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Due to the ban on public gatherings by the Kenyan government, many ceremonies have been cancelled or even pushed to next year with upcoming graduation ceremonies falling victim.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Some colleges and universities are planning to have virtual graduation ceremonies.
The Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT) is set to hold a virtual graduation ceremony for its students in two weeks, becoming the first Kenyan institution of higher learning to do so.
Vice Chancellor Prof Ndirangu Kioni said the move follows requests from students.
“The University Senate resolved to hold virtual graduation in keeping with our student-centric approach. It was to ensure that we keep our promise to the students and graduands of DeKUT of timely completion of studies. This will ensure that graduands will be released to take advantage of any employment or scholarship opportunity that may come up in the near future,” said Prof. Kioni.
A total of 1,777 students are set to graduate in the virtual ceremony slated for May 8th, 2020. DeKUT will become Kenya’s first institution of higher learning to hold online graduation.
"In these uncertain times, it is hard to predict when the country will go back to normalcy so that traditional graduation can be held...our graduands who worked hard to complete their studies should not suffer a delay," said Prof Kioni.
"Our students in nursing and IT completed their studies last year but cannot secure employment for lack of the certificates yet their skills are needed during this period," he added.
The university said graduands will receive their certificates two weeks after the ceremony, which will be the institution’s 9th graduation.
How to Make a Virtual Reality Graduation Ceremony Work
Just like the on-campus graduation ceremonies, there is a lot of work involved in a virtual graduation ready. While it might seem like a simple solution, it's anything but. It will take some very important preparation to make everything go smoothly.Creating an Invitation
Virtual graduation ceremonies need students. Everyone that is planning to attend, including parents, students, teachers, etc., will need to create an avatar. Therefore, you'll want to send out a timeline with deadlines for creating their characters, doing a practice run and the ceremony itself. You'll also need to discuss appropriate virtual attire (if this is an option), any software requirements, technology requirements, server the ceremony will be on, information for guests, like parents, and the agenda.Allow a Practice Run
Given that technology never works exactly how you think it will, it can be important to do a practice run in your virtual environment. You'll want to try to do this a few days before the actual event. You won't need all your speakers present but you'll want to make sure that you have most of your faculty and students to ensure that you won't have any bandwidth issues or technology troubles.How to Hold a Zoom Graduation Ceremony
Zoom is a meeting and video conference software that is used to hold webinars for large crowds. Many colleges and universities are already using Zoom software to live stream their graduations. When it isn't possible for students to attend an on-campus graduation, you might choose to have a Zoom webinar graduation. This will allow you to have 100 interactive attendees and up to 10,000 view-only attendees.Online Tools
In order to create or be part of a Zoom webinar, you'll need to download Zoom software on your technology. All the attendees will also need to have access to Zoom on their phones, tablets, computers, etc.Setting It Up
Zoom is a video software application, so to get the right feel, the host will need to create the graduation background by decorating their space. If they still have access to the school, they might want to set up a camera where they would typically hold a graduation ceremony. Zoom also offers access to virtual backgrounds that you and your interactive attendees can utilize.Invitation Creation
Since all your attendees just need to have access to Zoom, setting up this type of virtual graduation can be a little less daunting. However, you'll still want to send out an invitation to graduates and attendees with the time and Zoom link to follow.What Should Virtual and Online Graduates Wear?
You might also want to set up specific dress code guidelines for your interactive attendees. For example, if you want to go the traditional cap and gown route, provide students with a link to buy their cap and gowns online to be shipped to their house. This way they still get the "graduation" experience.Tips for Customizing a Virtual Graduation
The fun thing about a virtual graduation is that it can be out of this world, literally. You can totally customize it so that it's an experience that your students will never forget. In addition to being open to graduation ideas from students, you might try these tricks.Have Fun With Themes
You might have students create alien avatars or superheroes. The graduation area can then be customized to your graduation theme. This will be fun and memorable for students and make online pictures or parties afterward an out of this world experience.Invite a Special Guest Speaker
Get a truly special guest to speak at the commencement. Given your situation, you might be able to reach out to a famous person or local celebrity to speak to your students.Break Up Your Ceremonies
Break the class up into several ceremonies to ensure that everyone gets a chance to say their graduation speech or grab that virtual diploma or awards. Servers can usually only handle so many people at once so breaking large classes up can work to your advantage.Use the Mail to Your Advantage
While you can always have students pick up their real diplomas and awards at the building, if possible, you might also use the mail to your advantage. For students that are out of state or can't make it to the facility, you might ship them their awards and diplomas. To give it an added pizzazz, you might consider wrapping it nicely or creating a special box. This can make it more special for students that couldn't attend the actual ceremony.
Going Virtual
Having a graduation ceremony is a right of passage for many high school and college students. However, sometimes things happen to make this impossible. Thankfully, the internet offers you a solution through a virtual graduation ceremony. Now it's time to get planning!
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