It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention. On Saturday, April 4, the necessities of social distancing due to COVID-19 prompted Cambrian College to reinvent its annual Spring Open House.
The result was Cambrian’s first-ever Virtual Open House. Instead of hundreds of potential students and their families coming through the doors of the campus, they actually logged on to a virtual experience of the college, its faculty, programs and staff.
“We usually plan our Spring Open House months in advance; it’s a major event here at Cambrian,” said Renee Scott, Cambrian College's Director of Student Success and Recruitment, in a press release.
“But we have a great team here and we adapted, innovated and pulled off nothing short of an amazing online experience for students looking to come to Cambrian this fall.”
During Virtual Open House, there were more than 4,000 visits to Cambrian’s website from people in 11 countries. They interacted with 140 Cambrian faculty and staff in various Zoom rooms and were treated to program information sessions, tours of the campus and a virtual walk-through of the student residence.
The event also allowed students to interact with Cambrian’s president Bill Best.
“Saturday was such a great experience,” Best said. “Our team made the most out of a truly unique situation and I’m blown away by how they pulled off such an amazing task in such a short time. At Cambrian, no matter what the circumstance, we make it a priority to ensure students get to experience what it’s like to be part of the Cambrian family.”
Though the campus remains closed, Cambrian is still operating with online studies, programming and supports.
“If there’s a silver lining to this situation, it’s that educational institutions are truly evolving traditional approaches to learning and working,” Best said.
“Though nothing truly replaces face-to-face, we are learning things and developing tools and experience that will continue to add value to our student and staff experience moving forward.”
For more information about Cambrian College and its fall programming, visit the college's website.
