Cultural challenges

Katrina was concerned about inadvertent misappropriation of culture when Māori visual art was being taught by those who didn’t have cultural experience or a full understanding of the art. Ideally, tā moko would be taught only by Māori teachers and visual art practitioners, but there is a shortage of Māori teachers across New Zealand, and many of that small number teach in Māori medium schools, rather than in English medium schools. 

“A potential solution would be to find Māori artists who were willing to teach others. I would video record the lessons and curate them into an online LMS for use in the classroom – that way, instead of needing one kaiako per school, one artist could cover many schools.”

When researching what was already available in this sphere, Katrina found that there was a shortage of suitable content. “I found the resources to be quite clunky and hard to navigate and understand. Teachers wanting to be able to use these resources in the classroom would need time to become familiar with them before implementing.”

She was determined to create her own tā moko teaching resource which would present authentic teaching in an accessible way to those who were eager to learn.

Structure, creation and content

Katrina enrolled in a course to learn Māori and Indigenous Art at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, to learn more herself about tā moko. Her teacher on the course, tā moko artist Rawiri Horne, agreed to share his knowledge in videos which would be the core content of her new learning resource. ANZAAE National Art Association provided funding for professional videography, in exchange for permission for them to use the finished resource on their online hub. Katrina then edited the videos herself using WeVideo. 

In terms of presenting the content, Katrina envisaged dividing the learning content up into 5 steps, each of which consisted of a set or “sprint” of lessons, covering individual aspects of that element of tā moko. She wanted a platform that would allow for a certain amount of “gamification”:

“Something that would give me the option to lay out the sprints kind of like a board game. I knew I wanted the layout to be an image, with buttons that linked to the relevant content. I also wanted analytic data, immersive learning options such as speech to text to cater for diverse learners and a way for students to see their progress if possible.” 

ThingLink Scenario Builder

After researching a number of alternative creation and hosting platforms, Kat settled on ThingLink. Each lesson within the learning sprints was built using ThingLink’s Scenario Builder. 

For each of the 5 steps, the learner goes through the tags from left to right, guided by the direction of the arrow tags. In this way the learner:

• Learns from Rawiri’s video about the background to a specific aspect of tā moko; 
• Watches his drawing of the symbol, pattern or motif; 
• Practises the drawing themselves; 
• Takes a quick knowledge test about what they have just learnt.

Katrina also wanted to include somewhere for learners to demonstrate evidence of learning. So via a tag at the end of each module, learners use what they have learnt so far to create their own design: eg mangōpare that explains your family. Learners can then upload their designs to one overall Padlet via a link. 

Incorporating elements of Māori art into the resource design

Katrina describes the structure of Pae Ringa Toi, which in itself reflects Māori art forms :

“Each sprint the learner undertakes is termed poutama or ‘step’. It comes from the stepped pattern found in tukutuku panels and weaving. It symbolises genealogies and also levels of learning and achievement. As the students progress through each poutama they learn more about Tā moko until they reach the top and are tasked to create their own artwork based on the knowledge they have acquired on their journey up the mountain. I wanted the site to be easy and fun to navigate with an element of gamification.”

Using ThingLink’s language features

Katrina was also keen to include translation into Māori as much as possible throughout. Microsoft Immersive Reader is an accessibility tool embedded into ThingLink and can be used to translate text in text and media tags. She was also able to make use of the new feature in Scenario Builder which lets creators change the text in the end screen. Each end screen message is written first in Māori and then in English.

Katrina has also made use of ThingLink’s built-in statistics feature.

“This is quite helpful so you can track how many people are actually ‘climbing the mountain’ or just opening the first scenario to check it out.”

In Pae Ringa Toi, all the content is contained and framed within a one page ThingLink scene to which learners return after each module. The progression from left to right through the “sprints” and climbing up through each tier of the mountain is clear from the outset and gives the learner an obvious indication of where they are and how far they have come at each stage. 

“ThingLink is such a great resource for visual representation.”

“What I like about using [ThingLink Scenario Builder] is that you can insert different ‘blocks’ such as questions, media, text, branches and goals etc. All the content is editable and updates in real time, so if I use a video that has tags and update this then I do not need to go into every scenario that features that video to update it, it will just happen.”

Results

Overall, Pae Ringa Toi has received an extremely positive response. Three responses to highlight in particular are featured below.

• One learner was inspired by having completed Pae Ringa Toi to create a carving which they gave as a gift. 
• Another has been inspired to create a ThingLink of their own to share the histories and legends of their iwi (people).
• Feedback from a committee member of the ANZAA :

“The tools load really quickly and are so packed with juicy information and clear learning steps. Great resource. Clever idea. Very engaging.”

ANZAAE committee member

How this resource will be used

ANZAAE will use Pae Ringa Toi on their online resource hub which is available to all Art Educators in New Zealand. Rawiri Horne will now be able to use Pae Ringa Toi in his own teaching. In addition, Katrina had always envisaged creating a digital learning resource for sharing cultural heritage that would be accessible to all regardless of financial or geographical barriers, time constraints or technology experience. As such, Pae Ringa Toi will remain available for anyone who is interested in tā moko, not monetized but as a permanently free resource. 

