pre-conference sessions
The following pre-conference sessions will be offered as part of NODAC 2026!
Want more time to learn and connect? Arrive early to join us for pre-conference sessions that dig deeper into the topics that you care about most. Pre-conference sessions provide hands-on learning and extended engagement with expert facilitators. These sessions require separate registration and an additional fee.
Note: To provide the best experience for everyone, regardless of participation level, anyone who is physically onsite at an event or present at a virtual event must be registered and is expected to pay in order to attend.
Orientation Professionals Institute (OPI)
November 8 – 10, 2026
The Orientation Professionals Institute (OPI) serves new professionals and emerging leaders in the field of orientation, transition, and retention by providing a comprehensive learning experience with a focus on orientation. The Institute fosters an environment conducive to learning, networking, ideating, reflecting, and furthering dialogue on various aspects of orientation in higher education. The OPI curriculum is framed to help new professionals gain an understanding of the foundations of OT&R work, the student populations whom OT&R programs serve, and the functional best practices that help to create effective OT&R programs. The primary focus of OPI is on new student orientation and the initial transition to the institution as one of the first and foundational steps in the student transition experience which ultimately promotes student retention.
Directors and Managers Institute
November 8 – 10, 2026
The Directors and Managers Institute (DMI) is an immersive, in-person program designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by directors and managers. Through a dynamic mix of plenary sessions, panel discussions, interactive breakouts, and small-group dialogues with seasoned Institute faculty, participants will engage with the nuanced challenges of managing orientation, transition, and retention programs amid the shifting terrain of higher education.
Attendees will gain valuable insights and practical tools to strengthen their professional impact and drive meaningful change within their institutions. The in-person format also provides a unique opportunity for networking with peers and thought leaders in the field, fostering a collaborative learning environment where participants can share ideas, best practices, and solutions to common challenges.
Core Competency Course: Curriculum and Content Development
November 9 – 10, 2026
The pre-conference Curriculum and Content Development course will cover a range of topics from foundations of curriculum theory to practical applications of content delivery in Orientation, Transition, and Retention programs. Participants will actively engage with the course materials to build a personal curriculum philosophy, dive deeper into how that impacts their work with curriculum and content development, and end the course by planning the application of what they have learned to one of their current work responsibilities. This can be widely applicable to programs, staff training, ongoing content communications, etc., so participants can come from any functional area or be at any professional level.
Writing Your Own Future
November 10, 2026
This workshop is designed to help you make the “final jump” from the activity of the campus to the permanence of the page. We will shift the narrative from “I’m just a practitioner” to “I am a contributor to the field’s body of knowledge.” Through interactive exercises and peer coaching, we will help you identify the “seed” of a publication within your current work—whether it’s a successful pilot program, a unique assessment, or a fresh perspective on OT&R trends. We’ll provide the roadmap to get it published in the Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention (JCOTR). Don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of “published”; your daily innovations are exactly what the profession needs to move forward.