Learn how the University of Maine Office of Admission is deploying the iPointer® to enhance visiting students' introduction to campus life and academic environment. 

University of Maine Gets Personal with iPointer®

“I liked the idea of being able to tour the campus on my own, instead of being part of a big group. I was able to check out more information about the buildings and places that I was interested in and I was able to remember them better by using my visitor report. The information provided by the iPointer® was valuable and made my visit of the campus fun!”

- Will Gove, University of Maine student


College admissions directors know that when prospective students visit a campus, they are hot prospects – the first campus visit is a crucial factor in students’ decision making process. While most campuses offer student-led tours, the “herd” experience turns some candidates off. The University of Maine campus in Orono, ME decided to change this vital introductory experience by looking for technology to help it get more personal.

The University contracted Intelligent Spatial Technologies (iST) to develop and deploy a customized self-guided tour application targeting prospective students visiting the University’s campus. iST’s innovative iPointer® technology enables people to explore a defined area by using a PDA/cell phone that combines global positioning system and a digital Compass with a database of information on locations and landmarks and a powerful local information search engine. With iPointer® application running on the PDA/cell phone, users simply point at a building or landmark of interest to receive information about the object of interest.

The University of Maine is the principal research and graduate institution of the state of Maine. Like many other colleges, University of Maine offers a host of resources to current and prospective students, from traditional paper-based brochures to a comprehensive web site and structured student-led tours. Although prospective students may get the information they need to make their college decision, the University was looking for ways to better determine when the student’s needs were unmet. More importantly, the University was looking for ways to establish and further a relationship with these prospective students to see if they were a good fit for each other.

Today, when students check in at the University of Maine Visitor Center they can simply check out an iPointer® device and use it to learn about the university as they walk around campus. When students point the iPointer® at buildings and landmarks, they receive on-demand information, including text, audio, and pictures, about selected classroom buildings, dormitories, libraries, and other points of interest. Students can choose to receive further information about any particular site, including photos and audio information.

While allowing students to design their own tour experience, the iPointer® also provides the University with valuable information. First, the device logs student information such as name, email, date, and time of tour. Then, the iPointer® captures information about the student’s tour, including which points of interest they viewed and the level of content requested. If a student spends a lot of time gathering information about, for example, the science center, the University can use that information in its student follow-up. The Office of Admission and the Visitor Center staff can use overall data to analyze foot traffic and visitors’ interests. The system also generates and emails user reports for future reference. These reports provide a timeline of a visitor’s tour of the campus with photo material and additional information of selected sites.

“We know that campus visits are among the most important factors in a student’s college-selection decision,” says Liz Downing, Senior Associate Director of New Student Programs, University of Maine. “iST’s iPointer® technology provides prospective students with a memorable, interactive experience that enables them to follow their curiosity and explore the campus on their own rather than being confined to the structure of guide-led group experience.”

Both the University and the prospective students benefit from the iPointer®. It provides prospective students with a memorable custom, on-demand tour of their own design and a report of the campus visit for future reference; it provides the University with valuable feedback and actionable data for follow-up; finally, the iPointer® highlights the University’s embrace of technology.