Feb 09, 2017 10:27 AM EST By Audri Taylors, UniversityHerald Reporter

More and more colleges and universities explore the world of online learning, which is why there is a rising need for creating a community for off-campus students. According to Inside Higher Ed, distance learning becomes more appealing to students because of many reasons including the flexibility of the classes, the growth of hybrid models and their ability to use smartphones and apps to be able to do their classwork. And at Oral Roberts University, they have conceptualized the idea of a global digital society by means of just one connected campus, to make campus life easier and more enriching for students.

Here is how they actually create this community and connections for students, according to eCampus News.

Creating an IT concierge service

Students come in to their classes bringing not only their mobile devices, but also their cloud. To make services more accessible and visible to students and faculty, ORU transformed their IT helpdesk to a concierge style of service. IT Concierge Service is open every day during normal operating hours.

Adding a digital concierge for 24/7/365 access to campus services

ORU aims to empower their students through technology, campus services and degree programs outside the normal business hours which is why they rolled out the so-called OneCampus. It is a cloud based portal that helps organize web-based campus services in just a single location. It includes the emails, events, calendars, maps, counseling services and many others.

Use telepresence robots

Telepresence robots aim to bring current and prospective students to campus, and with their help, students can utilize real time streaming and mobile telepresence technology to take students to campus tours, attend classes and even participate in commencement exercises. It will look like you are doing web conferencing but is done using an iPad mounted on a Segway.

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