What Is Immersive Learning? A Guide to Creating Amazing Immersive Resources

Kyla Ball April 15, 2026

What is Immersive Learning?

Immersive learning is a modern approach to education and training that uses interactive, spatial experiences to place learners in real-world contexts. Instead of passively consuming information, learners explore environments, interact with content, and make decisions within guided scenarios.

This approach has been shown to improve engagement, knowledge retention, and learning outcomes. As immersive technologies become more accessible, organizations can now create and deliver these experiences without technical complexity.

As immersive technologies such as 360° media, interactive content, and virtual environments become more accessible, immersive learning is becoming a practical tool for educators and training teams. Today, organizations can create immersive learning experiences using existing content, without requiring specialist tools or development resources.

Examples of immersive learning experiences

Immersive learning can take many forms, from fully virtual simulations to interactive experiences that work across any device. There are different types and levels of immersive learning which use a range of technologies to aid the learning process.

Immersive learning can include extended reality (XR) technologies, but it also includes interactive, scenario-based experiences that do not require specialized hardware. This term generally covers any technology which mixes the real world with virtual worlds. When used as learning tools, it generally refers to:

• Fully immersive experiences using virtual reality VR headsets.
• Augmented Reality (AR) experiences – where computer-generated images or other visuals(eg text) are added as overlays to on the user’s view of their real world environment, creating a new “composite environment”.

However immersive learning also includes technology which can be used simultaneously by groups of learners, in shared immersive spaces. Large format “edu-tainment” experiences using this type of visual and audio media are becoming increasingly common. The BBC Earth Experience in London, described as “a 360-degree audio visual journey” is one example of immersive media which uses large format screens and audio to create an experience that surrounds the viewers. Similar to this are the immersive experiences within the hugely popular Van Gogh Immersive Experiences which feature two-story projections of the artist’s greatest works.

Immersive learning also refers to fully interactive experiences which can be shared with learners on any device, using 360 images or videos which can be explored as a tour, expedition or other virtual experience. Often the immersive aspect is created by placing the learner into a scenario, where the outcome of the experience depends on the series of choices that they make.

A key part of immersive learning is interaction. Learners are not just viewing content, but actively engaging with it through clickable touchpoints, embedded information, questions, and decision-making pathways. These elements allow learners to explore scenarios, test their understanding, and apply knowledge in context.

Benefits of immersive learning

Immersive learning is gaining traction because it allows learners to apply knowledge in realistic, hands-on scenarios rather than passively consuming information. This approach leads to deeper engagement, improved knowledge retention, faster skill development, and stronger problem-solving abilities. This has two main benefits.

1. Allowing the learner to practice skills training using this type of experiential learning has been shown to promote deeper engagement with content, improved knowledge retention, faster skill acquisition and better problem-solving skills.

The evidence: In this paper, How effective is training using VR and AR?, we summarise the compelling evidence recently compiled by PWC to show just how effective VR training can be.

2. By creating a virtual environment where learners can experiment, make mistakes and learn from them, educators can be confident that learners are ready to tackle the real-life situations in a way that is safer for them, for other people and for valuable and potentially dangerous equipment. For this reason, immersive learning methods are increasingly being used by organisations where safety is a high priority. These include the military, emergency services and medical environments.

Immersive learning also helps connect digital learning to real-world context, making training more relevant and effective.

Challenges of implementing immersive learning

In the past, immersive learning was often seen as expensive and complex to create, requiring specialist tools or development skills.

Today, platforms like ThingLink make immersive learning accessible by removing technical barriers and enabling anyone to create interactive, spatial learning experiences.

ThingLink makes it easy to create immersive learning experiences using images, video, 3D models, and 360° environments. You can add interactive touchpoints with information, questions, and guidance to build scenario-based learning without coding or technical expertise.

Quickly create and link interactive images, videos, 360 media and 3D objects to create virtual trips, walk-throughs, simulations or digital twins.

How do you create interactive immersive learning resources?

One aspect which can often be missing in Immersive learning environments is interactivity. ThingLink is founded on the concept that we learn by active participation, interacting with our environment – and that this environment can be either a real one OR a virtual one, such as e-learning. Interactive learning is active rather than passive learning. This type of learning further encourages higher-order thinking skills such as problem solving and critical thinking.

These experiences can also include embedded questions, branching scenarios, and decision-based pathways, allowing learners to actively participate and be assessed within the experience.

In ThingLink, multimedia hotspots contain further text, images, video, audio, apps or external links. Learners can explore the subject matter in a number of ways – including free-form virtual tours, as scenario-based learning experiences, or even as AR Experiences that are easy to create, share, and viewable on any device.

360 image library

ThingLink have now made it even easier for you to create immersive 360 experiences with their free 360 image library of scenes and environments from around the world.

NEW! The easy way to create 360 images: Pano to 360

Creating virtual tours, exhibitions, escape rooms and other immersive content just got even easier! ThingLink has now launched Pano to 360 by ThingLink: an easy way to create a 360 photosphere from a panoramic image using any smartphone. For more information, including step-by-step instructions see this helpful support article. 

Creating immersive learning experiences in VR with ThingLink

While immersive learning can be experienced on any device, virtual reality headsets can provide a more fully immersive way to explore interactive environments.

Although ThingLink content can be viewed anywhere, one of the most popular and effective ways to share ThingLink interactive 360 tours is using VR headsets. In this way, the interactive content feels even more immersive, and the user explores each scene and the hotspots within it at their own pace.

ThingLink VR learning content works with, amongst others, these popular headsets:

• ClassVR
• Oculus Go
• Meta Quest (also known as Oculus Quest) & Meta Quest 2
• Oculus Rift
• Samsung Gear VR
• HMD Odyssey (Windows Mixed Reality Headset)

You can read more at this article.

Shared Immersive Spaces from ThingLink and partners

Read more about shared immersive spaces from ThingLink and our partners here.

Immersive learning in the future

There is no doubt that the future of learning and instructional design will see a huge increase in immersive, interactive content and in learning experiences and training programs that take place in the metaverse. However with accessible, easy to use platforms like ThingLink, this is a world that can now be explored by any learner, anywhere.

Further reading

Here are some more use cases where educators and trainers have incorporated ThingLink into their learning programs to create immersive and interactive learning content for onboarding and CPD, creating real-world situations and scenarios for vocational students, and creating immersive safety training for employees.

Gradia creates immersive VR learning environments using role-play scenarios to train students in customer service

Three examples of virtual learning environments in the energy sector

This case study examines virtual escape room created in ThingLink: a great example of how gamification can be used in healthcare learning and training, with a real-time virtual emergency room challenge created by university medical learning specialists to let medical students practice both their professional skill development and their teamwork, in a safe environment.

Frequently asked questions about immersive learning

What is immersive learning?
Immersive learning uses interactive, spatial experiences to place learners in real-world scenarios where they can explore, practice, and learn by doing.

What is immersive training?
Immersive training uses scenario-based environments to help learners practice skills, make decisions, and apply knowledge in realistic situations.

Is immersive learning only VR?
No. Immersive learning includes VR, but also interactive 360° experiences, simulations, and spatial content that can be accessed on any device.

What are examples of immersive learning?
Examples include virtual simulations, 360° learning environments, scenario-based training, and interactive visual content.