On 15 August 2020 ThoughtCorp facilitated the University of Pretoria’s (UP) first-ever Virtual #ChooseUP Day, and it was a roaring success! About 10,000 grade 12 learners and their parents/guardians got to experience what they should expect when they #ChooseUP in the 2021 academic year.
Due to lockdown regulations, this year’s #ChooseUP Day was transformed into an online event and was hosted on UP’s Virtual Campus, an online platform created by ThoughtCorp, which allows visitors to explore the University’s facilities and campus life through a combination of 360-degree panoramas and videos, as well as course-related information.
The Virtual Campus platform contains more than 50 new videos which specifically address frequently asked questions, as well as additional panoramas added to the more than 120 existing panoramic views.
A live-streamed session was held in the morning, where the Vice-Chancellor and Student Representative Council President, and the faculty deans addressed the visitors. At the end of the live session, the various videos on the Virtual Campus platform had received over 12 900 playbacks.
The real-time Virtual #ChooseUP Day experience was tailored and personalised to each prospective student. Based on their faculty and interests selected during the RSVP process, students were able to generate a personalised virtual open day based on their preferences. Potential students were also able to take virtual tours of UP’s nine faculties, get advice on alternate admissions, accommodation, how to choose their modules, and what they would need to do to become successful students.
One such prospective student is 18-year-old Cara Jordaan from Pretoria, who added that she had thoroughly enjoyed the Virtual #ChooseUP Day and was looking forward to exploring the Virtual Campus functionality a little more: “I think the effort that went into it, and the whole live-stream, was creative and enriching.”
To ensure that all questions were answered, a live chat facility was set up for the day which enabled students to chat with UP’s support staff in real-time. A survey and feedback form was also set up to measure response to the event.
View the Virtual #ChooseUP Day event page, or explore the video demonstration of the virtual campus below.
