VR and 360 Degree Training

Benefits of using VR and 360 Degree Media in training:

• Immersive experiences: Engagement is critical to training outcomes, and the immersive training environment provided by VR boosts engagement.
  
  
• Practice makes perfect: Workers with difficult jobs can sharpen their skills without worrying about real-world consequences.
  
  
• Reduced pressure and enhanced creativity: Because all training is virtual, workers can take risks they usually wouldn’t take or pursue creative, high-risk solutions to problems.
  
  
• Previewing: VR technology allows companies to perform test runs of new initiatives to see how employees respond.
  
  
• Accelerated learning: Because VR is so immersive and compelling, learners absorb information faster and retain what they have learned longer. Memory formation is linked to emotional response, and VR is an emotionally charged experience.

 

Use VR and 360 Degree Media for Corporate Onboarding and Critical Skills Training.

Due to the immersive nature of VR, it is a good choice to reinforce the most critical aspects of training or skill development. For example, health care organizations are increasingly using VR to train surgeons on new techniques in a risk-free environment. For other employees who are tasked with sensitive or critical operations, VR training can be a vital tool that reduces errors and lowers liability.

 

Measure the Effectiveness of Your VR and 360 Degree Training Programs.

One way to evaluate VR training effectiveness is to administer a skills assessment following a VR session. For example, a hospital provided VR training to help its employees master the skill of IV insertion and used post-training assessments to demonstrate that their skills were enhanced significantly after one training session.

You may ask your employees to provide feedback about what works and what needs improvement following VR training. Integrate this input when designing your VR content.

 

Make Your VR and 360 Degree Media as Interactive as Possible.

The more employees feel that they are interacting with a live environment, the more impactful the experience. Add narration or allow users to dictate their path in a non-linear fashion as they explore the virtual environment. Consider adding elements such as voiceover or hotspot overlays to make the experience more immersive and memorable.

 

Use VR as a Learning Lab.

Allow employees to use virtual environments to create radical new solutions to problems or upgrades to existing services or products. You can also use VR to ramp up the benefits of scenario-based learning, which is known to enhance critical thinking and real-world decision-making. By integrating immersive, 360-degree video into scenario-based training, the experience is more resonant and realistic, which will help people retain what they have learned.

 

Employees can use virtual environments to create radical new solutions to problems.

Virtual reality is poised to be a breakthrough technology for training, thanks to its immersive nature and the freedom it offers to practice in realistic settings without worrying about outcomes. Follow these tips to increase the effectiveness of your VR training program.