Prospective students who are interested in the University of Pretoria’s academic offerings can now take a virtual tour of the campuses from the comfort of their homes.
The university has launched a Virtual Campus platform on its website, whereby prospective students, their parents, and other members of the public can experience its facilities and campus life through a combination of 360-degree panoramas and videos and course-related, relevant information.
According to Prof Stephanie Burton, Vice-Principal of Research and Postgraduate Education, the aim of the Virtual Campus is to showcase the learning, teaching and research facilities of the University and to make the campus more accessible to a wider and more diverse group of prospective students, at all levels and from different communities across the country and internationally.
The Virtual Campus is a media-rich mini-site that provides information to all students, including postgraduate and international students, as well as other members of the community who wish to know more about UP in terms of academic activities, research opportunities and collaborations.
It provides valuable information to prospective students about UP’s additional support offerings that provide students with the best possible foundation to make a success of their lives. This includes support programmes to help students graduate on time; free career guidance, work readiness and entrepreneurship training; additional online resources and a range of community engagement programmes to enrich students’ learning experiences and to encourage social responsibility.
Prof Burton says the Virtual Campus offering is one of the most comprehensive among South African universities, and it is in line with international trends. Research was conducted on local and international universities in order to produce the most suitable model for the University. The platform allows prospective students to tailor and personalise the information they require after they log into the platform.
The platform has video messages from the deans of all nine faculties, information on degrees on offer, entrance requirements, as well as videos of residences and a panoramic tour of the campuses.
Prof Burton says: “This platform will allow people to access and experience UP with the click of a button from anywhere, at any time, affording them the opportunity to discover a world of academic excellence; and to explore new and diverse career path opportunities. The platform will provide prospective students with a holistic experience and on-demand information.”
There is also a text-only content version option for those students who have data and other accessibility constraints.
Phase Two of the Virtual Campus will feature information on postgraduate studies and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), in Illovo, Johannesburg, as well as additional media such as webinars and more videos.