Campus 360 Launches Live Guided Campus Tours Service

A virtual tour provider has launched a new service that enables colleges, universities, boarding schools and high schools to host DIY, live, guided tours from within virtual campus tours. Campus 360 introduced the new functionality to enable its higher education customers to take students and their families on visits around campus in real time, but without the necessity of being there in person.

According to the company, the new service distinguishes itself by allowing institutions to use their own media and video crews, rather than having to hire third-party operators. Customers also maintain ownership of the photos and videos that comprise a tour. The tours are accessible via mobile browsers.

Campus 360 Virtual Tours

The company also enables schools to use an augmented reality component for visitors taking self-guided campus tours on campus, in person.

For the live virtual tours, guides can narrate and share presentations inside of the tour itself, rather than having to switch to the use of a separate video conference platform.

"Guided virtual visits allow universities to most closely mirror the experience of a guided campus tour, despite travel and health restrictions caused by the pandemic," said CEO Gavin Newton-Tanzer in a press release. "But more than that, we see tools like this as a way to democratize the campus tour experience for out-of-state and international students long into the future."

The company provides a basic, free version of its service that allows schools to share their media through the Campus 360 platform. Campus 360 is a division of Sunrise 360, a creative agency that works with schools and industries to create virtual reality experiences.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • UT System Board of Regents Approves $108M Housing Complex

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently announced the approval of a new, $108-million housing complex at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), according to a news release. The facility will stand four stories and have a total of 456 new beds for freshmen students.

  • Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, OR

    Preserving Legacy, Designing for the Future

    As historic academic buildings age, institutions face a difficult decision: preserve and adapt or demolish and rebuild. How do we honor the legacy of these spaces while adapting them to meet the needs of modern learners?

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.