In this blog post, Gordon Craig, a Learning Technologist in the LTES team in Global Information Services, talks about the opportunities that can be opened up in course learning materials with the use of interactive online representations of real spaces and objects, which are possible using services such as ThingLink.
In the movies, when a person enters some grandiose space, they often stand there in open-mouthed awe and wonder, looking around them at a visually rich and potentially overwhelming environment. You can imagine their inner monologue is just the phrase ‘What is that?’ on repeat as they spy areas of interest all around them.
Screen capture 1: Thinglink image of a building’s environmental control machinery
Many of our students will experience this immersion into new and complicated spaces, both during their time at university and in their ongoing careers. For example, at Heriot-Watt we have labs where students create things, break things, measure things, and design things. We have a wave machine, anechoic chamber, translation suite, and National Robotarium, to name just a few of the amazing spaces where students can learn. These spaces all allow for moments of not only learning, but also inspiration.
There are, however, limitations when it comes to offering these experiences in our courses, particularly with environments that are difficult or not safe for students to access, such as building sites, laboratories, or factories. For example:
- How feasible is it to have the students access a space?
- How safe is it to have a full class of students all exploring an environment at once?
- How accessible is the location, both in terms of logistics as well as in terms of student needs?
- How useful is a single visit to a location compared to unlimited, unhindered access?
Screen capture 2: Example of a prompt for students within Thinglink
What possibilities would be opened up if students were able to explore spaces relevant to their learning at the timing and pace that suits them best? How about if they were able to select areas of interest to be shown text, images, and videos explaining what they were looking at? What if their actions and choices changed their experience of the space? What might they learn when they pull that inviting lever or press that button?
Using a service called ThingLink, now available to all Heriot-Watt staff and students, such experiences can be created and curated. Staff can use ThingLink to add interactive elements to images, videos, and 3D models of objects. They can also capture and upload 360-degree images and videos, which can be explored with the same open-mouthed awe and wonder as if the viewer were standing in the middle of the space or in front of the item, rotating it to view from any angle.
Screen capture 3: Thinglink image of museum archive
And these spaces need not be large venues, they could be small, difficult to access spaces, such as inside machinery. ThingLink enables staff to support students to explore a plethora of fascinating spaces which might not otherwise be available to them, encouraging student curiosity and enhancing learning.
Setting up ThingLink items is quite straightforward. All staff need to do is take the 360-degree camera (available from LTES), place it in the middle of the space / item, and upload the resulting image into ThingLink. You can then add in the interactive elements, such as points of interest, question prompts, transitions etc.
LTES are keen to support staff in exploring the opportunities ThingLink presents for creating exceptional and inspiring resources that will support and enhance student learning. The learning technologists in LTES can provide help and guidance at all points through the process. If you have a vision, need, and the ambition for a whole new avenue of learning and teaching experiences in your course material, please get in touch to explore the world of possibilities.
Heriot-Watt staff can find out more on the Thinglink intranet page (internal login required) and should access ThingLink via their HW login as explained on the Thinglink intranet page. The exploration of using Thinglink at Heriot-Watt was supported through an Enhancement Themes mini-project in AY23-24.
Further reading:
Edwards-Smith, A. (2022) ‘Learning through exploration and experience using ThingLink’, in Betts, T. & Oprandi, P. (2022) 100 ideas for Active Learning. Available at https://openpress.sussex.ac.uk/ideasforactivelearning/chapter/learning-through-exploration-and-experience-using-thinglink/
Jeffery, A. J., Rogers, S. L., Jeffery, K. L. A., and Hobson, L.: A flexible, open, and interactive digital platform to support online and blended experiential learning environments: Thinglink and thin sections, Geosci. Commun., 4, 95–110, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-4-95-2021, 2021.
Horne, K (2015) Interactive visual learning with ThingLink, University of Sussex Educational Enhancement Blog, 27 Feb 2015. Available at https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/tel/2015/02/27/interactive-visual-learning-with-thinglink/
Image credits:
Screen captures 1-3 (“Rooftop”, “Press the button”, and “Museum”) all by Gordon Craig (c) using ThingLink
Header image “Coral” by QUI NGUYEN on Unsplash
