The aim of a teacher is to guide a student or group of students to observe, do, and discover what is essential in the curriculum's content, and to create a comfortable context and emotional state for learning. This paper puts forward the theoretical underpinning and central aspects of the development and application of the orientation assistant (OA), and presents results concerning its use in university studies. The OA is a software tool producing an interactive learning environment offering support in teaching and learning that uses local applications. The activity in which teachers guide students' learning will frequently not work in an optimal fashion solely by using the most modern tools (e.g., simulation tools, animation, and video media). Provision must be made at the same time to guide students in using these tools effectively for their own studies, and to empower the student. The project presented in this paper analyses the advantages and disadvantages of different tools and media for the purpose of evaluating their suitability in support of teaching and learning in varying modes of use.