Virtual reality (VR) training offers your learners a fully immersive solution and has been shown to demonstrate enhanced learning experience from more traditional teaching methods by virtue of the immersive nature of the solution.
Yes, your learners will have to wear a head set but today we are all accustomed to using technology in its various forms in all parts of our lives, and if we aren’t, we need to ensure we are offering solutions that are always appropriate to the need.
A study from PWC in soft skills training using VR demonstrated the gains provided by this type of learning compared to both eLearning and classroom learning.
In a truly innovative report, Seeing is Believing, PWC discuss how VR and AR have the potential to transform training, business and the economy.
One of the discussion points includes the fact that in a high-risk scenario VR often eliminates risk as well as ensuring that a consistent training experience is provided and has the ability to bring brings disparate personnel together; they use the example of militaries using VR to train soldiers for bomb disposal.
All 3 of the UK military services have been using VR in some form since the 1980s when computers were introduced into simulators (1). VR is now implemented into a variety of areas from parachute training, vehicle training and situational training.
Medical students in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (2) are just some of the latest medical students to use this immersive approach to learning by enabling them to take part in operations.
Whilst openly acknowledged that VR training in a medical scenario does not substitute real-life training, it provides an enhanced experience to junior doctors, ensures they can experience a wide range of scenarios and during periods of lock down, has ensured collaborative learning can continue remotely.
“Virtual reality gives students access to a whole number of virtual patients in a way that doesn’t exist at the moment.”
A 2019 study by Oxford University’s Simulation, Teaching and Research Centre, where the OMS software is used, found that they were equal to or outperformed classic teaching methods. (3)
In April 2021, the European Aviation Safety Agency first certificate for a Virtual Reality (VR) based Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD). This was preceded by a training evaluation program which involving pilots and aviation experts, to ensure that of VR was suitable medium to provide this training in rotocraft operation.
In a similar vein, here at Kilo, we have developed a collaborative VR Training Solution for the Maritime Industry, called VASCO, which focused on the provision of BRM and ColRegs training within a fully interactive Bridge Environment, but where the learner participates from a location of their choice.
Additionally, and in collaboration with some Key Maritime Partners, we are in the process of developing a single user experience that focuses on the art of Ship Handling and provides an off-line immersive VR experience that permits Users to use internal ship capabilities to counter the external environmental conditions. We will be providing further updates and information on this exciting approach during early 2022.
In addition to an all the learning benefits that VR offers, it is an affordable solution with the implementation of required technology quick and easy to roll out.
With the price point for a headset less than the cost of an average mobile phone, this point of access opens up significant opportunities to look at equipment of this nature as important as the ‘bus pass’ to school given its ability to provide access to a plethora of contemporary learning content, delivered at a place of the learner’s choosing.
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