Introduction to ThingLink

An overview of ThingLink, its key uses and benefits, examples collection, and user guide.

What is ThingLink?

ThingLink is an online tool that allows users to create interactive images, videos, 360° media, and 3D models with clickable hotspots (or tags) containing text, links, audio, video, polls, quiz questions and other embedded content. 

It is a powerful tool for creating engaging educational materials. It helps bring subjects to life and enables educators to create a participatory environment, facilitating active, immersive learning.

Academic using ThingLink on a laptop.

What are the benefits of using ThingLink?

ThingLink can be used to support on campus, online and blended learning, to make complex information more accessible and visually intuitive for students.

  • It's quick and cost effective - Create interactive learning experiences without the need for a big budget, lots of time for training or advanced web development skills.

  • It's easy to share and embed - Share and embed ThingLinks in lots of ways. Thousands of learners can view and interact with content without an account.

  • You can track engagement - Track the number of views, clicks, and approximate time spent interacting to understand how your learners are interacting.

What can I create?

ThingLink is a versatile tool, which you can use to create interactive resources in any subject area for any delivery mode to bring your learning materials to life! Review the examples to get your creative ideas flowing.

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Maps and timelines

Create maps and timelines enriched with multimedia tags to explore geographic, cultural or historical information.

Diagrams and 3D models

Annotate complex diagrams and 3D models with definitions, video demonstrations or quizzes to explain concepts and deepen understanding.

Infographics

Design infographics that incorporate videos, charts, and links to make complex topics more engaging and informative.


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Digital storytelling

Build immersive scenes from literature, history or science to create memorable and captivating learning experiences.

Case studies

Create case studies to help learners engage in problem solving and explore different perspectives through real-world examples.

Role-play scenarios

Create scenarios with audio tags, dialogues, and other multimedia elements for role-playing such as language practice and medical scenarios.


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Guided tours and field trips

Design virtual tours and field trips using 360° images of places such as university buildings or historical sites, with videos, quizzes, and audio narrations to guide learners and help them familiarise themselves with the surroundings.

Art galleries, museums and exhibitions

Create digital galleries, museum spaces or exhibitions where learners can learn about different artworks by immersing themselves and exploring the space.

Virtual reality (VR) / augmented reality (AR)

Develop immersive experiences where learners learn through interaction with objects by using a VR headset or mobile device to interact with real-world surroundings.


ThingLink Collection

Explore a selection of ThingLink examples, which showcases a range of interactive content that has been created across the University and embedded into a wide variety of courses and platforms including Learn, Canvas, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) on FutureLearn, edX and Coursera.

Immersive learning in action

The University of Leeds created a virtual field trip along the Jurassic Coast. Through the use of the VR headsets in a face-to-face teaching session, students were able to explore a hazardous geological site from the safety of the classroom (Digital Education Annual Report 2022-23).

Jurassic Coast on a sunny day.

“The virtual field trip was well received by our students.... As a Faculty, we’re keen to explore how we might grow the provision of virtual field trips and field resources to enhance the experiences we can offer.”

- Dr Mark Thomas, Education Academic Lead, Faculty of Environment

ThingLink User Guide

We recommend familiarising yourself with our bespoke user guide and consulting the guidance as you develop your own ThingLinks. This comprehensive guide contains lots of key information on good practice for creating open, accessible interactive content.

  1. Set up an account.
  2. Create a ThingLink in 6 steps.
  3. Customise your settings.
  4. Create 360° images with a mobile device.
  5. Open license your ThingLink creations.
  6. Find and use open educational resources (OER).
  7. Make your ThingLink content accessible.
  8. Manage and share your ThingLinks.

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