Katrina intends for this mountain to be just the first of a whole mountain range for learning associated Māori visual arts.

An inspiring example of capturing and sharing in an accessible way the authentic knowledge, stories and experience of those who teach their art form and keep it alive for future generations. We wish Katrina every success in her journey!

Creating similar tools with ThingLink

This structure using ThingLink is ideally suited to teaching any creative learning material, but is particularly suited to visual (2D) arts. It is the perfect illustration of how a digital learning resource or virtual learning environment (VLE) can be very thoughtfully created and used to convey and continue the teaching of traditional heritage and culture.

Further examples of virtual learning experiences with ThingLink

ThingLink is used as a learning platform to create a huge variety of web-based virtual learning environments. It’s used by higher education institutions and schools to create virtual field trips, and as e-learning and distance learning for trainees, employee onboarding and professional development. From scenario-based learning modules and courses to interactive in-situ training using the ThingLink AR App, the combinations of formats and multimedia content are almost infinite.

Explore these case studies below to find out more:

• Savonia University of Applied Sciences creates an interactive virtual environment with ThingLink’s AR App

• Online learning in Further Education: ThingLink Virtual Learning Environments Train Students in Customer Service

• K-12 Educational Technology: Empower students with collaborative project-based learning using ThingLink

• Higher Education: Creating a virtual lab with ThingLink

• Recruitment: Vocational Training institution creates a virtual recruitment forum

“[ThingLink support] have provided excellent customer service. I recommend anyone thinking of using this platform to try it out.”

Katrina Lilly

Finally, some advice and guidance taken from Pae Ringa Toi for all those who are inspired to create with ThingLink: “Iti nei iti nei ka taea – Small consistent steps amount to success”.

Registration

ThingLink has become an essential tool across numerous industries, making the learning experience more relevant and relatable at every stage. The impact in healthcare related education has been particularly evident, helping learning designers align experiences with hthe approaches they know best to enable health care professionals acquire essential skills and knowledge. This sector, in particular, has seen a surge in utilizing simulations and scenarios to drive more effective and impactful learning outcomes.

Join us to explore the direction of immersive learning with our latest webinar in partnership with the University of Cumbria, “Immersive Learning Landscapes: Healthcare with Scenario-Based Simulations.” Hosted by Louise from ThingLink, alongside Claire WhiteHouse and Finn Drude from the University of Cumbria’s award-winning Digital Health Simulation Team.

Cant Join Us?

If you are unable to join us, please don’t worry – sign up anyway and we’ll send you the action replay and resources we mention on the webinar.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understand the role of simulations and scenarios in Healthcare learning and education, making it more engaging and effective.

2. Experience immersive learning firsthand, through our live demos, see how ThingLink brings complex healthcare scenarios to life, offering a true-to-life learning experience.

3. Gain Insights from Industry Leaders: Hear from Claire WhiteHouse and Finn Drude, pioneers in digital health simulation, about their journey and success in integrating technology with healthcare education.

4. Come away with fresh ideas and insights on how to implement immersive learning strategies within your own context.

Whether you’re a professional in health, an educator, a ThingLink fan, or simply keen on the latest in learning technology, this webinar offers valuable insights and ideas. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us.

Registration

We are delighted to invite you to our webinar! ThingLink Host Louise Jones welcomed special guest star Jon Neale from Quizizz for a fun discussion and live demonstration of how to leverage the unique features of ThingLink and Quizizz to create multi-dimensional immersive learning experiences.

This session has been designed to immerse you in the synergistic potential of integrating ThingLink’s immersive learning experiences with Quizizz’s dynamic lessons, quizzes, and assessments.

What You Will Gain?

Participants of this webinar will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to leverage the unique features of ThingLink and Quizizz to create multi-dimensional learning experiences. ThingLink’s platform allows users to create interactive visual content, transforming images, videos, and virtual tours into engaging educational materials. By embedding these immersive learning experiences into Quizizz’s engaging platform, educators can offer students a rich, interactive learning environment.

Quizizz, renowned for its interactive range of over seventeen quiz types, brings an element of fun and engagement to assessments and learning checks. The ability to embed quizzes into ThingLink’s immersive experiences using the versatile ‘Embed Tag’ opens up new avenues for creating interactive learning modules. This integration not only enhances student engagement but also aids in the retention of knowledge through interactive, hands-on learning.

Why Attend?

1. Enhance Engagement: Learn how to use ThingLink and Quizizz together to make your lessons more interactive and engaging for students.
2. Boost Creativity: Discover new ways to infuse creativity into your lesson plans and assessments, making learning a more enjoyable experience.
3. Practical Insights: Gain practical insights from case studies and examples on how to effectively integrate these tools into your teaching.
4. Free Resources: Get access to a wealth of resources and ideas that you can immediately implement in your classroom.
5. Receive a Certificate of Attendance!

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is ideal for educators at all levels who are interested in leveraging technology to enhance the learning experience. Whether you’re a seasoned technology user or new to educational technology, you’ll find valuable insights and ideas to transform your learning and teaching methods.

