Unlock empathy & skills through immersive tech in corporate learning.
Immersive learning leader Anthony Santa Maria explains how organizations can create learning experiences that achieve desired learning outcomes and avoid common training pitfalls.
Whether you’re deploying your training to a remote, hybrid, or in-person workforce, effectively scaling learning programs can challenge learning leaders. Though e-learning has been a popular solution for the last few decades, it is often perceived as a graveyard for learning. On the other hand, coordinating in-person or virtually-facilitated training for larger groups can be challenging and expensive.
The Potential of Immersive Technologies
L&D teams are now increasingly exploring the potential of immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), augmented reality (AR), and 360-degree video for effective learning at scale. What makes immersive technologies so compelling for learning leaders is the activation “presence”, in which a user feels fully within the simulated environment.
Regardless of entry point — whether via a headset, mobile device, or web browser — immersive learning is proven to yield greater results on memory retention, emotional connection to the training material, and applied skill-building. This form of corporate learning is deeply impactful because learners can navigate real-world experiences in a safe, contextually relevant scenario, practice and learn from mistakes, and feel truly connected to their learning.
Understanding Different Perspectives for Greater Empathy-building
Although immersive technology has gained popularity in recent years for gaming and technical skills training, it has also created significant opportunities for upskilling in areas like communication, inclusive management, empathy, and other core human skills.
Exposure to well-designed immersive experiences helps users better understand the perspectives of people with different identities. When applied to workplace scenarios like hiring or performance reviews, immersive learning can be a solution to help advance inclusiveness at work.
At its core, perspective-taking is about empathy building. When you can better understand different people’s unique barriers or privileges, you can better advocate for them in your day-to-day life. Moreover, this empathy lays a sturdy foundation that leads to stronger, more effective teams where all members are valued and appreciated.
While immersive training has clear benefits for developing core human skills, it is also important to approach these training sessions with a well-structured plan. Learning leaders need to be connected to a learning journey that focuses on continuous and reinforced skill-building to avoid launching programs that don’t reach their full potential. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid within your immersive learning programs:
1. Prioritize authentic representation
Ethical issues: There are serious ethical questions around immersive avatars and characters. When creating narrative-driven immersive experiences, it’s important to verify that the storylines accurately represent the lived experiences of people with the same identities as the characters.
Suppose the actors who voice the CGI characters or avatars don’t reflect the intersectional identity of the person they are trying to play. In that case, the immersive experience is unlikely to promote empathy and understanding effectively. There’s a real danger people will see the training as an exercise in mimicry, not empathy.
Solution: Work with suppliers who have invested more seriously and comprehensively in design and content, particularly those who prioritize authentic representation.
2. More than an emotional connection
Learning Design: To ensure that immersive human skills training is effective, it is important to work with suppliers who focus on the immersive aspect and incorporate it into an intentional learning strategy. For example, when white employees are shown how neurotypical people are thrust into navigating the workplace as someone who is neurodivergent, they gain a deeper understanding of what it feels like to be the recipient of unconscious bias. So, how do learning professionals ensure that learners apply the knowledge and skills gained to their daily lives?
Solution Ultimately, the success of immersive training should be measured not just by the emotional connection of the learner but by how it changes attitudes and behaviors. Businesses can see the benefits of immersive training on culture, policy, and even their products and services when done at scale. Work with immersive learning partners with a well-thought-out learning design that includes opportunities to practice skill-building and implement learning. When tailored to moments that matter in the talent lifecycle- hiring, performance reviews, and career advancement — learners can build skills right when they need it. This can be achieved through on-demand immersive experiences and social learning within discussion groups or more intimate conversations among teammates.
3. Focus on analytics and metrics
Reporting issues: We are in the era of data and people analytics, and it’s important to find immersive learning partners who prioritize data and analytics in their approach to training. Many immersive learning suppliers rely solely on surface-level metrics, such as how learners engage with and progress through the learning experience. Learning leaders need to connect their programs to business goals and strategies, like impact on employee engagement, retention, and culture.
Solution: Partner with immersive learning experts who measure the impact of their training by asking diagnostic questions at the program’s beginning, middle, and end. This helps keep tabs on your progress and growth in important areas like spotting bias and taking informed action.
Changing Your Culture for the Better
While virtual reality and immersion concepts were squarely in the metaverse and science fiction domain, they are now being used for a real-world purpose: to create more collaborative, inclusive, and empathetic workplaces.
For many modern companies, immersive learning is emerging as the next frontier of corporate training. However, it risks adding more dust to your learning tech stack without being connected to an intentional learning design and strategy.
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