With the availability of virtual polarising microscopy, analysis and discussion of polarising microscopy data is undergoing important developments. In this short course we will demonstrate the use of a high resolution optical polarising microscope, offering all the functionalities of a polarising microscope in a Google Earth-like multiscale virtual microscope environment. After explanation of the principles of the instrument, we will do a group discussion of a number of thin sections of typical tectonites, demonstrating the teaching of petrology and microtectonics courses, and the possibilities of multiscale digital image processing integrated with the virtual microscopy. Finally, we will discuss the virtual polarising microscope community where members share a virtual thin section databases together with their interpretation, for teaching and research purposes.