Couldn’t Join Us!

If you were unable to join the live webinar, don’t worry we’ve got you covered! Sign up anyway for the action replay and email with all the resources we shared in the webinar.

Join the conversation

Get inspired by some of the content shared by our creative communities!

• ThingLink LinkedIn Page 
• LinkedIn Community 
• X / Twitter ThingLink Page 
• X / Twitter ThingLink Edu Page
• X / Twitter Creative Learning Design Community 
• ThingLink Education Facebook Group. 

• ThingLink Facebook Page 
• Instagram ThingLink

Registration

Discover the new ThingLink Augmented Reality App! In this exclusive free webinar Louise from ThingLink is joined by Special Guests Patryk Wójtowicz, Savonia University of Applied Sciences and Sarah Dove from Ohio State University.

Together they explore how to create AR experiences with the new Augmented Reality app and just a handful of the uses of this versatile solution.

What is the new ThingLink Augmented Reality Solution?

Breathe life into the ordinary with ThingLink’s brand new Augmented Reality Solution! Easily create an overlay of hotspots containing multimedia information on your images of real-world objects, then share as AR experiences to view via mobile devices with the ThingLink AR Viewer app.

With our new solution, a phone or tablet can be a portal to a vibrant world brimming with multimedia information, offering immersive experiences like never before.

Watch our playlist with introduction from ThingLink Founder and CEO Ulla-Maaria Koivula and our expanding list of real world and live use cases

Six Key Takeaways! What You Will Gain:

1. In-depth Understanding: Grasp the fundamentals and advanced features of the ThingLink Augmented Reality App. Learn how it can breathe life into ordinary settings with hotspots of multimedia / multimodal information.
2. Hands-On Demos: Experience live demonstrations on creating and deploying AR experiences. See real-world applications that showcase the app’s versatility across various industries and education sectors.
3. Creative Inspiration: Spark your imagination with innovative use cases presented by our guest speakers. Discover how AR can transform learning, training, and customer engagement.
4. Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals, educators, and AR enthusiasts. Share ideas, challenges, and solutions in an interactive Q&A session.
5. Future Trends: Hear from ThingLink’s Founder and CEO, Ulla-Maaria Koivula, about the vision behind the AR app and what the future holds for AR in education, training, and beyond.
6. Resource Access: Get exclusive access to resources that will help you get started with the ThingLink Augmented Reality App immediately after the webinar.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is designed for everyone keen on exploring new dimensions of interactive and immersive experiences. It’s perfect for:

• Educators and trainers looking to enhance learning with AR.
• HR and development professionals interested in innovative onboarding and training solutions.
• Product managers and marketers seeking to create interactive product guides.
• Museum, exhibition, and visitor attraction managers aiming to offer engaging displays.
• Technology enthusiasts eager to explore the latest in AR innovations.

Catch the Replay!

Sign up to receive the action replay and all the resources shared during the event. Embrace the power of AR and transform any space or object into a dynamic, interactive canvas. See you there!

Escape rooms (sometimes called breakout rooms) have surged in popularity over the past few years. These problem-solving, team-building activities offer a unique blend of riddles, gameplay, and teamwork that captivates participants. Traditionally a physical escape room experience, we’re now witnessing a huge surge in popularity of the online escape room variant. These allow for remote teams to engage in these captivating puzzles.

However, versatile escape rooms that are designed so that they be used either in teams, OR as a solo participant, are a great way to build gamification and a sense of time pressure into any course or training.

Enter ThingLink’s Scenario Builder, an easy-to-use tool for designing branched learning scenarios. We have now created 4 new scenario templates, which make it even easier to create online training from scratch. One of these is the Escape Room format. So if you’ve ever fancied creating your own virtual escape room, this tutorial is for you!

Why Virtual Escape Rooms?

Recently, social media has been abuzz with virtual team-building activities. The physical escape room transformed into the virtual escape room, combining the allure of video games with the social aspects of traditional escape games. These digital variants maintain the core essence: problem-solving skills, riddles, and team collaboration, often conducted over Zoom or similar video conferencing platforms. To explain the concept simply, the “escapee” has to answer questions correctly in order to proceed, and ultimately escape. Take a look at this example below which shows how the escape room principle works in action when built in ThingLink Scenario Builder.

New to ThingLink? Here’s a quick guide to creating your first interactive scene

How to create an Escape Room in the main ThingLink Editor

In the popular blog How to Make a Virtual Escape Room, we showed you how easy it is to make a ThingLink escape room using just a few 360 scenes and the handy transit tag.

Using Scenario Builder gives you an alternative format and functionality, which is particularly suited to anyone creating an escape room for learning and training content. With Scenario Builder you can easily track the route and progress that your learners took and which choices they made or answers they gave at each decision point.

Getting Started with ThingLink’s Scenario Builder

We have designed four main types of Scenario Builder templates: Linear, Escape room, Simulation Scenario and Self-Exploratory. They all work in slightly different ways. To learn about them all, see our blog ThingLink Scenario Builder Templates for Effective Employee Training.

