The University’s Admissions Office is taking campus tours to a whole new dimension.
The University is providing a new virtual college open house experience to students unable to visit campus through GPS-based tools and a new website.
Thomas Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions, said the virtual fair was conducted using www.collegeweeklive.com services and also that students could attend the session simply by logging in online. According to Griffin, the program had a virtual attendance of approximately 700 students.
“We hosted a virtual open house; students who couldn’t make it to campus could login using a service and attend the session,” Griffin said.
Griffin said the virtual open house focused on the University, and online presentations were part of the program while hosting this event.
“It had five sections focusing on different aspects of campus life and it was free to all the students interested in N.C. State,” Griffin said.
E. Carroll Joyner Visitor Center provides students with a GPS-based application called Go Explore for campus tours.
Stacy Fair, director of E. Carroll Joyner Visitor Center, said Go Explore provides students with an audio visual tour of the campus.
“The tool serves two purposes: to visit campus when we are not holding an official campus tour and students who can’t make it to the campus can also use it,” Fair said.
According to Fair, these tools will help out-of-state and international students take virtual tours without needing to visit the campus.
“We are having minor improvements in Go Explore. We are branding it with N.C. State’s logo,” Fair said.
Griffin said such tools and virtual open houses will encourage students who cannot visit the University to apply as well.
“Using Learnhub environment, we hope to do it for international students. This will help us engage with them at a more personal level,” Griffin said.
Fair also said the new program works in a virtual environment will certainly help attract the attention of students who cannot visit the campus.
“We just want to spark their interest to bring them to campus,” Fair said.
According to Griffin, virtual open houses will not be a permanent replacement to traditional open houses, but are simply for those in which campus is inaccessible.
“It’s not a replacement for traditional open house; we provide opportunity for people who can’t make it. University open house is schedule to take place on Oct. 16,” Griffin said.
Fair said student involvement, when it comes to developing such applications, is very important.
“N.C. State is always looking to inspire students in stem areas and this application is one of many ways to show it. Students are involved in development of this application as well,” Fair said.
According to Griffin, the University’s Admissions Office is planning to extend their efforts in virtual tours.
“We definitely plan to have more of them and also participate in virtual college fairs. We also plan to host international open house for international students,” Griffin said.
Griffin also said such initiatives help create a positive sentiment for students planning to come to the University and that current student involvement cannot be ruled out when it comes to attracting new students to campus.
“Our students are always the best people to inform about the University to others. Student’s positivity attracts other students,” Griffin said.
^
