360° Video places the learner in the center of a fully immersive environment in the same way as VR, but shows a film of a real location, rather than a computer-generated one. The technology for filming 360° Video has improved massively over the last two years, meaning that the workflow is now almost as fast and straightforward as traditional video.

The video can also be made fully interactive, allowing learners to discover information in the environment around them and make decisions about the events that are unfolding in real-time.

• Virtual tours and comms: In the same way that VR can take learners to sites that it would be impossible to visit in real life, 360° Video enables them to visit far-off real-world locations without ever leaving their seat. This might be to tour a corporate headquarters as part of an induction programme, to visit a factory, or to preview a new shop layout that will be coming soon. Learners can also visit sites that it might be impractical to visit in real life, such as exploring the inside of a power station or a laboratory.
• Environmental awareness: Health and safety training is a common application for 360° Video. Rather than simply trying to spot potential hazards in a photo as they would do in traditional elearning, learners are asked to identify emerging dangers in real time as they unfold around them. For example, a 360° Video might place learners in the center of a construction site with workers walking past in all directions. By asking the learner to try to spot emerging hazards and intervene swiftly they can be trained to be more vigilant and alert to dangers in the real world.
• Time-based decision-making: The use of interactive 360° Video for time-sensitive decision-making extends to soft skills training too, such as leadership, sales and customer service. For example, in retail sales training staff can step onto a busy virtual shop floor where they must make real-time decisions about how to deliver the best possible service to a range of different customers with different needs. Similarly, managers can enter a virtual office where they must decide how to lead the different members of the team around them to deliver against an impending deadline.