Immersive learning fundamentally is changing the way people learn and grow. Immersive learning, as a mode of eLearning method, is highly interactive and has a high-fidelity rate. To maintain the existence and the expansion of the technological era, immersive Learning leverages technologies such as Virtual reality (VR), Augmented reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Simulation learning to enable the learning process. These tools work for businesses, and they work for people. With the help of immersive learning tools, organizations can teach their employees better, faster, and more efficiently than traditional training methods. VR-based programs can improve performance by 70%. Moreover, 97% of learners would like to take an immersive course (Source: VRARA, ET & S). 7 out of 10 teachers want to use immersive technology to simulate experiences (Source: VRARA, ET & S). But what is immersive learning? And how do we create an immersive Learning environment?
Table of Contents
What is Immersive Learning?
Immersive learning is not a traditional format of learning. In a conventional structure of learning, one usually goes through a download of information. In immersive learning, it is about the experience. It is not about directive learning. It is about facilitative learning. It is an environment where people have a realization that leads to real change in behavior and habit. It simulates real experiences in the form of made-up scenarios relevant to people. These experiences transform their knowledge into skills that they can use in their life. This type of learning provides a futuristic approach to mundane learning systems using Virtual Reality (VR) to simulate real-world scenarios to train employees in a safe and engaging immersive learning environment (ILEs).
Immersive learning gives the workers a chance to upskill on their job more quickly, putting them on pathways to advancement faster and creating significant economic mobility opportunities. The success of any corporate also depends on the quality of employees one hires. Therefore, building an effective team is the key to ensuring that your business prospers. With immersive learning, organizations can increase their total productivity while assisting trainees in becoming highly trained workers. With the help of immersive learning tools, organizations can train their employees better, faster, and more efficiently than traditional training methods. This technology can reach any human being and thus democratizes learning in a big way.
Example of Immersive Learning
Immersive Learning is how we have always learned because it is life-like. Everything we go through in life is an Immersive learning experience. So, the experience you just had, you can reflect on that experience later and draw lessons from it. That is because experiences are immersive. Learning becomes extremely superficial when we separate these experiences from the learning process. This essential nature of gathering knowledge is ensured in an immersive learning method.
How to Create Immersive Learning?
Immersive learning creates experiences in the form of scenarios that are relevant to people. It is a very symbolic way Immersive Learning develops the learning environment—using Games and Game methodology to embed within the learning environment to foster immersiveness through competition. The games are made to be played in a way that allows players to experiment, fail, and change their approaches to get a comprehensive understanding, precisely like in real life.
To amplify your training effectiveness and impact, highly immersive techniques include:
- Augmented Reality (AR)
- Virtual reality (VR)
- Mixed Reality (MR)
- Gamification/ Gamified Learning
- 3D immersive learning (3D)
- Real-life Scenarios
- Interactive Stories
- Branching Simulations
- Next Gen Strategies
Immersive learning lets people experience life through games. When an individual experiences, they can learn and associate with that experience. And then, Immersive learning extracts them to reflect on those experiences and assess those behaviors. Thus, Immersive learning creates accurate understanding.
Uses of Immersive Learning
Immersive learning is used to achieve different purposes:
- Connecting with distant learners. The ability to interact with students from many locations is made possible by immersive learning methods. Any learner from anywhere can participate in the same learning environment created by using immersive learning technology.
- Increase sales. Immersive learning transforms workforce training. It allows the workers to upskill their job faster and creates significant economic mobility opportunities. As a result, there comes a change in the productivity rate of the organization.
- Access technology. The usage of immersive learning methods makes technology more accessible to the learners and the facilitators. It, in return, democratizes the learning environment.
Why should learners engage in Immersive Learning?
- More accessible: Immersive learning is ever-evolving. The hardware is becoming less expensive and more accessible, and the learners can completely customize the process to meet the needs of any business. Employers can make this powerful training accessible to employees across their organization, resulting in more people learning and qualifying for promotions. Therefore, immersive learning drives positive outcomes for businesses and workers.
- Requires Less time: With easy, immediate access, the Learners needed 53% less time than classroom training and 33% less time than eLearning to learn concepts, demonstrating significantly higher learning outcomes (Source: PwC Skills Study, February 2020).
- Outcome-driven learning: The effectiveness of immersive learning has been demonstrated, with assignments being finished on schedule. As a result, compared to other conventional learning approaches, this style of education has a higher likelihood of producing successful results. Immersive learners always develop more extraordinary cognitive abilities than traditional learners. They exhibit better problem-solving skills, better memory, and higher attention control.
- Change in thinking and behavioral change: Immersive learning enables learners to influence the behavior taken in real-life and, as a result, helps achieve the outcome. However, Immersive Learning must be well designed, accounting for all the variables in the learner’s real life.
- Better completion rates: Immersive learning does an exceptional job at keeping the learners engaged throughout the learning journey. It cultivates more experience from augmented reality than virtual ones.
- Higher recall and retention: Visual effects are highly appreciated when it comes to learning. Therefore, by creating audio-visual techniques as a reality, immersive learning transforms how we used to learn and makes it a more easily graspable form of eLearning.
- Promotes learning through experience: Immersive learning ensures that knowledge is fundamental and relevant to people by facilitating understanding through expertise. It develops essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication.
- Individual oriented: An Immersive learning method might not always offer an environment that fosters social skills development. But by providing individualized programs, Immersive learning gives them a safer and more controlled environment. It generates an individualized experience. Also, immersive learning is highly engaging and realistic, and the learners develop an emotional attachment to the learning process.
- Avoids Commuting: The learnings are available at any time and in any place. The learners don’t have to travel between locations to learn; therefore, they can save a lot of time and money in an immersive learning process.
Conclusion
To sum up, the immersive learning method is a unique approach that can improve eLearning and transform the entire education system. The process has a remarkable chance to shape the future and assist in achieving some of the most critical and unfulfilled objectives. Therefore, corporate organizations and educational institutions must favor learning management systems that can facilitate immersive learning.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What do you mean by immersive learning?
Immersive learning, as a mode of eLearning method, simulates real experiences in the form of made-up scenarios relevant to people. These experiences transform their knowledge into skills that they can use in their life.
What is an immersive learning environment?
Immersive learning environments (ILEs) are learning situations created using several technologies and software tools, including VR, gamified, simulation-based, and virtual 3D worlds.
What is immersive learning and its benefits?
Immersive learning allows learners to experience real-world situations in a secure setting. As a result, they may develop new information faster and acquire crucial abilities like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
How does immersive learning help in the future?
Immersive learners always develop more extraordinary cognitive abilities than traditional learners. They exhibit better problem-solving skills, better memory, and higher attention control.