The Escape Room template has been designed so that anyone can create their first Virtual Escape Room from scratch without any need to work out which elements go where! Simply follow our template and you will have a challenging puzzle for friends, family or colleagues to play. Swap out our dummy scenes for your own ThingLink scenes and edit the questions to suit your theme.

Your final escape room will behave something like this example below, with questions which have to be answered to move to each new section or scene.

How to use the Scenario Builder escape room template

To find and use the template, follow these simple steps.

• Log into your ThingLink account

• Go to Scenarios in the sidebar

• Choose the Create Scenario button

• Type in the name of your new scenario

• When Let’s Get Started screen appears, choose the Escape Room template

• Simply replace our dummy content with your own text, questions, branching and media! 

Going further with your Scenario Builder Escape Room

1. Choose a Theme: From Harry Potter to murder mystery, your escape room’s theme is its heart. This determines the questions, any riddles or trivia, and overall feel of the game.
2. Incorporate Gameplay Elements: Gamification elements like countdown timers and scores can be integrated. Only the correct answer should allow progression to the next stage.
3. Include a Tutorial: New players? Include a quick guide explaining how the game works. This can be a simple FAQs section covering game mechanics.
4. Interactivity is Key: Make use of ThingLink’s interactive features. This can mean clickable clues, embedded video snippets, or other gamified elements Embedding video from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo can enhance this. For instance, a clue might require players to watch a specific YouTube video with questions later in the scenario!
5. Escape Room Ideas & Variants: Beyond traditional riddles, you can design escape room games like scavenger hunts. The more creative you get, the better!
6. Team Collaboration: Encourage teamwork. For example, split a virtual team into groups, each working on different clues. They can discuss their findings before attempting each “escape”.
7. Feedback: Once players finish the escape game, you could embed a Google Form for feedback. This helps in refining gameplay, fixing any issues, and understanding player preferences.
8. Adjust Difficulty: Not all players are escape room veterans. Offering difficulty levels, or including a hint system, can make your digital escape room more accessible.

Extra Tips for an Engaging Virtual Escape Room

• Reusability: Maybe you’ve created a ‘murder mystery’ template, which can be adjusted slightly for a different storyline, saving time and effort.
• Incorporate Popular Culture: From movies or TV shows to famous video games, popular culture themes can attract a wider audience and a framework of reference.

Let’s go!

ThingLink’s Scenario Builder has made the creation of interactive experiences super easy. With this escape room Scenario Builder template, crafting your virtual escape room is now easier than ever, blending problem solving, teamwork, and the allure of escape room games into one digital package. The key is creativity, ensuring a balance between challenge and fun.

In this era, where remote team activities are the new norm, your ThingLink virtual escape room can be a fantastic bridge, connecting people in an engaging, gamified environment. Dive into ThingLink today and let the adventures begin!

Get inspired

For more inspiration and user-generated examples, why not join our groups and communities on social media?

• LinkedIn Community
• X / Twitter Creative Learning Design Community
• ThingLink Education Facebook Group

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What a webinar! “Discover Immersive Learning with ThingLink and Adobe Express,” draws upon insights from the recent BETT Education Technology Show. This event spotlighted AI’s pivotal role in shaping future educational ‘Pedtech’ practices and earmarked Immersive Learning as the trend to watch in 2024.

Webinar Highlights:

• BETT 2024’s AI and Immersive Learning Insights: Unpack the latest trends and innovations in AI-driven educational technology, with a special focus on BETT’s prediction of Immersive Learning as a defining trend for 2024.

• Hands-On Demonstrations: Witness firsthand how ThingLink and Adobe Express use AI to easily create content, making it more immersive, interactive, and impactful.

• Interactive Q&A Session: Pose your questions to our experts and delve deeper into the integration of AI tools in education and education in the era of AI.

“Immersive learning can take textbook lessons and build extraordinary worlds for students to explore and learn, hands-on.”
BETT (4 of the Biggest EdTech Trends in 2024)

Hosted by Louise Jones from ThingLink, along with Dean Stokes from Adobe Express, this session is a deep dive into leveraging AI-powered tools to craft immersive learning experiences effortlessly.

Featured Speaker:

Dean Stokes, Adobe Express (Special Guest Star): Well known and much-loved in the edtech community and a long-standing colleague of Louise, Dean will illustrate how Adobe Express’s AI capabilities can empower educators and students to create captivating narratives through visuals, videos, and web pages.

Post BETT Bonanza!

Louise and Dean will also cover some of their thoughts from their presentations on the panel for the Google for Education ‘Creativity Session’, where Louise focussed on the fact that Immersive Learning is ‘not just about headsets’ and Dean demonstrated the ease of creating images fit for purpose for both teachers and learners.

What is Adobe Express for Education? 

Adobe Express for Education is a free offer for K-12 schools and districts. It gives students and educators everything they need to confidently create standout graphics, photos, presentations, webpages, and videos. Adobe Express lets students and educators express themselves in unique and beautiful ways inside and outside the classroom.

Missed it?

Sign up anyway and we’ll send you the action replay with links and resources!

By participating in this webinar, you will:

1. Leverage AI for Immersive Content Creation: Learn to use ThingLink and Adobe Express to craft AI-enhanced images, videos, and virtual tours, offering students a rich, hands-on learning experience.
2. Innovate with AI in Visual Storytelling: Discover how to utilize Adobe Express’s AI features to produce compelling educational content that inspires  and resonates with students.
3. Adopt AI-Driven EdTech Tools: Acquire actionable insights and strategies for incorporating AI into your teaching; enhancing engagement, and elevating learning outcomes in the AI era.
4. Receive a Certificate of Attendance!

Other Ideas for learning about ThingLink you’ll love!

• Free ThingLink Certified Creator Course
• Previous ThingLink On Demand Webinars
• Search Support Articles or Request Support

Connect and Collaborate

For more ideas, use cases and inspiration on content creation, join our communities on social media! LinkedIn Community, Twitter Creative Learning Design Community and ThingLink Education Facebook Group.

In the world of elearning and corporate training, creating engaging and effective online courses that truly engage your trainees is every course creator’s goal. With the surge in demand for online training, educators and corporate trainers are constantly on the lookout for innovative tools and techniques that cater to the learning needs of their learners, but that are simple to use, build and update. Enter ThingLink’s Scenario Builder templates: a game-changer for elearning course creation.

Why Choose Scenario-Based Learning (SBL)?

Scenario-Based Learning (SBL) is an instructional design strategy that replicates real-world situations, placing learners in a decision-making role. It enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills by immersing learners in real-life situations that demand these competencies.

Benefits of Scenario-Based Learning:

1. Real-world Context: SBL offers a realistic scenario, allowing learners to connect their learning experiences with real-world applications. This bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
2. Active Learning: Instead of passive consumption, learners engage in active decision-making, promoting retention and deeper understanding.
3. Safe Environment: It offers a risk-free environment where mistakes become learning opportunities without real-life consequences.

Learn more about ThingLink’s Scenario Builder

Check out our dedicated YouTube playlist featuring short videos that demonstrate the simplicity of crafting interactive scenario-based learning with ThingLink. Listen to insights from ThingLink’s Founder and CEO, Ulla-Maaria Koivula, as she highlights the tool’s standout features. Plus, catch a webinar where we design a complete learning scenario from the ground up in less than 20 minutes.

Leveraging ThingLink’s Scenario Builder Templates

Creating a compelling storyline for your elearning course can be challenging. However, ThingLink’s templates make it easier, providing a foundation upon which you can build your learning scenarios.

1. Choose the Right Type of Scenario: Depending on your learning objectives and the complexity of the subject matter, you can opt for microlearning episodes that follow a linear path (or paths) – or more extended multi-branching scenarios. For instance, compliance training may need in-depth branching, while soft skills training can benefit from shorter, focused (but still highly interactive) linear scenarios.
2. Incorporate Real-life Elements: Use 360 images and videos, with added interactive elements, that replicate real-life situations to create a sense of authenticity. This boosts learner engagement and mirrors the challenges they might face in a real-world context.
3. Decision Points: Integrate decision points within your scenarios to test and enhance learners’ decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
4. Gamification: Adding elements of gamification, like scores or badges, as well as timers to increase the pressure, can make the learning experience even more engaging.

Integrating with Other Authoring Tools

While ThingLink is powerful on its own, integrating it with other authoring tools can amplify its capabilities. For instance, combining it with tools like Articulate Storyline can allow you to import PowerPoint slides, enhancing the interactivity and richness of your elearning course.

Learning Needs and SMEs (Subject Matter Experts)

Before diving into the design scenarios, it’s crucial to identify the learning needs of your target audience. Collaborating with SMEs can also ensure that your content is accurate and aligns with the desired learning outcomes.

The Perfect Tool to Create Microlearning Experiences

Microlearning refers to bite-sized learning modules, often spanning 5-10 minutes. This strategy aligns with the modern learner’s attention span and is perfect for teaching new skills. By utilizing ThingLink’s templates, creating effective microlearning modules becomes a breeze.

Scenario Templates and Corporate Training

The four different scenario builder template we have developed can be tailored and adapted for different aspects of corporate training. For example:

1. Soft Skills: Our Simulation Scenario template is ideal for this type of training. In the blog Create Branched Learning Scenarios with ThingLink’s New Simulation Template we show how this template has been used to build a scenario exploring Leadership Styles. Alternatively you could use the simple but effective Linear Template, which still allows plenty of scope for exploring interactive and immersive content incorporating 360 images and videos and rich multimedia annotation. You could also build your scenario using the Self-Exploratory template which allows the learner to follow the branch related to the subject of their choice.
2. Compliance Training: For this type of training, it’s best to use a template like our Escape Room model, where employees are faced with decision points and see the immediate consequence of these, ensuring they understand company policies and real-world implications. Below is an example of a short course we have built using the escape room template.

The Escape Room model

Get started with our free downloads and templates

• Dive deep into our four templates by accessing our detailed guidance document – it’s available for download and is a valuable resource to understand each template’s functionality and potential applications.
• If you’re inspired by the media used in our showcased information security course and wish to adapt it, feel free to modify our Canva template, which covers every individual scene.
• For sketching out your scenarios, our Canva Whiteboard template is at your service.
• Create your own immersive content: Enhance your course with interactive 360-degree images. Don’t have a 360 camera? No worries! Our Pano to 360 tool, which doesn’t even require a ThingLink account, is at your disposal. Just upload your panoramic photos from your phone, and they’ll be transformed into 360 images instantly, all set for free download.

Maximizing Learner Engagement

The success of any online course lies in its ability to engage its learners. By designing an interactive scenario using ThingLink’s Scenario Builder templates, educators and trainers can ensure that learners are not just passive recipients but active participants in their learning journey.

Elearning made easy!

Scenario builder templates by ThingLink have revolutionized the elearning landscape, offering an unparalleled level of interactivity and realism for the learners or trainees, combined with ease of build for the creators. Whether it’s for corporate training or broader online training programs, using these templates ensures that learners are equipped with not just knowledge, but the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for real-world success. Incorporating gamification, microlearning, and other modern learning strategies, these easy-to-adapt templates are the future of effective learning in a digital age.

Join the conversation

Get inspired by some of the content shared by our creative communities!

• ThingLink LinkedIn Page 
• LinkedIn Community 
• X / Twitter ThingLink Page 
• X / Twitter ThingLink Edu Page
• X / Twitter Creative Learning Design Community 
• ThingLink Education Facebook Group. 

• ThingLink Facebook Page 
• Instagram ThingLink

The future of immersive learning is not just about consuming content—it’s about creating it. Finding a school or team-friendly yet powerful solution for creating with AI can be challenging. Enter ThingLink’s integration with Skybox AI. Here’s why educators and students alike are raving about this dynamic duo, here’s some helpful ideas to making the most of it!

About Blockade Labs Skybox AI

Blockade Labs specializes in AI-assisted 360-degree image generation technology. With Skybox AI, Blockade Labs aims to make the world of 360-degree imaging more dynamic, interactive, and accessible to all using simple text prompts.

10 Key Pointers for Skybox AI 360 Generation Prompts

1. Keep it simple for effective results.
2. 3-4 phrase prompts are ideal; too long can override style.
3. If prompts are too short, they may lack coherence; add descriptive phrases.
4. Specify location context: “indoors” or “outdoors”.
5. Adjust camera altitude with tags like “aerial view” or “street view”.
6. For night time scenes, use words like “moonlit” or “bioluminescent”.
7. Emphasize context in prompts.
8. Clean up messy images using negative prompts with words like “blurry” or “broken”. (Negative prompts available only in SkyBox AI Interface currently)
9. Explore presets for cleaner images,
10. For sky presets, describe clouds and aim for flat horizons.

Even Better with Enhanced Prompts!

Using Enhanced Prompts is now available in the ThingLink Create with Sky Box Interface. Here’s an example with Enhanced Prompts

Helpful Tip for Teachers! Learners can copy paste the Enhanced Prompts into a ThingLink Info Tag to create vocabulary lists and further research. Original prompt simply ‘George Orwell 1984’. Enhanced Prompt – VR360: Ominous Big Brother billboards, giant telescreens in dystopian cityscape. Style: gritty realism, industrial bleakness, high-contrast light. VR360: Dead trees, gloomy skyscape, towering brutalist architecture.

Another Helpful Tip for Teachers – View in VR! Imagine learners and educators being able to create 360 worlds and view with your VR Headsets.

Click to download the PDF.

Common tips and tricks to getting the most out of your Skybox AI generations!

More Ideas to Follow

Join our ThingLink and Skybox webinar or watch the replay! Sign up here We’ll be collating ideas for games based learning, storytelling and sharing all!

Connect and Collaborate

For more ideas, use cases and inspiration on content creation, join our communities on social media! Twitter / X ThingLink Education and Blockade Labs Skybox AI LinkedIn Community and ThingLink Education Facebook Group. Discord Blockade Labs Community.

In this blog we will showcase why the templates are such a useful tool to help you create your interactive scenario learning content – plus we show you the most straightforward of the template styles in action – the Linear model.

Crafting tailored scenarios for your learners’ specific training needs can be a daunting prospect. However help is at hand! ThingLink has unveiled an array of adaptable Scenario Builder templates, poised to be the ideal start to creating e-learning or corporate training material using branching scenarios.

When you start to design scenarios on ThingLink, you’ll be shown four distinct models ready to act as your blank canvas. You can then seamlessly swap out our placeholder content with your own text, questions, branching, and media, making customization easy. Of course – if you prefer to start your content from scratch, you still have the freedom to craft your unique scenario your way.

With the added power of the super-helpful new built-in AI content creation tools, the challenge to craft simple or intricate learning scenarios becomes much more manageable. These scenario builder templates are your secret weapon for developing diverse employee training experiences with interactivity built-in. Whether your primary objectives revolve around fostering new skills, amplifying existing ones, or elevating employee engagement and retention, these templates will become invaluable.

