Do you wish to host a global pool of students for your virtual open day? 2021 has brought a shift in the hosting of open days. Currently, the pandemic discourages physical gatherings of people. Instead, universities have moved to virtual events platforms to connect with prospective students online. Similarly, a virtual open day event can help students find their ideal university. In particular, it can entice students by showcasing university life. Further, it encourages students from remote areas to study at their desired institutes. As per the research carried out by the University of Derby, 28% of the student body wished they had researched well before picking a university. Therefore, familiarizing the students with your university is the best approach to having international students reach an informed decision.
Likewise, an online open day platform is convenient and cost-effective for universities to share information regarding the institute. This shall aid students in making a career choice. Are you still wondering why universities should host virtual open days? There are a number of reasons why universities should move to virtual events platforms.
What are Virtual Open Days?
In short, an open day event aims to educate students at a virtual events platform. Like, it intends to offer prospective students an insight into university life. Also, it is easy to organize, cost-effective, and more accessible for students to attend from the comfort of their homes. To illustrate, universities present their faculty, programs, and campus tours for students joining from far ends of the world. Therefore, a virtual open day allows students to connect using a mobile device and the internet.
Indeed, an open day is a wholesome experience for remote students who otherwise would not visit the university. Likewise, students who wish to study abroad can quickly get acquainted with the institute, its culture, and its curriculum.
Let us check the reasons as to why open days should take place at virtual events platforms.
Attract a Global Pool of Candidates
The current pandemic has restricted traveling. Particularly, international traveling is a challenging task. Virtual events platform has saved the day for universities worldwide. Students can attend the open day from the comfort of their couch rather than traveling to a physical location. In fact, students could be anywhere in the world and register for the virtual open day. Thus, these events have become increasingly popular as an efficient method of attracting a global pool of applicants.
There is a chance for educational institutions to double the number of student applicants for their yearly programs. For instance, you can attract remote students interested in taking the course by taking your virtual event worldwide. So, with international students on board, universities enhance their reputation.
Engaging Faculty and Students Online
Wondering how to engage visitors at a virtual open day? An open day does not discourage individual or group engagement of students and faculty. However, it is a clever approach to interact, offering 1:1, group chat, or audio/video conferencing options. This allows the students to easily inquire faculty and staff about the curriculum or career opportunities ahead of them. Similarly, the faculty are encouraged to engage with international students joining the event. Moreover, an open day is an opportunity for prospective students to connect with current students to learn about their experiences.
On the whole, an online events platform offers user-friendly networking tools and chat features. Like, chats categorized into business chat, networking chat, technical assistance, or group chat.
Allows Presenting Extensive Content
You know how challenging it is to inform and educate the students about the open day event. Universities need to put great content for the attendees to engage. You will need to spark the interest of students and parents with interactive content as documents and videos. This shall guide your attendees for the best. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the following when designing the content strategy.
- Create a welcome video and outline the agenda of an open day event
- Install information desks to guide attendees through your event
- Share basic information with attendees about the university, programs, department, campus life, city life, or faculty
- Offer a detailed campus tour, with videos escorting students throughout the campus, accommodations, sports grounds, auditoriums, and cafeterias for visual representation
- Give a local guide tour to attendees like where to buy essentials, bus/train stations, entertainment or recreational spots
- Provide visa information, processing, and timelines
Thus, an online platform presents a wholesome virtual experience for its clients. So, why not stick with virtual open days?
Setup Live or Pre-recorded Webinars
A live webinar presents an opportunity for students to connect with course leaders. They can also request live sessions on-demand or attend pre-recorded informative sessions. Because a virtual open day event can accommodate thousands of students, it also welcomes parents to join in the webinars. Thus, all at once, students and parents can educate each other about an institute and what it offers.
A virtual webinar goes live from realistic 3D-designed auditoriums. These visually rich designs with multiple templates are a great way to educate and engage your attendees. Specifically, you can set up live, semi-live, or pre-recorded webinars for your virtual open day event. Additionally, you can extend the life of webinars by making them available on demand.
Host Multiple Speaker Sessions
Universities are at leverage with an open day when they can host multiple speaker sessions. An online platform helps you convey the message with ease, be it faculty members, the head of departments, or the dean. It would be an efficient approach to guide students about programs and courses. Furthermore, alumni student speakers can be invited to the events to encourage and educate prospective students. They can inform students about their journey, campus life, and the career options it offers. Universities can plan:
- Live sessions with speakers directly engage students
- Semi-live sessions comprised of pre-recorded videos broadcasted with speakers available to attend to queries
- Pre-recorded webinars or presentations allow students to participate at their ease
Create an Accessible Virtual Space
Why not offer students a virtual experience that lets them easily navigate through the event? A virtual events platform helps organize events that are easily accessible for the students or parents. They can register for the event simply by approaching the university website and attending the event from the comfort of their home. Moreover, it welcomes disabled or bilingual people to access and interact at the open day easily. You can also use multilingual webinar options for international students joining the event. For example, KUDO allows translating speeches into different languages or sign language.
Accessible Resources for Remote Students
A virtual open day event provides universities with an opportunity to make resources available to students. For instance, the course outlines, degree programs, brochures, guides, or videos are downloaded in virtual swag bags. Consequently, prospective students can access all the information to decide to apply to that particular institute. Moreover, the students can go through this material even after the event. Indeed, these resources are of great use for remote students. They do not have to travel to the university campus to learn about the courses or campus life.
In Conclusion
A virtual university open day does not just attract admission applicants but also showcases campus life. By educating and informing students, universities equip them to make informed decisions. However, remote students benefit most from a virtual open day event. Your institution should empower students with all the details needed to reach a big decision for their careers. They easily interact and network with faculty, administration, and authorities with a better virtual experience.
So, in a secure and safe environment, students are provided with support material. Therefore, Virtual Days invites universities to organize their virtual open days that will draw students worldwide.
Author | Mubashrah Rahim
