Is your course visually boring? Are you tired of using only readings and videos to present content? Are you looking for more ways to keep students engaged and add interaction between students and course material?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you might want to explore ThingLink.

ThingLink is an interactive content creation tool that’s used to add rich media to graphics and videos. With ThingLink, faculty can create images with embedded links to text, video (found or created), audio, photos, websites, maps, polls, or social media. ThingLink collects data on hovers, clicks, and time spent on each image’s hotspots.

Below are examples for just a few of the many different ways ThingLink can be used to create assets for your course.

A concept map highlighting how different topics in the course relate to one another, explaining a complex topic, or linking lecture videos together graphically.

A collection of interviews with people in a photo or situation.

Your analysis of any visual course asset — a photo, illustration, data visualization, infographic, advertisement, etc.

Your analysis of a short video.

In addition to creating visual and interactive course assets, ThingLink can also be used for assessment. Students can use ThingLink for assignments or class presentations.

If you’re interested in learning more about ThingLink or working with ThingLink to create an asset for your course, contact me at jackie@northwestern.edu.