Campus News

Westminster College Takes Advantage of the Latest “Techie” Craze

With QR Codes, a redesigned website, & cool videos the college hopes to better engage students

SALT LAKE CITY – As prospective students thumb through the piles of college admissions materials they’re sent this year, Westminster believes their print collateral will stand out from the crowd. By incorporating the latest technology rage known as “QR codes” into their materials, students will be able have a more interactive experience while considering what institution is best for them.

A QR code, abbreviated from Quick Response code, is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) designed to be read by smartphones. The information encoded is typically text, a URL, or other data. Westminster’s QR codes are embedded in their admissions magazines and allow readers to use their smartphones to go directly to interactive videos of current students and faculty talking about their Westminster experience.

“In the age of Youtube, Facebook and Foursquare, there is an expectation that reading material must be exciting and engaging,” added Laura Murphy, Westminster’s executive director of communications. “By incorporating innovative ways to quickly access multimedia functions through our print materials, we hope prospective students will have an active, hands-on experience with Westminster from the beginning.”

According to a recent study conducted by OmniUpdate, more than 55 percent of students and 43 percent of parents watch videos on a college’s website to get information on student life, academic programs and residential halls. This is one of the reasons Westminster College opted to link this year’s print materials to video testimonials to rather than directly to the college’s site.

“We have so many great stories to tell at Westminster: our location is spectacular, we have unique and innovative programs, and our students come from a wide range of diverse backgrounds, so video, particularly testimonials directly from our students and staff, is a great medium for sharing these stories,” explained Andy McQuinn, Westminster’s web designer. “We recently redesigned our website to include more videos, social media, and student testimonials and we're finding that visitors are sharing the clips that we post - which is exactly what we were hoping they would do.”

Westminster’s new print materials will be distributed September 14, and the college hopes to start receiving positive feedback on the new technology shortly.

Media Contacts: Krista DeAngelis & Arikka Von (801) 832-2682
Sept. 13, 2011

About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter.