flexible afternoon activity options.
• Breaking 8,000 students into manageable teams of 15-20 with dedicated orientation leaders.
• Creating affinity-based programming for academic colleges, identities, and regional backgrounds.
• Transitioning from structured group activities to pick-your-own-adventure exploration.
• Making large campuses feel small through intentional small-group facilitated conversations.

Gamification strategies: driving engagement at scale

• Organizing students into five hall teams of 1,500-2,000 competing for points throughout the week.
• Awarding points for attendance, community participation, and positive campus interactions.
• Using QR codes for individual quizzes and trivia competitions within sessions.
• Announcing leaderboard updates in daily all-attendee sessions and on social media.
• Creating team pride through location-based affiliations and orientation leader buddy systems.

Mobile app implementation: coordinating complex schedules

• Customizing Guidebook app as "Purdue Guide" with team-specific schedule personalization.
• Allowing students to select their hall team to populate only relevant sessions and locations.
• Reducing printed materials by 95% and driving adoption through multi-channel promotion.
• Using push notifications for real-time weather changes and session location updates.
• Providing web browser access for parents, staff, and faculty without mobile devices.

App adoption strategies: achieving high download rates

• Building trust through months of pre-arrival communication before promoting the app.
• Including QR codes on move-in bed sheets, check-in desks, stadium scoreboards, and session screens.
• Training 700+ orientation leaders to promote app downloads in direct student emails.
• Archiving all orientation communications publicly for transparency and consistency.
• Addressing international student needs with extended runway for US cellular plan setup.

Volunteer recruitment and training: managing 700+ student staff

• Hiring 600-700 entry-level team leaders through multi-pronged campus recruitment.
• Training 150-170 mid-level team supervisors through one-credit spring leadership courses.
• Selecting nine student orientation committee members for year-long mentorship roles.
• Conducting bi-weekly Wednesday night trainings in spring with all supervisors.
• Leveraging campus partnerships and previous participants for peer-to-peer recruitment.

Data-driven improvement: measuring impact and belonging

• Tracking 600,000+ app sessions and 314+ total hours of app usage during orientation.
• Surveying students three times: May (pre-orientation), June (mid-modules), August (post-program).
• Measuring belonging progression to validate program impact on student retention.
• Analyzing qualitative feedback for team leader recognition and program adjustments.
• Benchmarking session engagement against previous years to set competitive internal goals.

Who Should Watch This Webinar

• University orientation directors managing large-scale welcome programs.
• Student affairs professionals coordinating multi-day on-campus experiences.
• Event planners balancing structure with attendee flexibility and choice.
• Higher education leaders implementing mobile technology for student communication.
• Campus program coordinators recruiting and training large volunteer teams.

Real Results from Purdue's Orientation Program

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Learn how Purdue's orientation approach achieved:

• 75% participation rate despite orientation being optional and requiring payment.
• 600,000+ mobile app sessions demonstrating sustained student engagement.
• 95% reduction in printed schedules by driving adoption of digital scheduling.
• Successful coordination of 700+ volunteers across 12-month recruitment and training cycle.
• Near-complete elimination of printed materials ending up in trash through digital-first strategy.

Featured Speaker

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Craig Johnson serves as Director of Orientation Programs at Purdue University, overseeing programs at both the West Lafayette flagship campus and Indianapolis location. He leads a full-time team of nine professional staff and coordinates 700+ student volunteers to facilitate online, hybrid, and on-site orientation programs throughout the year, including the flagship Boiler Gold Rush program serving 8,000+ students annually.