If you’ve been waiting for a sign to focus on using AR/VR in training your employees, here it is! It’s high time you benefitted from all the advantages of augmented and virtual reality in facilitating the tough learning process. As a result of AR/VR training, your team’s going to be more productive and efficient, and less stressed at the same time!
Sounds too good to be true? Not at all. We’ve gathered some of the most important practical examples of how AR and VR can take trainees to a new level of knowledge acquisition.
Fewer dangers and risks
Metaphorically or literally, using augmented and/or virtual reality in training can save both your business and your employee’s life.
For instance, certain types of businesses require handling heavy machinery and working in conditions where a mistake could be fatal for the worker, the system, the client, or everyone.
Think about how managing machinery in power plants or manufacturing units leaves little room for mistakes. Or, imagine the operation theater at the local hospital. Luckily, AR/VR training can help workers and interns gain sufficient knowledge and skills before taking over. In one medical study, VR-trained residents were 29% faster in performing gallbladder dissection. Moreover, they were six times less likely to cause mean errors.
Therefore, learning via AR/VR simulations can prevent possible injuries and accidents. In other words, it’s the opposite of “learning the hard way.”
Money-saving training
Despite the fact that you’re going to face the regular costs of using AR and VR for educational purposes, the financial advantages you’re going to obtain that way definitely surpass the initial education investment.
For example, bringing trainees into the factory and allowing them to operate the machinery you’re using for daily production is definitely more expensive than using a simulator. In the first case, you’d have to wait for the right time when the regular workers aren’t using the machine. Otherwise, you’d just have to face the fact that one production process is probably going to waste if the trainees can’t deliver the same result as regular workers, even with more time.
Eventually, you’d be losing both time and money (and maybe some patience too). Also, unskilled manipulation can lead to malfunction or irreversible damage, which can also translate into financial loss.
All things considered, using AR and VR for training definitely pays off, especially in the long run.
Possibilities to reevaluate the system
Let’s say you’ve developed a system or software you’re actively using at work. Now, your eager trainees have to complete an AR/VR simulation to get to know the software in full. In order to master it, they’ll have to complete a certain number of steps during the learning process. However, what happens if a majority has issues with its operation? That can be a valid sign of an issue with the actual software or machine you might have overlooked.
This means that AR and VR training can help you test your own product and tools, aside from evaluating or training the new team members.
Better interest analytics
Would you like to know just how useful or exciting a new application is to the trainees? With VR headsets, for example, it’s fairly easy to determine. Now you can track learners’ eye contact to reveal just how curious they are about the program. The time they spend with these solutions can also be a clear indication of enthusiasm around learning and training with these tools.
Of course, those metrics alone might not paint the whole picture. That’s why you should combine the data you gather from the VR and AR use with feedback from all participants. That way, you’ll be sure about how people feel about these tech solutions.
Soft skills improvement
AR and VR supremacy in education goes beyond facilitating the assemblance of different pieces of equipment. These two types of reality can also help employees develop their soft skills. Walmart’s example is already legendary in that sense. The company introduced VR headsets as a part of their training to prepare the workers for dealing with peaks in demand (e.g., during Black Friday). Compared to the traditional learning methods, the VR trainees typically scored higher on tests.
This type of training isn’t limited only to large retailers, though. Peugeot also uses VR to help its employees deal with challenging questions.
Preparing for emergencies
Without a doubt, augmented and virtual reality training helps trainees to better prepare for sudden emergencies because they’ll get a better insight into what they can expect. This training is helpful not only because they’ll react quicker in emergencies, but because it can also clear any doubts for trainees who are worried about their own reactions. It really boosts confidence levels and makes the learning curve easier.
The fun factor
Why do VR/AR program trainees achieve such good results? One of the answers could be — they’re simply having more fun learning new stuff! Learning by doing is far more entertaining than sitting at a desk and listening to an online course.
Also, the learning experience is much more immersive than old methods. AR/VR sharpens the competitive edge, too, making the whole training process gamelike.
A support tool for the future
As the remote workforce is here to stay, VR and AR training sessions are becoming more common and will continue to be so. About 22% of US citizens will be working remotely by 2025, which means that these types of training are going to have a crucial role in their education.
Thanks to augmented and virtual reality, it will no longer be necessary to travel to the office to take a course, or for the company to book or rent training space. That brings us back to the money-saving advantage too.
Augmented and virtual reality have proven themselves invaluable, especially during emergency training. In addition, with the remote workforce’s continuous increase and the fact that VR/AR training boosts overall performance, we can only expect more companies to include VR headsets and similar tools in their training processes.
To sum up, perhaps one of the best things about AR/VR for educational purposes is that both the employer and employees find the AR/VR experience and results precious.
