Virtual reality (VR) offers a host of compelling benefits to training managers and educators in the fields of engineering, architecture, and design. In addition to making the learning process more interesting to trainees, VR is a cost-effective and efficient means of educating students and employees. Most important, VR offers a safe alternative to costly site visits. By incorporating VR into your training initiatives, you can transform your outdated training platform into an enjoyable interactive experience that keeps your trainees engaged in the learning process.
How can educators incorporate virtual reality into interactive training initiatives?
With the VR market expected to exceed $48 billion by 2025, training managers are rapidly discovering the many ways that they can enhance training platforms with VR. As VR continues to gain popularity among trainers and educators, a growing number of students and trainees are enjoying the benefits of interactive training. Below are a few of the specific industries that are using VR to introduce trainees to the real-life application of complex theory:
- Architects: VR is transforming the way architects work. Headsets and handheld tools enable architects in training to visualize how people will interact with a proposed building or renovated space. More important, they can visualize a structure’s proposed transfiguration within the course of an hour, expediting the learning process.
- Biomedical engineers: With VR, technicians and engineers can complete a simulated walkthrough of a hospital to familiarize themselves with the facility’s floor plan. They can get a feel for the hospital’s capacity and learn in advance how to best install and access med-gas systems and capital medical equipment.
- Building maintenance employees: Incorporating VR into a training program provides an invaluable means of training technicians on the maintenance of building components. Additionally, maintenance employees are exposed via simulation to safety hazards that could potentially compromise them while on the job.
- Interior Designers: A training program that includes VR allows designers and decorators to visualize the impact that various colors and textures will have on a facility’s ambiance. They are also able to see how different furnishings can change a facility’s overall style.
- Stakeholders: Public officials and investors often have difficulty envisioning how a proposed development will benefit a community. Educators offer VR as a means of educating stakeholders about the advantages of a prospective development. In many cases, the introduction of VR fosters consensus-building among stakeholders who lack the technical expertise possessed by architects and engineers.
What are the benefits of incorporating VR into an interactive training program?
VR can transform a lackluster training program into an engaging, memorable learning experience. By encouraging participants to immerse themselves in an interactive environment, VR succeeds in making complex material enjoyable to learn. Below are ten benefits of incorporating VR into your interactive training program.
1) Your organization will enjoy significant cost savings. Many traditional training initiatives use site visits to real-time construction projects to expose students and trainees to project management practices and the implementation of engineering theory. These site visits can be both costly and time-consuming because they require time and travel. Exploring projects using VR eliminates expenses related to time and travel because trainees do not have to travel offsite to enjoy the benefits of a live site visit.
2) Trainees can learn at their own speed. People are not uniform in their learning styles and speeds. An interactive training platform that features VR enables trainees to take the time that they need to grasp concepts and material. Advanced learners or trainees who are already familiar with an area of a structure can skip over sections of a VR tour while students who struggle with concepts can take extra time to grasp concepts.
3) VR is useful for people with different learning styles. Not everyone has the same type of learning style. VR is great for people whose ideal learning styles are visual or kinesthetic. When featured as a part of a training program, VR enables trainees to interact with virtual experts who can help gauge a learner’s progress and specific needs.
4) Training platforms that feature VR are safe. Unlike traditional site visits which can expose participants to threats to their safety, training initiatives that feature VR are completely safe. Learners do not have to wear protective gear to during training and can virtually “walk through” a hazardous construction site without worry that their safety is at risk.
5) People can receive training from any location. In contrast to classroom-based training or onsite training, training platforms that include VR enable participants to receive training from any location. This is advantageous to organizations with an international scope, as students and employees can engage in learning from home, school, or even from miles away in another country. In fact, VR prepares trainees for the nuances of a structure before they even set foot on the location they are studying.
6) A large number of individuals can be trained simultaneously. Improved training efficiency is a major benefit for educators who are responsible for training large groups of people. There are no size restrictions such as those that can limit traditional classroom training. This makes VR a great addition to platforms used to get large numbers of engineers, designers, and maintenance crews up to speed quickly.
7) Trainees are more engaged in the learning process. Most individuals are able to learn and retain information better if the learning process is an enjoyable one. The highly visual nature of VR facilitates learning for trainees who sometimes have difficulty grasping the complex concepts associated with engineering and architecture. This builds confidence and fulfillment among learners who enjoy the fun and entertainment that VR brings to a training platform.
8) Updates are easy to incorporate into training initiatives. Updates to projects and training material can be made quickly and easily to simulated platforms. This ensures that interactive training programs are kept current to include the architectural styles, traffic patterns, and design trends. VR simulations can even be updated before real-life changes are implemented, enabling trainees to understand why modifications are necessary.
9) Compliance training is more enjoyable with interactive training programs that feature VR. Failure to comply with industry standards in the engineering or architectural industries can result in serious financial penalties and a poor industry reputation. Unfortunately, many people dread compliance training because the material is dry and complex. Interactive training programs that feature simulation make compliance training more enjoyable by referencing compliance concepts as they impact the simulation.
10) You can train a multi-lingual workforce efficiently. With over 6,000 different languages spoken across the globe, training managers cannot afford to provide training in a single language. In fact, many industry organizations across the globe mandate that employees are trained using language that they can clearly understand. VR simulations can easily be modified to feature a variety of languages.
The Bottom Line
Incorporating virtual reality into your interactive training program is an effective means of educating learners efficiently and affordably. VR is particularly useful when included as a feature component of online training programs in the field of engineering. Contact the experts at INDBIM to learn more about the many ways that VR can help you develop a first-rate interactive learning experience for your team of trainees. They can introduce you to the specific ways that an interactive training program with VR can help your team of professionals excel at learning.