Drop a Pin for Learning

Would you like students to create a narrated tour for a course project? Do you think it would be useful to have an interactive map to tell others more about your corner of Duke’s campus? Is there a research project you think could be enhanced with a multimedia tour? All Duke faculty, staff, and students are now able to create map-based multimedia tours for course, departmental, or university use. The locations pinned on the map can have audio, text, video, and photos associated with them. Map builders can either use a street map or upload their own floor plan for an inside space.

Users can choose if they would like to create a tour that is intended for a small group (such as a course project) or make it widely available to other audiences outside of Duke. The tours are available for download via an app to explore either virtually or while on location. You can download the DukeExplore app now to view the available public tours. It is available for iOS and Android devices.

Duke Explore application icon

Recent projects include a walking tour of Montréal by Duke Global Ed students and a tour of hidden sites in Durham in a community project with local middle school students. Professor Deb Reisinger described her experience building a tour with her French students:

Our group’s projects walk you through the city’s hidden gems, interviewing locals, and exploring neighborhoods off the beaten path. The app was a great way for our students to better understand Montréal’s arts communities. Both the process and the product are important teaching tools.

If you are interested in building a tour, please contact the project manager, Todd Stabley (todd.stabley@duke.edu), in Duke’s Office of Information Technology. He will provide training and help you get your tour from the planning stage to live on the app.

The tours are built in the My Tours platform; feel free to look through their website to get a sense of the product and its capabilities.