The use of Virtual Reality (VR) in training helps learners excel in a dynamic workplace and thrive in an ever-evolving world. Is your organization ready to embrace VR? In this post, we’ll explore the use of VR training and its potential impact on the learning landscape.
What Is Virtual Reality in Training?
Virtual reality (VR) training is a revolutionary approach that creates an immersive environment to capture learners’ attention and ensure they retain information to the maximum level possible. Using skill demonstrations in real-life scenarios, VR avoids some of the shortcomings of other online training that is based on passive content. This approach combines virtual face-to-face lectures with instructors and self-paced learning with the help of tools like simulations and gamification. Therefore, VR training not only enhances learning transferability but also ensures learners’ competency to solve problems in a real environment.
Benefits of Virtual Reality in Training
The use of VR in training saves time and money, while also delivering improved learning outcomes. It allows learners to experience immersive and interactive simulations of real or imagined environments. VR has many other benefits in the context of learning, such as:
- VR can increase engagement and motivation by providing learners with a sense of presence and agency in the virtual world.
- It can enhance retention and recall by creating memorable and emotional experiences that activate multiple senses and different regions of the brain.
- The technology facilitates experiential and situational learning by enabling learners to practice skills and apply knowledge in realistic and relevant contexts.
- Its usage can foster collaboration and communication by allowing learners to interact with their peers, instructors, or virtual characters in the same or different locations.
- VR can support personalized and adaptive learning by offering learners choices, feedback, and guidance, based on their preferences, performance, and progress.
These are only some of the benefits of VR in learning. VR is a powerful and promising tool that can transform education and learning in the 21st century.
Difference Between VR, XR, AR, and MR
Before getting into the use of different types of realities for training and learning, we should understand how VR, XR, AR, and MR differ from one another.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality is a simulation process that involves the complete replacement of a real environment, often accomplished by wearing specialized headsets. As with real-life training, this technology is uniquely useful for situations where semiotics is important, such as flying an airplane or performing a surgery. By leveraging graphic and auditory cues, VR can teach a task or technique and build confidence in the learner’s competency without the dangers of actual practice.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality (AR) adds digital content over the physical environment and provides learners with contextual information that makes the training process more engaging. This technology is especially helpful for practical training because it enables learners to visualize models of what they are learning, for instance, machines or the human body in real time. By combining the physical environment with virtual elements, the learner is able to easily understand how theoretical knowledge applies to practical tasks.
Mixed Reality (MR)
Mixed reality (MR) is generally defined as the integration of real and virtual objects in a way that allows interaction to occur in real time. This is especially handy in collaborative or group training activities where participants can make use of physical as well as virtual materials at the same time. MR enables teams to perform in new and challenging ways and encourages people to learn more about the topic through interactive scenarios that blend reality with virtual enhancements.
Extended Reality (XR)
Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term for immersive technologies like VR, AR and MR. XR is versatile in its approach to use and applicability for learning and training in different environments, thus suitable for any field. Combined with the strength of the other technologies, XR offers a kind of holistic solution that improves the learners’ experiences, encourages communication, and suits a wide range of training.
Virtual Reality and the Modern Learner
The use of virtual reality (VR) in training has revolutionized the learning process for modern learners. It enables employees to develop and improve their skills of communication, collaboration, leadership, and creativity. In today’s fast-changing workplace, VR provides a safe and immersive environment for learning new tasks and tackling challenging or risky scenarios. Embracing virtual reality in training empowers learners to thrive in today’s dynamic workplace and helps them stay ahead in an ever-evolving world.
The bigger question, however, is: Is your organization ready to embrace VR? The following are areas to consider when planning to implement VR:
Organizational Readiness and Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive technology that has revolutionized training, but requires careful consideration. Before adopting VR for training, here are the key steps to help you create a plan for implementing VR:
- Time and Resources: VR training takes longer to develop than traditional methods of training. Assess your timeline and scope realistically. If you have limited resources, consider outsourcing or using existing VR solutions.