How do you use Scenario Builder?

For an introduction to Scenario Builder and why it’s the perfect tool for creating immersive learning experiences, watch this short video intro:

What exactly is Scenario based Learning (SBL)?

Explore the foundational principles behind Scenario-Based Learning in this informative introductory blog post: What is Scenario Based Learning? Learn why it is so popular as a method of instructional design, and why it’s ideal for compliance training, safety training, soft skills training and more.

You can also watch all of our Scenario Builder content on the dedicated playlist here, including our masterclass webinar, where we build a whole scenario from scratch!

Explore the simplest of our new Scenario Builder templates: Linear Scenario

The most basic of the scenario builder templates is the Linear Model. Here’s an example of what it might look like in action. We have created an online course in Understanding Bias which takes the learner through the types of bias. They then have an exercise to complete to identify what bias is being demonstrated in a series of true-to-life situations.

Want to replicate these images for your own course? Use our free Canva background template for the images we used in this above course on Understanding Bias.

However a linear template could be used to deliver any type of training! Our Certified Creator Course is a great example of the linear scenario model in action!

What else can you add to the linear template?

• Incorporate gamification principles into your learning journey with elements such as completion badges and points earned as learners progress.
• Make it more challenging by integrating formative assessments with questions at various stages. These questions challenge learners to provide the correct answers before advancing, employing a conditional transition. If an answer is incorrect, the feedback gently nudges learners to backtrack and review the material or reconsider their response. However, unlike the more complex escape room model which is another alternative template offered to creators, here, the wrong answer yields a uniform, generic message, without individual consequences. There are no decision points which can steer you down an alternate path or transport you to another scene or text.

• In all models, you can add as many media items as you want. Remember these can be any type of ThingLink! An interactive image, video, 360 image/video or 3D model. Your media can also be an entire virtual tour – or Guided Tour! Here is a guide to the 6 blocks that can be added to any scenario.
• Plan your scenario structure with our handy free Canva whiteboard template.
• Create a virtual learning environment: Use 360 tours of different rooms/areas/environments to introduce each in sequence. Great for onboarding!

What other types of scenario template can I choose?

There are three other types of scenario model for which we have created these handy templates. These are:

• Escape Room – as demonstrated in this linked blog.
• Simulation Scenario – take a look at this blog to see this in action!
• Self-Exploratory – which we explore in this blog post here.

For a full round-up of all four, see our new Scenario Templates PDF guide.

What are the benefits of Scenario Builder for training content creators and learners?

1. Tailored Training Solutions: With Scenario Builder, crafting and adapting training materials in-house is simple. This means you can effortlessly cater to the unique training needs of different departments or individual employees. Quickly address competencies and skill gaps by identifying knowledge deficiencies and updating your entirely customized scenario-based learning content within minutes.
2. Versatile Training Approaches: ThingLink enables the creation of online training courses and learning materials that can flexibly accommodate various training methods. You also have the flexibility to embed a wide array of apps and integrations, expanding the diversity of content you can offer.
3. Convenient Scheduling: Design a training schedule that harmonizes with employees’ other commitments. ThingLink’s online learning packages can be conveniently completed from the comfort of home or during daily commutes. Real-life situations and environments and real-world problem-solving can be recreated and explored safely – anywhere!
4. Comprehensive Learner Insights: Take advantage of built-in statistics features to assess and monitor each employee’s progress. This empowers you to closely track individual performance and milestones. Set training objectives, measure outcomes, and fine-tune the training process as needed. See how employees respond to decision-making in a challenging situation.

No matter the learning outcomes you have in mind, and the specifics of your employee learning objectives and needs, Scenario Builder is purpose-built to assist you in crafting immersive and captivating training resources – from bite-size micro-learning, all the way up to entire courses and training programs. Plus, with the introduction of our new templates, the process of creating impactful courses and modules has been further streamlined for your convenience.

Connect and engage with fellow creators

For more ideas, use cases and inspiration on content creation, join our communities on social media! Twitter / X ThingLink or ThingLink Education, LinkedIn Community and ThingLink Education Facebook Group. 

Why have we developed these templates?

Crafting the ideal scenario for your learners’ or organisation’s specific training requisites can sometimes present a challenge. So we’ve introduced a diverse range of scenario templates that offer the flexibility to duplicate, modify, and tailor them to your unique e-learning or training content.

As you embark on creating your scenario, you’ll encounter four distinct model options. Effortlessly substitute our placeholder content with your preferred text, queries, branching paths, and multimedia elements. But if you prefer to start from scratch, you can still fashion a completely customized scenario without our templates.

For a summary of the 4 new models: Linear, Escape Room, Simulation Scenario and Self-Exploratory, download this PDF of the new Scenario Templates which gives you full written guidance. Or why not catch up with our comprehensive webinar where we build a scenario from scratch! You’ll find it on our dedicated Scenario Builder playlist on YouTube.

