Picture this: You’re on top of an 80-story building and must wear a harness to protect yourself if you fall. But there are different kinds of harnesses lying around. You pick what you think is the right one. But later, you fall—and learn too late that you chose the wrong harness.The scenario I described above is a virtual reality training my company offers.
By contrast, 3D environments can immerse learners in the subject matter, better preparing them for on-the-job tasks that can be a matter of life or death. VR is a supplement rather than a replacement for any on-site training that might occur. It’s also a supplement to any 2D videos employees might watch as part of their training. Ultimately, VR adds another layer to employees’ education.
VR can also simulate situations that aren’t feasible to replicate in the physical world. Consider a local firefighting department that wants to prepare new firefighters to fight a fire in a skyscraper. The department can’t start a fire in the physical world, but it can start one in virtual reality, have recruits go through multiple trainings in randomized scenarios and then assess their knowledge and skills.
Effectively leveraging VR in blended learning requires first designing a holistic curriculum with a thorough learning journey. Then, VR should be anchored in the curriculum and learning journey. If employees sporadically get VR training without having a curriculum to study in between sessions, that training is unlikely to be effective and “stick” at the organization. Leaders need to think through thebefore looking into VR training.