- Budget and ROI: VR training provides innovative approaches to learning. Consider the initial costs due to hardware and maintenance. Analyze the budget and ROI compared to other options, including ongoing content updates. ROI can be measured more quickly with VR as opposed to traditional training methods.
- Workforce Familiarity: Provide support towards your team’s VR literacy and comfort with the technology.
- Industry Alignment: Research how your industry uses virtual reality in training and learn from others’ experiences.
- Topic Suitability: Evaluate whether VR aligns with your training objectives. –VR training can be more suitable for some topics than others, depending on the learning objectives and outcomes. You should evaluate how VR can add value to your training topic. Ask whether VR’s capabilities can address the topic objectively, and how it can support the cognitive, effective, and psychomotor domains of learning.
- Metrics and Evaluation: Determine the metrics you want to measure, and ensure you have the tools and skills to analyze the VR data.
- Integration with Existing Training: Explore how VR can complement or supplement your current training methods.
By addressing these questions, you can determine your organization’s readiness, and make informed decisions to harness the full potential of VR for your training needs.
How Do You Implement Virtual Reality?
The successful usage of virtual reality in training requires careful planning, execution, and evaluation. Keep sessions short, limit exercises to 20 minutes, and encourage breaks to prevent virtual fatigue. Ensure access to suitable hardware and provide training exercises and user guides to boost confidence. Perform comprehensive risk assessments for employee safety.
Additionally, VR’s data collection capabilities offer insights that can be used to optimize the training. A well-planned VR training approach can revolutionize learning by enhancing learners’ skills and overall performance. Leveraging VR’s immersive power creates a more efficient and impactful training landscape, contributing to long-term growth and success.
Real-world Applications of VR in Learning
VR is effective for a broad range of learning scenarios across workplaces. Here are some real-world workforce applications of VR in learning:
High-complexity Learning:
VR is ideal for high-complexity training, providing scenarios that are nearly impossible to recreate in the real world. For instance, training astronauts would be costly and challenging in the real world – but is a suitable match for VR execution.
Institutional Knowledge Transfer:
VR facilitates institutional knowledge transfer by capturing the expertise of retiring workers. Companies can preserve valuable knowledge and even use VR to teach customers how to use products effectively.
Healthcare:
One of the most promising use cases of high-risk training is in the healthcare industry, where learners are exposed to potentially dangerous situations. For example, doctors can learn complex surgeries without endangering patients.
Manufacturing and Automotive:
Given the complexity of manufacturing environments today, even slight errors in worker judgment might have serious repercussions, including brand destruction, loss of client confidence, and financial impact – such as mass recalls of automobiles. VR can train factory workers, automotive assembly-line workers, and manufactured component installers and equip them with the industry best practices.
Aviation:
Given the high stakes involved in air travel, VR is proving itself as an able training aid in the aviation industry. For example, pilots can practice flying in flight simulations, perfecting their skills in real life-like situations. Service staff, on-ground and in-flight, also learn and practice working in VR-simulated high-stress, customer-centric situations.
Soft skills Training:
VR also proves itself valuable for soft skills training, as it simulates real-life scenarios with facial expressions and body language . Employees can practice and develop skills, like active listening, conflict resolution, and negotiation, in a safe and realistic virtual environment. The use of VR in soft skills training can foster enhanced empathy among employees by exposing them to unique, immersive scenarios that would otherwise remain beyond their reach.
Safety Training:
Workplace accidents cost lives and reputational damage. Professional tradespeople, like utility workers, can train safely with VR to acquire the necessary skills to prevent accidents and improve safety records.
Insights on How to Create a Business Case for Virtual Reality
Before implementing VR training in the workplace, develop a comprehensive business case that outlines the potential benefits and considerations. A well-structured business case helps assess the feasibility and impact of adopting VR for training purposes. This analysis includes evaluating performance improvements, investment costs, cost savings, and critical considerations for successful virtual adoption.
Key Points in the Business Case
Performance Improvements:
VR training offers a highly immersive and interactive learning experience, leading to enhanced engagement and knowledge retention among employees. It enables learners to apply their skills in a risk-free environment, resulting in improved performance and competency.