When combined with ThingLink’s innovative built-in AI content creation tools, these scenario builder templates streamline the process of constructing either straightforward or multi-branching scenarios. These templates prove invaluable for crafting a spectrum of employee training materials, whether your primary training objectives involve acquiring new skills, refining existing ones, or boosting employee engagement and retention.

Why Use ThingLink’s Scenario Builder to create elearning and training?

To see why Scenario Builder is considered such a useful authoring tool for building immersive learning experiences, watch this short video intro:

Want to know more about Scenario based Learning (SBL)?

Read more on the fundamentals of Scenario-based instructional design in our introductory blog: What is Scenario Based Learning?

Focus on: The Simulation Scenario Model

This multi-branched template provides learners with a realistic depiction of the ultimate or collective outcome resulting from their decisions or choices – all within a safe environment. Perfect to reinforce compliance training or for real-life situations where safety is a concern.

For instance, when used in medical training, students engage in diagnosing virtual patients by assessing the symptoms presented. The patient’s condition dynamically evolves, either deteriorating or improving in response to the student’s decisions, thereby offering a true-to-life simulation of real-world medical practice.

The branching types of scenario all incorporate soft skills such as decision-making, problem-solving and critical thinking which replicate real-life situations. However in contrast to the Escape Room model, in this scenario template, learners continue to progress whatever choices they make. Unlike the escape room model, there are no categorically “wrong” answers that force learners to backtrack and try again for the correct answer during the intermediate phases. Instead, learners encounter choices, each with distinct consequences, steering them along diverse paths as they advance. It is the closest to the “choose your own adventure” concept from which Scenario Builder was conceived!

The examples are just a basic starting skeleton for all the different model types. 

• In all of the templates we have created for you, you can add as many media items as you want. Remember these can be any type of ThingLink! An interactive image, video, 360 image/video or 3D model. Your media can also be an entire virtual tour of an environment or place! Explore the media block and the 5 other Scenario Builder blocks in this handy ThingLink!
• Create a virtual learning environment: Use 360 tours of different rooms/areas/environments to introduce each in sequence. Great for onboarding! no 360 camera? No problem! Simply use our free tool Pano to 360 to instantly turn any panoramic image into an immersive photosphere.
• In the branching models, you can add as many or as few branching levels as you require.
• Need an extra helping hand with planning your scenario? Why not use our super useful free Canva whiteboard – here’s the link to the template!

See it in action!

To see the Simulation Scenario model in action, below you can explore an example we have built to demonstrate. This very short corporate training elearning course (sometimes called microlearning) demonstrates how a learner can find our what sort of leadership style they tend towards. In this example, they also have the choice to move back and see what different outcome they would have reached if they had made different choices.

If you would like to recreate the style of base media we have used in this course below, you can download the free Canva template to copy!

What other outcomes can you use in this model?

There are three primary variations that can be implemented with this model:

1. Range of Outcomes: In this variation, each final outcome presents a distinct scenario.
2. Binary Result: Alternatively, you can opt for a binary outcome, for example pass or fail, or the patient recovers or they do not – simplifying the end result.
3. Point Accumulation: Another approach involves assigning points to each choice made at every decision point. This adds an element of gamification for learners. The cumulative points can then determine the overall outcome. For instance, the points accrued may result in passing or failing, choosing between a refresher or repetition, or moving on to the next module. Interestingly, in this scenario, it’s possible for two learners taking different paths to accumulate the same number of points.

What other scenario templates can you use?

• Take a look at another of the templates: the Linear model at this blog.
• The Escape Room template – as demonstrated in this linked blog.
• The Self-Exploratory template – which we explore in this blog post here.

Why do training content creators use Scenario Builder to build courses?

1. Tailored Training Solutions: Scenario Builder offers a hassle-free way to tailor your training content. You can effortlessly tweak, duplicate, or refine it all in-house. This means you can cater to the unique training needs of each department or even individual employees by swiftly adapting to their competencies and skill gaps. Pinpoint those knowledge gaps and swiftly bridge them with fully customized scenario-based learning content that’s updatable in mere minutes.

2. Versatile Training Methods: ThingLink empowers you to craft online training courses and learning materials that accommodate a variety of training methods. Plus, you can seamlessly integrate a vast array of apps and tools into your ThingLink training content, instantly expanding the possibilities of content delivery.

3. Flexible Scheduling: With ThingLink, you have the flexibility to create training schedules that align with your employees’ other commitments. Our online learning packages can be completed from the comfort of home or during the daily commute to and from work.

4. Insights into Learner Progress: Harness the power of built-in analytics to monitor and assess individual learner engagement and progress. Keep a keen eye on their performance and milestones, enabling you to set training goals, measure outcomes, and fine-tune the training process as needed.

Your helping hand in training content creation

We wanted to design Scenario Builder to be the easiest method of crafting immersive and captivating training materials and online courses in a real-world context. And we developed our new templates to further streamlined the process, making it even more straightforward to develop highly effective employee training programs – whatever your training and learning outcomes!

Connect with and inspire your fellow creators!

For more ideas, use cases and inspiration on content creation, join our communities on social media! Twitter / X ThingLink or ThingLink Education, LinkedIn Community and ThingLink Education Facebook Group.