In the last decades, Virtual Reality has been bringing the classical modes of learning and development closer to new forms of conception more suitable for a majority audience.

It has been learning from the way we learn, to improve the systems and propose new alternatives that, right now, are seen as the most viable options to maintain the level of learning and development.

And the future looks even more virtual. Discover how Virtual Reality will continue to transform the field of learning and education.

Keys to VR Training - Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) training is gaining a foothold in its own right in the learning and training industry.

Due to the health crisis that has hit the world, teachers around the world are looking forward to finding new alternatives. And the truth is that they are amazed and delighted with the possibilities offered by VR. Every day, more and more students experience the feeling of being tied to a VR helmet and getting lost in a memorable virtual environment.

Before following the explanation of this article, it is worth explaining a certain term that can lead to confusion. Although we are at a time when a lot of ideas and projects related to Virtual Reality have emerged, such as SimlabIT, which proclaim time and again that “VR is the future of education”, this statement can lead to confusion.

Because the truth is, training and learning are fields that have been of interest to virtual reality for a long time. While it is true that they are now seen as present and future options for solving and improving the training and learning situation, this is a field that has been under investigation for a long time.

The truth is that VR training is a learning modality, not the only one. However, it is one of the most impressive, close and attractive to the new generations so far. But the truth is that since the Covid-19 crisis, the whole world has realized the importance of maintaining a path of work, teaching, training and learning that does not require physical presence.

That’s why VR training is changing the way we learn and the way we design learning, for the better. VR has been transforming learning since its inception and will probably continue to do so for years to come.

VR has changed the past, is changing the present and will change the future.

At this point in the story, it is worth asking yourself a few questions that will allow us to find out the best forms and methods that we can adopt when implementing a system of training, coaching and learning in VR.

If VR has changed the past, is changing the present and will change the future, it is a question of finding out how it is changing, how is training in VR changing the way we develop training and learning programmes?

Here are 4 possible answers:

1.    Virtual Reality is a closer and more attractive medium for all students

Surely you can’t imagine a way to make a child feel really interested in those subjects that don’t interest him at first. VR is a great way to make something attractive that, for students so far, has generally been monotonous, boring and tedious.

With a technology whereby computer-assisted stimuli create the immersive illusion of being somewhere else, this illusion of immersion is perhaps the greatest strength of VR.

No other medium can give users the feeling of “being there” better than VR, and that makes VR training such an exciting tool for on-the-job learning. No other form of training can provide the immersive experience: VR fully captures the attention of learners and, in doing so, increases their retention of information.

VR reduces distractions because it is so highly appealing to students that any lesson or curriculum content that is converted into this format will automatically become a favourite part of the study for the student.

2.    VR teaches skills through simulation

Since 1996, when Professor Thomas A. Furness III developed the first visual flight simulator, which was used to train U.S. Air Force pilots, the steps to improve the quality of VR training have not ceased, and by 2020, solutions that combine quality and cost reduction have been achieved.

There is no doubt that just as VR transports trainees to a different world, and allows people to do something that might be too dangerous, too expensive, or too difficult to repeat in real life, it can also be used to lighten the economic cost of studies in medicine, which require cadavers or organic parts of living beings.

And no matter how “dangerous” or “difficult” the VR training scenario, students are likely to develop physical memory and retain new information through the repetition of practical skills.

People feel like they’re really there and they’re doing it. The more a course reflects a student’s work environment, the stronger the memory that course will be.

With VR, people can receive first-hand training on demand and on location. In this way, VR training can reduce costs and risks for companies and students.

3. With VR, students gain knowledge through interaction

The real goal of training is retention: “The brain is prepared to forget. For training to be retained and guide long-term behavior, it must be stored in long-term memory.

VR training has a great advantage over other training methods. This mode allows students to interact with a spatial representation of the information they receive. Instead of just reading about an experience, students can live that experience in a controlled environment.

In VR, students gain knowledge through interaction. It’s the closest thing to being in the real world, having a first-hand experience.

The numbers support this statement. Researchers from the University of Maryland conducted a memory test on a group of people using VR and compared their results to a group using a two-dimensional screen on a personal computer. 40% of the participants who used VR had at least 10% more recall than participants who used PC.

4. VR training can alter behaviours and create empathy

Thanks to VR, we can simulate someone else’s experience. You can experience what it is like to do what that person does, or you can see how others interact with that person in any environment.

In the latest wave of VR training, the service industry has started to train sales, customer care and insurance personnel with basic social simulations.

Imagine that you put on an VR headset and suddenly you can’t hear well while someone interacts with you. That can give you a pretty good idea of what the day-to-day life of hearing impaired people is like. Imagine a simulation where you are a person of color and a cop approaches you unfairly, making you understand first-hand what racial prejudice looks like.

Through simulation, interaction and immersion, VR can challenge our understanding of the world and make us more empathetic.

We’ve come a long way since 1966. Since then, VR has transformed the field of coaching, training, learning and development, and continues to do so. Whether or not VRsea is the only future, it is definitely a path that will continue to take us forward.

P.S. if you are interested in getting involved with Virtual reality in education, you can click the link here: https://simlabit.com/pilot-vr-editor

If you are interested in creating your own virtual reality laboratory, we also create free plans for that. To get your free plan, click on the link below.

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