Bringing the Campus to the 2015 OUF

2016-12-09 2

Ken Steele summarizes a variety of low-tech and high-tech ways in which universities attempt to bring a virtual campus to the largest PSE trade show in North America, the Ontario Universities' Fair.

At #OUF2015, many universities use large campus photography or ever-larger video displays, capped off with Trent University's "jumbotron" screen. For several years now, Laurentian University has recreated their campus in miniature in their "5D presentation room." This year, Wilfrid Laurier University added a large touchscreen "virtual map" of campus to their exhibit, and UOIT partnered with Oculus Rift to deliver a virtual reality campus tour for the first time. Although virtual maps and VR helmets do give a good sense of the physical buildings on campus, they still need to bring to life the faculty and students who inhabit the campus. St Francis Xavier University had a good idea when they brought a live video wall to the OUF a few years ago, allowing prospective students and parents to interact with faculty and students in real time on the StFX campus.

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