Students: Genevieve Dubroof, Mary-Katherine Scheppegrell and Brooke Kearney
High school students who will graduate soon and do not have financial and travel resources to visit college campuses for on-site tours miss an opportunity to “see” the school and have experience of feeling whether they feel a fit with the school. It’s difficult to make a decision about attending a college you’ve never visited.
What is the project’s goal?
The project’s goal is to create a virtual reality experience that gives students the perspective of being on campus and an opportunity to see if it feels like the right fit. Statistical information on the college or university’s size, the number of students, cost, available majors and class size is usually available in print but experience of being on the campus is hard to convey in print.
What is the innovation?
The innovation is an online college search tool that helps high school students identify a college or university that feels like home for them. It incorporates Twine “choose your own adventure story” vignettes and virtual reality tours using VR goggles. Students start by using an iPad with a decision-tree app to help them narrow their college choices. When their short list of colleges/universities have a VR tour available through their website, prospective students can do a virtual tour with the VR goggles and see 360° views of the campus, comments from the guides and students on campus.
What has been the impact?
There’s a good fit between what students want to know about prospective colleges and universities and the information on the VR tour. Students enjoyed using the VR goggles and appreciated how much of the college visit they could experience even though they weren’t on campus. The participants could see the college or university with 360 degree views and see and hear students interacting on the tour. Even though these tours were for colleges and universities in NC, as other schools add VR tours, there will be opportunities to see more options. Local high school counselors are already using these tours to help students see some of their college choices and begin to narrow their list of schools to visit.
