With every new semester, comes new students, new information, and new changes. Such is the ‘new normal’, bringing about a greater sense of adaptability to digital transformation in higher education. The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) at the American International University – Bangladesh (AIUB) organized the Virtual Freshmen Orientation for the Fall 2021-22 semester, on the 5th of June 2021, using the Microsoft Teams online platform. Being the first private university in Bangladesh to successfully shift its entire academic and administrative operations online, AIUB has been conducting the classes virtually for all the undergraduate and graduate programs of its 4 Faculties since March 2020, making this its 5th successful Freshmen Orientation session that was held online. 2 parallel sessions were conducted by Mr. Manzur H. Khan, the Director of OSA, and Mr. Ziarat H. Khan, Deputy Director, Student Services & Welfare (SS&W), for the freshmen students of the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS), Faculty of Business Administration (FBA), Faculty of Engineering (FE), and Faculty of Science & Technology (FST). Mr. Saniat Rahman, Head, COE and Special Assistant, OSA (FE), Mr. Abhijit Bhowmik, Special Assistant, OSA (FST), Ms. Shama Islam, Special Assistant, OSA (FBA), Mr. Akram Hossain Chowdhury, Special Assistant, OSA (FE), Mr. Sharfuddin Mahmood, Special Assistant, OSA (FST), and Mr. Rakibul Alam Polok, Officer, OSA were also present during the orientation sessions. On behalf of the 4 Faculties, Dr. A.B.M. Rahmatullah, the Associate Professor and Associate Dean-In-Charge of FASS, Dr. Md. Mahbub Chowdhury Mishu, the Assistant Professor & Head-In-Charge of Undergraduate Programs in FST, and Ms. Farheen Hassan, the Associate Professor & Director of Undergraduate Programs in FBA, were also present during the session and shared their words of wisdom with the new students. The detailed guidelines of the university policies and processes were discussed, with an overview of the university, its operations, and of course, its picturesque campus. The newly admitted students were also given a brief on the Microsoft Teams application and its functions as the tool for attending the online classes of their respective courses. After a Q&A segment with the students, a short cultural program was arranged by the AIUB Performing Arts Club (APAC), on the Zoom online platform, showcasing their musical performances through a video medley. The freshmen students were welcomed on to their journey at AIUB, all of whom were excited and inspired to begin working on turning their dreams into realities.
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