Cal Poly Leads the Way in Using Innovative Technology for Student Admissions

GPS video tours introduced at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo assist prospective students in exploring campus 

Release date: 9/4/2008

AUSTIN Texas (September 4, 2008) - California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California leads the way once again through incorporating cutting-edge technology into the admissions process. Prospective students now have the opportunity to tour the campus with the assistance of a GPS-enabled multimedia tour guide device instead of the traditional group campus tour. 

The self-paced tours are delivered through the GPS Ranger™, a patent-pending, handheld computer device that delivers compelling video, audio, musical soundtrack and still photography based on the location of the user through the power of GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.  Prospective students check-out tour guide units from the Admissions Office and then explore the campus on their own. Student-narrated videos trigger automatically based on the user’s location, explaining the different buildings, departments and resources on campus as the visitor approaches them.  An interactive GPS map helps users find their way around. 

“The Cal Poly GPS Ranger Campus Tour is a wonderful tool to support our integrated marketing efforts for our prospective student audience.  This tour experience can still remain 'student led’ with the added benefit of being self-paced and completely adaptable to the needs and desires of our campus visitors.  We are excited about taking our visitors’ experience to the next level with this technology,” said James Maraviglia, Assistant Vice President for Admissions, Recruitment & Financial Aid, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  “In addition, we will automatically create a dynamic Hobsons VIP web micro site for each visitor that is based on their individual attributes. We utilize streaming e-mail messages along with other media & technology including knowledge-based software, broadcast phone messages, text messages, chat and if need be, direct mail messages to drive our public to their customized VIP site.” 

The tour includes 18 points of interest throughout the campus, including: 

• Departmental buildings such as the Agriculture, Architecture, Business, English, and Science departments
• Student resources such as the Robert E. Kennedy Library, faculty offices, Career Services and the Cal Poly Rec. Center
• Places and ways to get involved in campus life such as the University Union, UU Plaza, Alex Spanos Stadium and Dexter Lawn.

 “Learn by Doing” is Cal Poly’s motto, and it is no surprise that the GPS Ranger video tour project was utilized by the university and its students as an opportunity to do just that. The tour’s content was completely created by Cal Poly students, allowing them to determine tour stops, write scripts, host the tour, film tour stop footage and edit the final tour.  The student-hosted tour also ensures that potential students still get the student-led campus tour experience from an actual Cal Poly student, but with a lot more flexibility. 

Forging new paths with admissions technology is nothing new for Cal Poly, which also led the way in utilizing student intelligence, recruitment and enrollment management technology with Hobsons.  

“Ten years ago, we forged a partnership with Cal Poly on a small enrollment technology solution that has since revolutionized our entire business,” said Sasha Peterson, managing director, Hobsons EMT. “Cal Poly’s strong legacy of college admissions innovation has emerged yet again with their participation in the GPS Ranger program. We are very proud to have such an accomplished partner in Cal Poly and look forward to the GPS Ranger’s role in shaping the experience of Cal Poly’s future students.” 

Cal Poly is the first college or university to offer the progressive GPS Ranger tour guide for campus tours.  BarZ Adventures Inc, the maker of the GPS Ranger, works with a variety of venues such as national parks, zoos and historic cities to offer educational and entertaining video tours based on location, and is now looking to bring the technology to additional college campuses. BarZ can completely develop tour content, allow venues to create their own content with minimal assistance, like Cal Poly, or offer any level of support in between. 

“The GPS Ranger system is very user friendly, allowing tours to be created by students, for students if desired. Messaging to visitors is consistent and allows them to explore at their own pace and on their own time, perfect for the campus visitor that arrives five minutes late and would have missed the tour!  And to the benefit of the institution, while visitors are exploring the campus independently, the back-end system provides reports on where they went and how long they stayed at each location, offering useful information for enrollment management applications,” said Wm. Lee Little, founder and CEO of BarZ Adventures. 

The Cal Poly GPS Ranger tour is currently installed on campus and available from the Admissions Office. For more information call 805-756-2311. 

ABOUT CAL POLY SAN LUIS OBISPO
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, four-year, comprehensive public university located in San Luis Obispo California. The emphasis of the University is a "learn by doing" educational experience for its more than 18,000+ students. Many students seek admission to Cal Poly not only because of its excellent academic reputation, but also because the 6,000-acre main campus is nestled in the foothills of San Luis Obispo, just minutes from California's Central Coast beaches.  Please visit Cal Poly online at www.calpoly.edu.

ABOUT HOBSONS U.S.
Headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, Hobsons U.S. has partnered with colleges and universities to enhance and empower institutions’ enrollment and admissions efforts. Through domestic, international, and graduate publishing products for students, as well as enrollment technology and student retention solutions for schools, Hobsons U.S. helps colleges and universities to elevate their enrollment strategies efficiently, effectively, and easily. Hobsons U.S. is the North American division of Hobsons Global, which is the leading provider of global education information, services, and research. For more information, please visit us at www.hobsons-us.com. 

ABOUT BARZ ADVENTURES INC
BarZ Adventures Inc, founded in 2005, is an Austin, TX based company combining experts in the fields of computer delivery systems and content development. BarZ Adventures has designed the patent-pending GPS Ranger™ and Zoo Ranger™ systems with large venues and their visitors in mind – its sole mission is to enhance the visitor experience at high visitation locations using modern technology. GPS Ranger tours are currently available at Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Vicksburg National Military Park, Death Valley National Park, Shenandoah National Park, Independence National Historical Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park.  Zoo Ranger tours are available at the San Francisco Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Oklahoma City Zoo and Santa Barbara Zoo.  Historic city walking tours are available in Key West and St. Augustine, Florida, Bermuda and Austin, Texas, which is also the first tour to be made available in American Sign Language (ASL).  BarZ is proud to debut Deaf and Hard of Hearing Friendly Tours, in ASL and Captioning, and hopes to bring accessible tours for the deaf and hard of hearing to a growing number of destinations.  For more information, log on to www.gpsranger.com or call (512) 732-0135. 

Media Contact:
Cindy Tincher
BlabberMouth PR
Austin, TX
(512) 217-5190
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