{"id":7412,"date":"2023-04-25T11:18:05","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T15:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.tlsrv.net\/?p=7412"},"modified":"2024-10-09T16:04:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T15:04:13","slug":"thinglink-guided-tours-bring-focus-to-immersive-learning-environments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thinglink.com\/blog\/thinglink-guided-tours-bring-focus-to-immersive-learning-environments\/","title":{"rendered":"ThingLink Guided Tours Bring Focus to Immersive Learning Environments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UPDATE: Please note that as of 10 October 2024, the BETA Guided Tours feature will be partly deprecated and available only for creators who have previously created at least two tours. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are ThingLink Guided Tours?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ThingLink Guided Tours offer an easy way to create structured introductions to a physical space using 360 images. Instead of free-form exploration, ThingLink Guided Tours focuses the viewer\u2019s attention on one single point at a time. The creator of the tour can add subtitles and audio playback for each focal point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ThingLink Guided Tours is an excellent tool for any educator to increase their virtual training time. On-site, exclusive tours that were previously only accessible to a few at a time, can now be accessed by hundreds or thousands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solving key challenges in immersive learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ThingLink Guided Tours help solve at least two key challenges typically present in immersive learning environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Ensuring the same viewing experience for all<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Guided Tours helps make sure that all learners experience the tour and its elements in the same orde<\/strong>r. This is especially important in mandatory technical and safety training, but also in cases where an immersive learning environment is part of an exam, certificate or degree. Summative assessment in the end of the training is more reliable if all learners have experienced the same scenes in the same sequence. Some may take more time observing, but the structure of the presentation is nevertheless the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. More flexibility, better accessibility <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The second challenge has to do with organizing instructor-led virtual classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bigger the group and the younger the participants, the harder it is to make everything happen perfectly synchronized, simultaneously. Maybe there are not enough headsets or tablets, some people are absent, unexpected things happen and attention diverts away from the instructor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ThingLink Guided Tours bring more flexibility to immersive learning by allowing learners to have a shared immersive experience asynchronously. Viewing can take place in small groups, at school or at home. The instructor can be present as a guide and discussion can happen on the LMS afterwards. This way, more learners can attend immersive lessons and field trips, and access them on any mobile device without VR headsets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideas and core assumptions behind <\/strong>Guided Tours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The idea behind ThingLink Guided Tours is similar to the narrated VR tours we launched in 2019<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong><\/a>It’s based on the following key assumptions on immersive learning environments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n