Investment Costs:
While there is an initial cost to implement VR training, the long-term benefits far outweigh them. Properly assessing the investment costs helps organizations understand VR’s role in employee development, increased productivity, and organizational growth.
Cost Savings:
VR training presents cost-saving opportunities by eliminating travel expenses and reducing administrative time. Additionally, the absence of repeat trainer fees, as employees can revisit trainings as and when needed, contributes to a further reduction of costs.
Considerations for Virtual Adoption:
Implementing VR training requires the careful consideration of various factors, such as the availability of suitable hardware, and providing adequate training to increase employees’ confidence in using the technology. Conduct a thorough risk assessment first, to ensure safe training, and address potential challenges associated with VR adoption.
The business case for VR training is the foundation for successfully implementing VR and securing support from key stakeholders. By showcasing performance improvements, cost savings, and org-wide productivity gains, organizations can make informed decisions that lead to a transformative and effective learning and development experience for their employees.
Costs of Implementing Virtual Reality in Learning
Introducing VR training offers cost-effective solutions for businesses but comes with upfront – sometimes significant – investments. Key costs include:
- Hardware: Such as devices like HTC VIVE and Oculus Quest. Falling unit prices of hardware make it more viable to integrate VR into learning today.
- Software: Software expenses vary based on sophistication, with platforms like Future Visual’s VISIONxR™ offering options to suit budgets.
- Ongoing costs: Additional ongoing costs include annual platform fees, user licenses, and integration with HR systems.
- Course-related costs: Course planning and content development demand resources to define objectives, structures, and the learning content. It also requires ongoing costs for updates and relevance.
Despite the initial investment, well-executed VR training brings efficiency gains and improved learning outcomes. Businesses must carefully assess costs to make informed decisions on adopting VR training programs.
Virtual Reality and Learning Effectiveness
VR training is highly effective and offers advantages over in-person or online learning.
Consider these results from a study performed by the consulting firm PwC:
- 40% of the virtual learners reported an increase in confidence compared to classroom learners. Moreover, 35% of them showed an improvement in being able to apply what they learned after undergoing training in a VR environment.
- When it comes to large-scale learning, VR learning is the most cost-effective method. With 375 learners, VR training achieved cost parity with classroom learning. With 1,950 learners, VR training achieved cost parity with e-learning. And with 3,000 learners, VR costs become 52% less than classroom learning.
- VR helped learners complete the training 4 times faster than in-class training, and they were 4-times more focused than e-Learners, and 1.5 times more so than their in-class peers.
- VR learners felt 3.75 times more emotionally connected to the content than classroom learners and 2.3 times more connected than e-learners
VR’s cost-effective scalability allows the training to be rolled out to multiple locations without live trainers, which leads to a 50% reduction in costs compared to traditional methods.
For soft skills and procedural training, VR fosters a deep emotional connection, resulting in improved information recall with retention levels of up to 80% after a year. In hazardous industries, VR provides a relatively safer learning space for practice, and real-time data capture provides in-the-moment feedback and comprehensive impact analysis.
What’s Next in Virtual Reality for Workforce Enablement?
The AR and VR market is expected to reach $297 billion by 2024, driven by a growing acceptance. Virtual Reality (VR) will revolutionize industries, enable the workforce, and transform workplace and business-customer interactions. In retail, the use of virtual reality in training simulations will prepare employees for real-life scenarios. Education already benefits from VR’s 20% training score improvement and remote learning experiences. VR advertising will thrive even more, with technological advancements captivating broader audiences.
High-quality stereoscopic videos and eye-tracking are boosting VR experiences. Relatively cheaper model hardware, like Oculus Go, is set to attract more consumers with their offering of immersive experiences at low prices. While gaming dominates the VR software market today, other aspects of L&D will see greater penetration by VR, with the creation of innovative content.
How Can Virtual Reality or a VR Based Approach Add Value to an Induction and Onboarding Program?
