Virtual Open House a huge success; Ontario Tech considering a second online event this spring

At a time when physical distancing protocols are requiring people to stay indoors, Ontario Tech University is driving high-tech ways to digitally take its campus… off campus.

Twice a year, soon-to-graduate high school students get to visit Ontario Tech’s Open House, a showcase of its innovative programs, tours of ultramodern facilities, interaction with professors, access to supportive student services and more.

The COVID-19 pandemic required the university to cancel the traditional in-person Open House, but Ontario Tech quickly pivoted, shifting all plans for Open House into a virtual mode, to provide those same on-campus experiences online.

Working with a compressed time frame to still hold the event on March 28, and given the university as a whole was transitioning the remainder of the winter semester to online learning, the Virtual Open House results were spectacular.

From the convenience of their own homes, hundreds of prospective students and their families ‘visited’ campus to get a first-hand look at life at the university. In fact, more than 1,300 participants logged on to be part of the first virtual event.

Demonstrating its reputational strength in innovation and technology, Ontario Tech created an interactive 360-degree virtual reality-enabled campus tour where viewers could walk around campus to check out labs, lecture halls, hallways, greenspaces and more.

Teams from the Office of the Registrar and the Communications and Marketing department produced dozens of videos to introduce all faculties and programs. Students could also ask questions about programs, financial aid, varsity sports and more in online meeting rooms where Ontario Tech representatives and experts provided their answers  in real-time.

After overwhelmingly positive feedback, Ontario Tech is considering a second version of the Virtual Open House later this spring. Meantime, if you didn’t get a chance to join us live on March 28, you can still access the suite of campus tours and videos on Ontario Tech’s Open House website.

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“There are so many students in Ontario right now who are looking to select their university and we wanted to make sure they see the very best of Ontario Tech University in this challenging time. We are proud of our faculty and staff for rallying together to bring the spirit of the university virtually to our prospective students.”
-Dr. Joe Stokes, Registrar, Ontario Tech University

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