Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many high school visitors had to cancel campus visits. In response, BJU offered a Virtual College Up Close experience for the first time.
The Idea
When the enrollment team learned that University students would finish the semester through online course delivery, their plans needed to change. “We knew we needed to find a way to continue providing prospective students the opportunity to see and experience life at BJU,” said graduate assistant Andrew Carter. The logical conclusion was to follow the faculty’s example and go online, too. “We believed that we could create a virtual experience that would still be valuable and helpful to prospects and connect them with BJU students, their admission counselors and faculty in their areas of interest,” added Carter.
The Welcome Center staff—together with the Marketing department and the Office of Events Management—transformed the College Up Close visit scheduled for April 2–3 into a single-day virtual experience. After looking into possible tools, the team chose Zoom as its platform. The application’s video chat, text chat and screen sharing options met the CUC needs. The staff partnered with nine admission counselors and 60 faculty members, setting them up on Zoom days prior to the event.
Though the experience was unlike her usual tour, student ambassador and engineering major Bela Lopez looked forward to the challenge. “I love the idea of virtual tours, especially because it gives the opportunity for international students to also make use of this to have a real BJU experience,” she said.
The Schedule
The virtual experience began with a tour of the campus. Lopez is glad “there were less distractions (campus life) around us while giving the tour.” She trusts this helped the virtual visitors focus on the tour and the content related to their academic program of interest.
Prospective students also got to join a live academic showcase. They chose from eight different divisions, including Art + Design, Journalism & Mass Communication and Natural Science. From 1–3 p.m., the virtual visitors scheduled one-on-one meetings with faculty in their area of interest or with an admission counselor.
Visitors then sat in on a career workshop, which gave them tips on choosing a profession and workforce preparation. The virtual experience ended with a Q&A session, allowing visitors to talk with a panel of BJU students.
See Also: Changing Roles: Easing Transition to College Life
The Result
On April 3, 151 prospective students joined the University’s student ambassadors on their walk and meetings around campus. A total of 21 international students—including representation from Korea, Spain, Germany, China and Austria—benefited from the experience.
Some prospective students enjoyed an exclusive tour of the new School of Health Professions facility. Nursing professor Lisa Arnold said, “The prospective students asked more questions in the chat room than (we) usually answer in person.” The theatre showcase included tours of Rodeheaver Auditorium led by Dr. Darren Lawson, dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication, and of Performance Hall. “Our highest number of concurrent College Up Close students was 100,” said Lawson. “So we were able to engage a large audience.”
The music department’s showcase gave a tour of rehearsal spaces and classrooms to prospective students from five states and five different countries. “Certainly a much broader audience than we would typically have,” said division chair Dr. Michael Moore. Dr. Julie Hartman of the Division of Education “was impressed at how willing students seemed to engage with us (which is hard to do with total strangers via video), and seemed excited about the opportunities at BJU.”
Despite the unexpected change of plans, the first Virtual College Up Close was a success. “Overall, we feel this event was a great success and are already developing plans for a second event in a few weeks,” said Carter.
The next Virtual College Up Close is scheduled for April 22. Register today.
