University Business - September 2008 - (Page 30)

Virtual Tours to Take continued Sinclair Community College (Ohio) www.sinclair.edu Click on each building on an interactive map and ﬁnd a gallery of interior and exterior photos, as well as one or more panoramic views of the area, providing a 360-degree experience that mirrors an in-person tour. A Virtual Visit WELCOME homecoming tradition footage. “You don’t get the feel of 14,000 students in a fountain chanting ‘U-C-F’ for homecoming from a photo.” Also eﬀective is including more frequently done traditions—such as Florida International University students spinning the 20-foot-high “Marty’s Cube” sculpture before exams for luck. For still and 360-degree images, CampusVT suggests including an audio track of the hustle and bustle to communicate each spot’s unique vibe. Dawson of eCampusTours advises use of a special lens to enhance panoramic images—so that viewers can look up and down, not just left and right. Although maps may seem old-school, some IHEs are bringing them into the 21st century. The interactive map of Wesleyan University (Conn.), for instance, allows visitors to ﬁnd places to eat, wireless zone information, and events. The University of San Diego launched a database-driven component to its interactive campus map this May. Going beyond explaining campus locations, it draws data from an event-scheduling system to populate the map with real-time information about campus happenings. Providing multiple tours is another way to create a personal experience. Carson has seen tours for international students, transfer students, and parents, as well as multilingual tours, ESL tours, and tours in Spanish. Wesleyan’s day-in-the-life tours approach the multiple tour concept in a slightly diﬀerent way, sharing six students and their campus routines. While the goal of virtual tours is getting prospective students on campus, the online visit does have its own edge. “It lets them ﬂit from stop to stop on the tour at their own pace,” says Kenneth Aaron, director of communications at Paul Smith’s College (N.Y.). Marie Blakey, director of public relations for Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles, agrees, adding that a revisit is easy as well. From Conception to Launch Virtual tour project teams typically consist of members from across the university—from admissions and public relations to web design and IT. These departments bring diﬀerent skills and resources, and they “all have a big-picture view about the institution and its strategic goals,” says Blakey. At Bryant, despite the project being outsourced to a division of CampusTours, an eight-person in-house team worked to create and launch the tour, meeting biweekly and even weekly throughout the yearlong process, explains Michelle Beauregard, director of admission. On the vendor side, a project manager, web developer, designer, video producer/director, and video editor were involved. The University of Dayton’s in-house project team also tapped student talent. Built in Adobe Flash, the virtual tour was developed using Avid Media Composer (for video editing), Adobe After Eﬀects (for special eﬀects), Adobe Photoshop (for graphics), and Digital Rapids Stream Software (for encoding videos for the web), according to Communication Specialist Kim Lally in UD’s enrollment management oﬃce and Michael Kurtz, director of the Media Prouniversitybusiness.com University of Dayton (Ohio) www.udayton.edu Follow two student hosts through a linear menu of topics and videos, with side windows that list links to different academic ﬁelds, dining facilities, and many of the university’s dorms. See onscreen images of the hosts (rather than videos in boxes), which help authenticate the experience and mimic an in-person tour. University of Michigan www.umich.edu Create an avatar and “walk” through a digital recreation of the campus called Vmerse. Set up a personal proﬁle, sign up for events (such as a narrated tour), and even see and chat with the avatars of other users. Save and store the many “bots,” little boxes that dispense information and trivia about the school, using the Notebook feature. University of Nebraska-Lincoln www.unl.edu* Explore an interactive map with 360-degree views on the Real Nebraska project site. View several 4- to 5-minute light-hearted video “episodes” aimed to represent the ﬂavor of campus life—with a bow-tied associate dean of admissions who interviews students on topics such as ID card capabilities, career fairs, and art shows. Get additional info through factoid bubbles that appear at the bottom of the screen. University of Notre Dame (Ind.) www.nd.edu Watch six videos following a student through his or her daily activities and academic pursuits, with clips covering a wide range of disciplines and extracurricular involvements, and background music of popular contemporary songs, which adds a touch of familiarity. 30 | September 2008 http://www.sinclair.edu http://www.udayton.edu http://www.umich.edu http://www.unl.edu http://www.nd.edu http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - September 2008

University Business - September 2008
Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Human Resources
A Virtual Visit Welcome
Development Directors Speak Out
NACUBO in the Windy City
Facilities Focus
Money Matters
Financial Aid
Endowment Management
Marketing
What's New
End Note

University Business - September 2008