The University of Edinburgh’s 2025 Strategic Vision identifies the importance of “a highly satisfied student body with a strong sense of community.” 

It is sometimes difficult to visit and travel to specific buildings within the University without prior knowledge of how to get there.  The facilities available within these buildings can vary and a student may not know what to expect.  In CMVM for example, from open days when prospective students get their first experience of a campus area, through to first years attending their first day or new clinical years starting periodic rotations in non-University buildings around Scotland, there is potential to improve initial impressions and the wider student experience.

This innovation fund project will investigate the role and value of a ‘virtual campus’ to help manage expectations and first impressions, exploring how an IT / mobile app approach might have measurable impact on student satisfaction.

There is a range of activity across the University of Edinburgh to improve student satisfaction.  This project will consult and engage with CMVM’s Communications and External Engagements team, and aims to complement ongoing work within Student Recruitment and Admissions to develop a multimedia Virtual Tour for prospective students, something which is already being looked at with revolution viewing.

Our approach will be a market analysis reviewing what other Russell Group and Ivy League Universities have been doing in this space, to help make recommendations on next steps as part of a wider strategy.  In addition, to prototype ideas around a specific problem (e.g. new students finding unfamiliar open day rooms and facilities), and use these prototypes as a tool to initiate a conversation with students, recruitment officers and teaching staff.  These conversations may identify a higher priority problem; this project allows us to engage with students and understand and iteratively co-develop towards a solution that meets real needs.