Now, I share a few examples of Virtual Reality in training that demonstrate how we integrated a VR microlearning nugget into our induction and onboarding portal. To show you the impact of VR usage on the learning experience, information recall, and retention, I have used a “Before” and “After” approach.
Overview of Our Induction and Onboarding Program
Nearly 80% of our total workforce are Millennials. We had designed a learning portal based approach to offer our induction and onboarding program a few years ago. The program was up for a refresh this year, and we evaluated options to make the learning journey for the new inductees more engaging and immersive.
The current approach features new formats including:
- Virtual Reality or VR.
- More engaging formats for explainer and animated videos: I have selected 3 more assets that underwent changes in the design approach. The new approach resonates better with our millennial workforce.
Before
The initial approach featured:
- Learning portal
- Blended training
- Mobile learning
- Learning journey
- Microlearning nuggets (featuring simple, people based videos, PDFs, and Interactive PDFs)
- Gamified assessments
- Leaderboards and stats to provide performance details
- Common assessment for both online and facilitated sessions
After
The revised approach builds on the same core but features the following new formats as we designed the microlearning nuggets:
- Introduction to the organization through Virtual Reality or VR.
- More engaging microlearning formats for explainer and animated videos.
Examples of Virtual Reality in Training
Asset 1: Introduction To The Organization
Before: Video Featuring Team Members
We had used a simple video format wherein team members talked about what they do, how they work, and what value each team brings to the table.
After: Virtual Reality Based Microlearning Nugget
We used the Virtual Reality (VR) capability to showcase this crucial section. When new team members join the organization, they are typically given an office tour followed by an introduction to each domain. It is virtually impossible to remember so many details in one go.
The Impact Of Virtual Reality (VR) Based Approach For Microlearning
The usage of the Virtual Reality technique enabled us to create a more interesting and immersive learning journey. This experience creates a higher recall and provides a clear takeaway on what we do and how each domain is aligned to our success. It also resonates well with our millennial workforce.
The learning journey featuring Virtual Reality technique is as follows:
Learners get a virtual tour of the office. They go through an interesting journey and can explore and revisit places as many times as they want.
On clicking the hotspots overlaid on relevant sections, they get the following information:
- About our organization (our global presence, our awards, and accolades).
- Introduction to each domain, what do they do, and what value each domain brings to the table.
Let me also highlight 3 more approaches we adopted that further uplifted the engagement quotient of our induction and onboarding program.
Asset 2: Organizational Structure
Before: Text Based Approach
We had used a simple infographic presentation that showcased the organizational structure.
After: Animated Video
In this iteration, we changed the design approach to feature a millennial-centric design. We played with high-end graphics, animations featuring team members to create a much higher connect with new joinees.
The organization structure of the company was depicted using an engaging story based video. We used motion graphics and animation to create an impactful and easy-to-retain guide to the complete team structure.
Asset 3: How To Create Your Success Story
Before: Explainer Video
We had used a simple video based format to showcase the culture and success path to new joinees who begin work in the company.
After: Explainer Video Featuring A Guide
It is very important for new joinees to know what it takes to be successful in a company. So, it is important for them to view a story from an expert through a real situation, as depicted in this nugget. In the new avatar, we used an explainer video of a guide and associated key messages to drive in the culture and path to success in the organization.
Asset 4: Gamified Assessments
Gamified assessments are a great way to make any learning solution fun and engaging. We use these at the end of each learning stage as an interesting way to check-point the learning. A sense of challenge and competition among the learners to constantly participate with the induction platform kept the learners further engaged.
In the new avatar, we refreshed the formats of the gamified assessments to make learning more interesting.
I hope these examples of Virtual Reality in training inspire you to explore how immersive technology can enhance learning experiences in your own organization.
Final Thoughts
VR and AR revolutionize learning and training, especially in today’s AI/Machine Learning era. Integrating AI with VR/AR enhances content customization and the delivery of personalized experiences. The increasing use of virtual reality in trainings, promises highly-enabled workplaces, improved learning, and innovative productivity strategies. A future of enhanced employee experiences awaits.
