Research shows that humans are wired to learn actively. Our brain learns better when we’re engaged and emotionally invested in the learning process.
Immersive learning capitalizes on this principle—it involves creating an experience that places learners right in the heart of the subject matter. And the benefits of this increased engagement? Better understanding, improved knowledge retention, and a more positive learning experience.
If you’re curious about implementing immersive learning at your organization, you’re in the right place. In this ArborXR guide, we start with an overview of immersive learning before diving into the specifics of how it works and why it’s so effective (with examples).
What Is Immersive Learning?
Immersive learning is an approach to education that actively and deeply involves learners in the learning process. Rather than just watching or listening, students interact with the subject matter firsthand.
Traditionally, this is done through non-technological techniques like role-plays, hands-on training, and simulations. However, these methods are hard to scale due to safety risks, costs, and logistical issues like realistically simulating certain environments.
Extended reality (XR) is changing all of this.
Technologies like VR, AR, and MR are making it easier for trainers, educators, and employers to create (and scale) immersive learning experiences. They allow you to reap the benefits of traditional techniques without the limitations.
For example, instead of sending trainees to airfields for hands-on deicing training, Delta uses VR to simulate the experience. The result is an immersive experience that resonates with employees without incurring travel costs or risking safety.
Now, let’s talk more about the technologies making this possible.
Technologies Powering Immersive Learning
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality devices allow learners to interact with a completely immersive computer-generated environment. Essentially, learners wear a VR headset that blocks out the real world and replaces it with a virtual one. They can interact with this environment using hand controllers or other specialized devices.
VR allows for highly realistic simulations. This is ideal for things like training pilots to recover from emergency situations or teaching surgeons how to perform complex procedures.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Unlike VR, AR doesn’t replace the real world. Instead, it overlays digital information and elements onto the real world you see through a smartphone, tablet, or specialized glasses.
AR is useful for tasks where you want learners to interact with the real and virtual worlds, such as visualizing furniture placement in a room or seeing labels and details appear on top of machinery during maintenance training.
Mixed Reality (MR)
MR combines elements of both VR and AR.
It creates a hybrid environment where virtual and real objects coexist and interact in real-time. Learners can wear a specialized headset to see and manipulate the physical world and the superimposed digital elements.
WebXR
This is a newer technology that allows developers to create immersive learning experiences that are accessible within a web browser. This means learners can access these experiences on specialized VR and AR devices and any browser-enabled device, like their smartphones.
360-Degree Video
360-degree videos (also known as immersive videos or spherical videos) are a type of video that captures a complete view of the surroundings. Learners can use their mouse or a VR headset to navigate the 360° environment and explore different viewpoints.
While this medium is less interactive than full VR or AR experiences, it still helps boost immersion (which is critical for effective learning).
Key Benefits of Immersive Learning
Increased Engagement and Motivation
Immersive learning grabs learners’ attention by putting them in the middle of the action. This hands-on approach sparks excitement and curiosity, increasing learning engagement and motivation.
And speaking of excitement, here’s what Senior Vice President at Bank of America Michael Wynn had to say:
“The reaction to VR was the same regardless of where we ran it – employees were having fun. They were excited about it to the point they were actually talking to their family about it at the dinner table”
Improved Knowledge Retention
People tend to forget passive learning sessions quickly. One study found that employees forget 70% of what they’re taught within 24 hours of completing a session. And within a month? Almost 90% will need to be retrained. This is despite an average annual training cost of $1,300 per employee.
Technology-based immersive learning flips this script…Research shows that learning by doing, a core principle of immersive learning, greatly improves knowledge retention. Learners can retain up to 90% of what they’ve learned.
Another study found that VR, a key immersive learning technology, can boost retention rates by up to 16 times compared to traditional methods.
Quicker Time to Proficiency
Immersive learning can help you cut down training time big time. According to Talespin and PwC, immersive learning (more specifically via VR) can help trainees learn new skills up to 4X faster than in classrooms (and 1.5X faster than e-learning courses).
4 Key Applications of Immersive Learning Technologies
Education
From higher education to K-12, many educational institutions are starting to use immersive learning technologies to bring subjects to life, making learning more engaging and interactive for students of all ages.
For example, the University of Manchester uses immersive VR training content developed by Sentira to teach medical students how to handle conversations with patients by letting them practice with virtual stand-ins.
In these sessions, students listen to patients describe symptoms, make diagnoses, and respond to questions. This hands-on approach helps students develop important clinical skills to apply in real-world practice.
Soft Skills Development
Immersive learning can create realistic scenarios in which learners can practice soft skills like communication, collaboration, and more. For example, they can participate in virtual team projects, negotiate with virtual characters, or lead teams through simulated crises in a safe and controlled environment.
Case in point: Amazon UK, HMRC, and Frontier Communications. These leading organizations partner with Virti, a top XR developer, to create custom XR content (including 360-degree videos) to nurture various soft skills.
Hard Skills Training
Immersive learning provides a platform for safe and effective technical skills training besides soft skills. For example, engineers can learn how to design and test visual prototypes, while workers can master the operation of complex machinery by diving in and learning by doing.
DHL pioneered immersive training nearly a decade ago. They use VR to prepare new drivers for various truck types, boosting their confidence and vehicle awareness before they hit the road for the first time.
Safety Training
Last but not least, you can use immersive learning to prepare your workers for potential dangers. Emergency responders can train using simulations of fires or hazardous material spills. Workers in high-risk jobs like construction can practice safety procedures in virtual scenarios.
TASQ-OM is a leading company currently using immersive learning in this way. They use immersive learning content created by Immersive Factory to train employees on business safety risks like data breaches and cybersecurity threats. And so far, it’s been far more impactful than traditional videos or PowerPoint slides.
Want to Implement Immersive Learning? Manage Your Devices With ArborXR
If you’re gearing up for immersive learning with AR and VR headsets, managing them well is key. By managing, we mean having an easy way to:
- Keep tabs on where they are and how they’re used.
- Control what learners experience.
- Manage applications & restrict unauthorized access as needed.
- Install content across multiple headsets at once, skipping the headache of manual setups.
- Receive and update content from third-party developers.
- Gather data on user activity & learning progress.
That’s where a top-notch XR device management (MDM) platform like ArborXR comes in handy. We allow you to do everything listed above (and more). Plus, you can test drive ArborXR free for 30 days—so why wait?
