“In tune with the times” - is the motto of Minin University’s new project. The university’s “Electronic Open Day” is the first service among Russian universities which presents in a modern interactive form—mainly in video format—all information regarding the university’s the activities, and allows for attracting applicants from across the country.
The “Electronic Open Day” includes several layers: video presentations of all the training programs at Minin University, success stories of graduates, videos of the last Open Days, live broadcasts on Instagram with the admissions committee, up-to-date information about enrollment in 2019, and training at Minin University. If the applicant has not yet decided on their choice of profession, they can use the “Examination Calculator” service. Anyone can also “walk” through the university buildings, taking advantage of a virtual tour. If an applicant has any questions, they will not remain unanswered—all questions can be asked online to representatives of the selection committee or faculties or request a call back. Finally, the admission process itself has also become easier: you can apply online.
Executive Secretary of the admission committee Olga Kuryleva notes that the main advantage of the service is the opportunity for incoming students to get acquainted remotely with the Minin University: “The format of a full-time Open Day is popular every year. But traditionally Minin University has decided to go ahead and propose another format. Thanks to the new service, the incoming student, despite being at home, can virtually visit the university, see what university life is like, and what it offers. The admissions office is always ready to answer questions, even online. I personally lead 4 live broadcasts in the summer, in which I answered applicants' questions. This format is more and more familiar to modern adolescents, so the interest was high”.
Nikita Baluev, an applicant from Nyagan of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Ugra, says that he wants to apply to be trained as a producer: “I consider all the options that universities offer throughout Russia. Minin University in Nizhny Novgorod is one of the few universities that trains producers and offers further employment. I do not have the chance to visit the university, I know that in October there was already a general open day and the department which prepares producers, already collected applicants. Recently, I saw that the university launched a project with video presentations of programs. I immediately found the program I needed, and was pleasantly surprised that there were students in the presentation of the program. I also saw videos about student life, took part in the selection committee’s live broadcasts. This is convenient for me, since I live very far from Nizhny Novgorod, in Western Siberia. It's great that the university thinks about applicants and offers new formats. Traditional open days are boring for me. And since I have already shown all the information to my parents, they approve of my choice”.
Elements of the service were developed over the course of a year and were put into effect in stages, however in less than a year, one can already judge the demand for the service:
- The number of views of video presentations of educational programs and general videos about the university is more than 9,000 in six months;
- The number of views for the 4 live broadcasts with representatives of the selection committee is more than 6000;
- The number of visits to pages with textual presentations of educational programs and other information resources on admission is more than 2,600,000;
- The number of questions asked online to representatives of the selection committee and faculties is 3675;
- The number of callbacks ordered on the site is 1048.