Best Practices for Implementing Immersive Learning in Your Organization
If you don’t already have an immersive learning strategy, you’re missing out on an incredible opportunity. Countless reports and case studies have shown immersive learning has the power to accelerate skill development, improve knowledge retention, and reduce costs.
In fact, according to a frequently cited study from PWC, employees trained with XR are more confident, efficient, and engaged than their peers. They even complete their training up to four times faster than classroom learners.
But there’s more to investing in immersive learning than just buying headsets and downloading software. Here’s how you can develop a strategy that successfully guides your teams towards successful outcomes and improves your ROI.
Building an Immersive Learning Strategy: Best Practices
The first step in developing a strong immersive learning strategy is the same initial step companies should take whenever they’re developing a new initiative: setting goals. Take a step back and identify what you want to achieve. Do you want to improve retention rates and employee engagement, minimize training costs, or help make teams safer?
Once your goals are clear, you’ll be ready to design an effective program. Here are the best practices for implementing an immersive learning strategy in your organization:
Choosing the Right Tech for Your Immersive Learning Strategy
The right technology is the heart of an effective immersive learning strategy. To ensure you’re choosing the right solutions, start by assessing your needs. Identify your team’s specific skill and knowledge gaps and where traditional learning methods fall short.
Based on that assessment, ask yourself what type of immersive technology is likely to deliver the best benefits. For instance, if employees need help developing skills in immersive scenarios you can’t replicate in the office (like learning how to manage a cockpit), you might choose virtual reality.
If teams need support learning how to repair machines on the field, with assistance from actual subject-matter experts, you might consider augmented or mixed reality.
Think about the additional tools you might need, from haptic feedback systems to cloud-based computing services to help with streaming content. Additionally, make sure you think about your budget. For instance, Tank Tock Seng Hospital chose Meta Quest 3 headsets for their training strategy to access mixed reality capabilities at a lower cost per headset.
Designing an Engaging Curriculum
Next is designing your curriculum. Some XR innovators offer access to pre-built modules and training software for companies in specific industries. Others will work with organizations to develop custom solutions, like Virtualware – the company that won awards for its immersive railway training program. To define the lessons you need, collaborate with stakeholders.
Engage instructional designers, managers, and employees in the development process to ensure you’re tackling real-world challenges and organizational goals. Whether you’re using a pre-built service or starting from scratch:
- Focus on Realism: Develop scenarios that mirror actual workplace situations. Realistic simulations enhance engagement and improve knowledge retention. For instance, TRU Simulation’s VERIS™ VR simulator offers pilots ultra-realistic environments to practice both routine operations and emergency procedures, enhancing safety and preparedness.
- Ensure Adaptability: Select platforms that allow for easy updates. As procedures evolve or new challenges emerge, you’ll be able to modify the curriculum without overhauling the entire system. This adaptability will help to keep costs low.
- Run pilot programs: Engage early adopters within your organization to test these technologies and provide feedback, ensuring the chosen solution aligns with your objectives. This way, you’ll be able to ensure maximum impact from your training sessions.
Remember, your immersive learning strategy can start small, with just a few onboarding sessions or programs focusing on technical skills; then it can scale to cover every skill development need.
Embedding Immersive Learning into Existing Training Programs
Developing an immersive learning strategy doesn’t have to mean overhauling your entire approach to employee development. Integrating immersive elements into your existing framework can help to accelerate adoption and improve the ROI of your current resources.
Consider finding ways to blend traditional and immersive training methods. For instance, traditional lectures could be enhanced with virtual reality (VR) simulations, allowing employees to practice skills in realistic scenarios. If you already offer mentorship and on-the-job training to field workers, giving them AR or mixed reality headsets so they can access support from remote experts could improve collaboration and knowledge sharing.
For instance, Clorox uses Vuzix M400 smart glasses to allow employees on the field to access real-time expert guidance as they work on repairs and complex jobs. Introducing AR helped the company reduce machinery downtime by 20% and accelerate training sessions.
Monitoring Progress in Your Immersive Learning Strategy
You can’t improve what you don’t measure, so pay attention to the results of your immersive learning strategy. Most XR software solutions and software platforms give you access to valuable reports you can use to track engagement levels, performance improvements, and test scores.
Metrics such as time spent in simulations, completion rates, and assessment scores provide insights into the effectiveness of the training. Advanced analytics can also identify patterns, helping to pinpoint areas needing improvement. Plus, you can use tools like Meta Quest for Business for immediate insights into how long people actually spend in training sessions.
Remember to gather feedback, too. Encourage participants to share their experiences and suggestions. This gives you valuable perspectives that quantitative metrics might miss. Regular surveys, focus groups, or informal check-ins can uncover insights into the training’s relevance and impact.
Adjust your strategy accordingly based on the data you collect, modifying scenarios, updating content, and even embracing new technologies, like haptic accessories.
Scaling Your Immersive Learning Strategy
To optimize the ROI of your immersive learning strategy, you’ll need to be prepared to scale. The more you invest in XR technology for education, the more benefits you’ll see, from reduced downtime to enhanced employee engagement.
Start with pilot programs for each module or program you’re planning on rolling out, so you can test your immersive learning tools and gather feedback. Stay updated with he latest technology advancements, and how they can help you build custom learning strategies.
For instance, the Meta Quest 3S offers a more affordable way to bring VR and mixed reality into training scenarios, and Meta Quest for Business improves access to business metrics and device management tools. Solutions like Varjo Teleport make it simple to create digital twins for realistic training scenarios, while Microsoft Mesh makes it easy to build collaborative training environments.
As you scale, continue gathering feedback and insights so you can take a more data-driven approach to developing new components for your immersive learning strategy.
Overcoming Resistance: Quick Tips
Immersive learning is becoming extremely popular among businesses and employees, allowing organizations to create more engaging, meaningful, and powerful development programs. However, there’s still a chance you might face resistance from some team members.
Prepare for potential adoption issues by:
- Communicating Benefits Clearly: People need to know what’s in it for them. Be clear about how immersive learning will enhance skills, boost career growth, and make training more engaging. Show employees real examples of how similar programs have helped professionals in their roles – whether it’s improving leadership, technical skills, or safety awareness. Link immersive learning to career progression to make it feel like an opportunity.
- Provide Hands-On Demos: Seeing is believing. Instead of explaining the benefits through slides, let employees experience the technology firsthand. Offer short, engaging demos that showcase how immersive learning works. If they can put on a headset and experience a life-like simulation, they’ll immediately understand the value.
- Make it Fun and Personalized: No one wants boring, one-size-fits-all training. Make immersive learning enjoyable by tailoring content to individual roles and needs. Gamification, interactive storytelling, and real-world scenarios can make learning more compelling. Encourage feedback and adapt the content based on what employees find most useful.
Resistance fades when people see relevance, ease of use, and real career benefits. By making your immersive learning strategy engaging, accessible, and personal, you’ll create an experience that employees want to be a part of.
Developing Your Immersive Learning Strategy
Creating an immersive learning strategy is about more than just buying new technology. It’s about reshaping your approach to how employees learn and grow. By setting clear goals, choosing tools and programs carefully, and gathering constant feedback, you can create an educational environment that drives genuine results.
The future of learning is immersive; don’t be left behind.
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