Immersive learning has been steadily gaining ground and is one of the most favored approaches for interactive technical learning, where being ‘immersed’ in the learning event, mimicking real-time interactions, and experiencing real-time outcomes are integral to holistic, accurate, and reliable learning.

What exactly is immersive learning?

“Immersive learning is a technique that makes use of an artificial or simulated environment through which the learners can become completely immersed in the learning process. It has the potential to bring abstract learning scenarios to life, thus making real the very important, but difficult task of recreating interactions for the learners.”

Dale’s Cone of Experience “is a model that incorporates several theories related to instructional design and the learning experience. During the 1960s, Edgar Dale theorized that learners retain more information by what they “do” as opposed to what is “heard”, “read” or “observed”. His research led to the development of the Cone of Experience. Today, this “learning by doing” has become known as “experiential learning” or “action learning”.

Action or experiential learning, by very virtue of its nature, is eminently suited for technical training which requires that the learning and retention outcomes guarantee a high degree of accuracy. An immersive learning ecosystem allows the learner to make errors while learning experientially, through simulated experiences in the assurance that the mistakes will not hamper or damage anyone/anything in the real environment, as it is being done in a ‘safe’ virtual space. 

Immersive learning is the most optimal solution for any training that requires hands-on learning. It follows naturally then that the following industries especially benefit from training their workforce using the safe environs of immersive learning:

• Healthcare
• Safety 
• Manufacturing 
• Warehousing and Logistics
• Science Labs
• Automotive
• Military
• Aerospace
• Pharmaceuticals
• Oil and Gas
• Space
• Skilled Trades (Vocational Courses)

In this blog, we will examine the two most popular technologies for developing an immersive learning experience for technical training and their inherent advantages.

Augmented Reality Technology – AR

As the name suggests, this technology adds on to or augments reality. “Augmented reality refers to any technology that ‘augments’ the user’s visual (and in some case auditory) perception of their environment. Typically, digital information is superimposed over a natural existing environment. Information is tailored to the user’s physical position as well as the context of the task, thereby helping the user to solve the problem and complete the task.” Source: The Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance. AR, in essence, enhances the physical reality with computer-generated virtual elements.

The three most popular types of AR technology include:

• Image target – overlaying a real-world 2D image with 3D objects or text, video, images, as in scanning a real inspection checklist, which is overlaid with a video that explains the process.
• Object recognition – fixing a 3D digital model to a real-world 3D object, as in scanning a real-world car engine, fixing a digital 3D model engine to it that learners can tinker with, without fear of failure/risk.
• Plane detection – fixing a digital 3D model to a real-world flat surface, as in scanning a factory floor and moving around the various sections.

Other examples of AR in training and learning include simulations where trainee surgeons perform virtual surgeries, medical students explore the human anatomy virtually, space crew members receive visual instructions via AR goggles, explore a new planet virtually with Microsoft HoloLens, experience military training with vehicles and enemies as in the real world, simulate real-time welding, among others. AR helps increase comprehension through the visualization of objects that are difficult to replicate or risky to practice in real life. The simplest application of AR is when it is blended with traditional learning, for example, pointing the mobile to an image in the textbook and having videos come alive on the phone.

Benefits of AR

Risk-free experiential learning: no risk to the employee, no risk to the business, no risk to equipment.

Easy accessibility: learners carry the loaded program on their mobile device and can access it anywhere.

Powerful microlearning: learners usually focus on one section/part/problem and learn more effectively as they are wholly and interactively engaged in-the-moment. 

Need-based learning: Most AR learning is targeted at a particular need. This removes the burden of having to memorize substantial information and reduces/removes the opportunity for making errors.

High ROI: while implementing AR is an expensive proposition, the yields in terms of immediate learning and transfer to performance is exponentially higher than traditional learning with a positive impact on the bottom line. 

Virtual Reality Technology – VR

Unlike augmented reality which ‘adds’ on to existing reality, virtual reality is a separate world that comes alive via the use of devices such as the computer, headsets, gloves which ‘immerse’ the learner in an alternate reality.

Virtual Reality technology uses 3D generated images to immerse a learner into a simulated environment, and comprises two settings:

• Three Degrees of Freedom – learners can look left, right, up, down, and interact with the environment with a laser pointer controller, as in clinical and operational training.
• Six Degrees of Freedom – learners can move forward and backward, up, down, right, left, observe, and interact with objects in the environment, as in a flight simulation.

VR can be deployed by connecting a mobile phone to a VR headset, a standalone headset, or a desktop connected to a VR headset.

Applications of VR in training and learning include paramedical emergency services, medical training including surgeries, exit procedures in oil rigs, combat training, unit load device stacking in logistics, architectural walkthroughs, flight simulations, mental health, soft skills, among many others. Modern Learning Experience Platforms are able to host simulations of complex work scenarios, remotely and effectively.

Benefits of VR

Risk-free experiential learning: no risk to the employee, no risk to the business, no risk to equipment.

Experience: being immersed and present, just like one would be in real life, first-hand, increases engagement and retention.

Lack of time pressure: in a VR controlled environment, learners can take their own time to learn, repeat, make mistakes, learn from them, consider options, and practice so that the learning is of a higher order, and they can make informed and timely decisions in real life.

Factoring in stress: VR allows the learner to experience the same stress as he would in real life. Decision-making in stressful scenarios is a vital component that the learner can then transfer to the real world.

High ROI: while implementing VR is an expensive proposition, the yields in terms of immediate learning and transfer to performance is exponentially higher than traditional learning with a positive impact on the bottom line. 

Holistic learning: all the four learning styles – visual, auditory, reading, and kinesthetic – are deployed by the learner – for optimal learning. VR is the most compelling ‘muscle memory’ experience which enhances retention. 

Immersive technical training has been successfully deployed among corporates and is poised to grow dramatically. A FortuneInsight article published in November 2019 projects the virtual reality in education market size to grow to USD 13098.2 million from USD 656.6 million in 2018. Source: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/virtual-reality-in-education-market-101696

The value that immersive technical training holds is eminently clear – from training people to learn better, faster, efficiently, and safely to retain more and perform better on the job – it is now an absolute need of the hour and the future in this COVID-upended new world order calling for physical distancing, and low people turnouts. Learning Experience Platforms are especially suited to deploy immersive technical training with full vLab capabilities.

Fractal LXP is a mobile-first cloud-based Learning Experience Platform that is build to scale effectively for a global workforce. Write to us at lxp@originlearning.com to know more about how to design and deploy immersive learning programs for your organization.