UNews - director, Integrated Planning

RAVE project virtually ready

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:20:41 +0000

For new and prospective learners and their families, one of the best ways to gain an appreciation for what sets the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge apart from other post-secondary institutions is to visit the campus in person. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's relatively small size, accessibility and quality are readily apparent to anyone who has spent even a day here, but visiting the campus isn't always an affordable option for learners from other provinces and countries. Language barriers can also make the process of selecting a university difficult for prospective international learners and their families.

In response to this challenge, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has produced an innovative multilingual online virtual campus environment that will allow anyone with web access and a free copy of Google Earth to experience the Lethbridge campus in a way that mirrors an actual campus visit.

This wide campus view is the starting point for your virtual tour.

Visitors to the RAVE (Reaching Audiences through Virtual Entryways) virtual campus site will be provided several options for exploring the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, its services and facilities.

"Instead of finding out about a club you would have liked to participate in when you might be in your final year, new students have the opportunity to know it all before they even arrive on campus," says Jeff Bingley, a RAVE production member and videographer. "It has the potential to really streamline your ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ experience."

Navigating the RAVE world can be accomplished through 3D virtual campus tours, whereby visitors can get a look at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's facilities and services, all described in a number of different languages.

Users can also access the RAVE web environment through traditional hyperlinks on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's website. Each link on the RAVE web page will take you to specific locations – such as department offices, the Students' Union Building – in the virtual U of L environment. Another click on that office will connect the viewer to a relevant YouTube video describing the resources that the office provides.

The third method of navigating RAVE is as an unguided explorer of the 3D buildings and their contextual information links.

In summer 2013, the U of L will release the first stage of the 3D RAVE virtual campus environment.

"RAVE uses a combination of advanced video game and Google Earth technologies to produce highly-detailed, interactive 3D environments," says professor James Graham of the Faculty of Fine Arts Department of New Media, RAVE's lead designer and production manager. "These feature architecturally accurate campus building models using the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's CAD drawings, interactive video components, photographs, audio, web-interactivity and pre-programmed animated camera sequences."

The release of RAVE this summer will focus initially on student and administrative services and clubs for new learners who will be arriving at the U of L.

"The Students' Union partnership has been critical in delivering the learner interest components, and the Faculty of Fine Arts partnership has provided RAVE with a secure production lab and equipment," says Graham.

The RAVE project grew out of collaboration between Mike Spiteri (IT), Graham and Heather Mirau (director, Integrated Planning). RAVE is a Recruitment and Retention Project with one-time seed funding from the U of L Strategic Enrolment Management Committee.

A team of eight new media learners (including six undergraduates, one co-op and one master's student) worked on the project. The Department of New Media also loaned computer and camera equipment, while use of the RAVE lab is by loan from the Faculty of Fine Arts Dean's Office. Close to 90 per cent of the RAVE project costs are paid to the production team, allowing learners to offset educational expenses and continue with their studies.

"This student, faculty and staff collaboration drives the project," says Mirau. "James is masterful at building in the latest technical applications with a solid focus of growing an online community for the recruitment and retention of our learners."

RAVE has also been designed and constructed using a layered approach, allowing it to grow organically and logically moving forward. This gives the project the ability to serve multiple functions, such as showcasing our faculty research to interested audiences.

This story first appeared in the May 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

RRIP project puts students first

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 23:18:59 +0000

Sometimes the best way to move forward is by looking back at yourself in the mirror.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is doing just that with the Recruitment and Retention Integrated Planning (RRIP) project. Initiated in the spring, and with the backing of Vice-President (Academic) and Provost Dr. Andy Hakin and Vice-President (Finance and Administration) Nancy Walker, the project's focus is to foster a graduation culture on campus.

"The integrated planning process brings the elements of operations/services, capital planning, financial strategies and policy development together – with a focus on learner success," says Walker.

Simply put, it's a reaffirmation of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's student-first approach, one of the pillars of President Dr. Mike Mahon's vision for the U of L.

The need for such a project is born out of the fact that there is enhanced competition for post-secondary students in the province, a decline in the student-age demographic, as well as a shift in student expectations. The U of L is also acutely aware of its historically poor student retention rate.

"This project is designed to look at every contact we have with students, from when they are first recruited to when they arrive on campus and then throughout their university career," says Hakin.

Done correctly, it will create an environment that not only attracts students to attend the
U of L, but also supports them through to graduation.

Karen Clearwater, associate vice-president, Financial Planning, is the project manager. The Recruitment and Retention Project Team was created under her guidance and it was formed to represent all areas of campus.

"What we want to do for a student when they enter the U of L is give them the tools they need to be successful here," says Clearwater. "Whether those tools are social or academic, we want to identify whatever they need to be successful through to the day they graduate."

Throughout the spring and summer months, the project team conducted a number of focus groups. The team spoke with everyone from new high school students to continuing students, faculty and staff.

"The number one question we asked them was, "What can we do to make this a successful culture for students?" says project co-ordinator, Heather Mirau, director, Integrated Planning.

What they found, more than anything, was a campus ripe with ideas, and a staff and faculty eager to assist in bringing about change.

"Our faculty, students and staff know what needs to be addressed, and they have been openly sharing with us some excellent ideas," says Mirau. "I've been very encouraged by the excitement that's out there."

Hakin says the whole thrust of the project is a new way of doing business for the U of L. Recruitment and retention cannot be treated as separate and distinct issues, nor can the approaches to dealing with them be handled individually – the entire institution needs to buy into the same delivery.

"If you look at all the effort we traditionally put into getting students into the institution, we then have to ask ourselves what are the factors that keep them here," he says. "If we lose them after one year, two years, that's a lot of wasted effort and money. We need to build a strong student community where all our help services, across the institution, are aligned and optimized."

The data collected from the summer focus groups is in the process of being analyzed, with a priority list of major projects in the works. Establishing project teams is ongoing and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community is invited to participate. A website has been created (www.uleth.ca/recruitment-retention) as a window into the project process. It details the intent of the initiative, how it began, how the team establishes priorities and makes recommendations, and offers a summary of all the focus groups and surveys conducted.

"This is a way to give every employee in the institution the opportunity to act with the same information in their hands," says Mirau. "We also hope the website will serve as a good feedback loop, so that people can continue to contribute to the process."

Clearwater says this is a key institutional initiative in that it has the ability to positively affect the U of L for years to come.

"If this is done right, it could be something that really puts us on the map, not only in terms of retention but also with recruitment," she says. "Students will want to come here because they'll see an institution invested in providing them with the tools for their success."

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - director, Integrated Planning

RAVE project virtually ready

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RRIP project puts students first

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