Today's college campus needs to lead the way regarding a digital revolution. Today's students, staff, and visitors are all equipped with the most up-to-date technology and know-how, regardless of whether they attend a big university, community college, private institution, or technical institute. They know what information they want, how they want it delivered, and who they want to share it with. You must decide how to distribute, manage and offer access to the information in question. Suppose you want to enhance your communication strategy in an environment that ties all aspects of everyday life into a single tight-knit community. In that case, a campus digital signage network is an excellent option.
The beauty of digital signage for college campuses lies in the simplicity of use and speed with which you can create and update content. Printed signs and bulletin boards are a thing of the past. If you have a digital signs system at your campus, you may change announcements, photos, and other content at any time from any location using your computer. You can wirelessly send all modifications you make to your campus's digital signage. The digital sign will be updated within minutes of you modifying it!
So, how can college campuses take advantage of what digital signage offers?
1. Run departmental social media feeds
You can't avoid social media, whether you like it or not. However, it's an excellent tool for conveying information in a friendly and visually appealing manner. You can show your students' postings on your digital signage playlists thanks to app connections that let you combine all of your social networks, including user-generated material. You may then schedule this information to appear at particular times, and it will automatically refresh.
Enhanced moderation options, such as profanity filters, are another benefit of using a social network aggregation platform. Choose whether photos, videos, or other material has specific hashtags to display exclusively on your news feed. You may also prevent displaying information containing particular words or pictures.
You can organize contests for students, keep everyone informed about upcoming athletic events or publish faculty news.
2. Wayfinding
New students and employees like the convenience of campus wayfinding kiosks. It doesn't matter how big or tiny your navigational signage is; it's essential to generate a positive first impression on a potential student.
It is also possible for wayfinding kiosks to notify students and employees when a particular facility is closed due to construction or other issues. Strikethroughs or bright colors are employed to alert the user of their presence. Digital signs and navigation kiosks may display the same messages using the appropriate software.
3. Announcements for emergencies
A whopping 40% of colleges don't have emergency instructions displayed in their laboratories or residential halls, so students and faculty are left to fend for themselves. Also, schools don't display such guidelines in other buildings. When a crisis hits, a student, faculty member, or staff member might be anywhere. How are they going to receive information? What will they do if they don't have any idea?
Thanks to centralized digital signage, colleges and institutions can get the message out anytime and from any location. In an emergency, screens may flash in bright colors to bring attention to the alarm and offer pupils directions on where to go and what to do. Signs can be remotely and instantaneously changed as long as there is electricity and an internet connection.
4. Digital menu boards
The cafeteria at your college campus might develop a menu of their choosing with the help of a competent menu-building program. New menu items, pricing changes, and so on may be accomplished quickly and efficiently, even if an item is out of stock. You can also utilize signage to manage the lunch line or indicate the nutritional values of the food items you serve to encourage healthy food consumption.
5. Displaying local news and world events
Including live and real-time news is a terrific method to keep new information and your students up to speed. RSS news feeds are automatically updated with the most recent headlines using digital signage for universities. Students can be updated on the newest news as they move from class to class.
BBC News, CNN News, Currency Rates, ESPN, Live News, and Stock Prices are just some news and global event applications that you may add to your digital signage panel.
6. Dashboards
Creating your applications is as simple as importing data from an existing one. Dashboards supplied by business intelligence systems may provide an intriguing analytical edge to items like soccer scores or student engagement surveys. This tool takes data from several sources and depicts it in a straightforward style.
7. Your school website
Using your website as a digital signage content source is also a terrific option. You can include your school's activities, news, and general information in an online playlist. It is a quick and straightforward way to provide information for events like open days or inductions.
Using digital signage in higher education has been a great success story. Schools worldwide are discovering ways to simplify their lives after implementing digital signs, from menu boards to navigation to classroom engagement. Digital menus at school cafeterias reduce wait times, increase menu selections, and provide learners with healthier options than they would typically choose. Thanks to technology, students and staff are now getting informed of class cancellations or schedule changes. Likewise, using smartphone notifications and campus-wide digital signage, teachers may notify students when they need to shift their class to the auditorium or when a classroom requires rapid maintenance. The same holds when it comes to building upkeep.
Additionally, wayfinding methods reduce stress among new students and employees. There are several navigation kiosks situated throughout campus that may also provide information about the parking lot and sidewalk maintenance as well as the cancelation of classes.
However, the most critical use of digital signage is to warn the campus community in the event of an emergency or tragedy. Integrated mobile technology and up-to-date digital sign information may save lives and avoid other disasters.
When it comes to college campuses, digital signage is helping students communicate and integrate.
