The biggest issue with this type of training is that it can be hard to scale. It’s much easier to have someone read a leaflet or watch a powerpoint than to create a scenario complete with props and people. Scenario-based training can also be dangerous if the tools or situation involved could potentially harm the trainee or the people around them. Think hazardous material training or learning to operate an industrial crane.

Up till now, the “happy medium” between safety, scalability, and interactivity has been interactive learning tools often delivered through our phones or PCs. But while these are more interactive than simple instructional learning, they still fail to recreate the scenarios that people are being trained for.

No one is going to mistake clicking on parts of a machine in a compliance check or selecting the best sales technique in a multiple choice quiz with the real experience. The only real way to recreate these scenarios in a training environment at scale is through immersion.

Immersive Training

Even in the darkest days of virtual reality, after the 90s hype and before the Oculus renaissance, virtual reality was considered the most effective way to do training. It’s the reason why the military and academia continued to spend millions on VR headsets long after consumers dismissed the technology. There was simply no better way to teach people than by recreating the types of experiences they would face.

And this is a lot safer than just dropping a bunch of recruits off in Fallujah.

Because virtual reality makes your brain believe on a fundamental level that you are within the virtual location, that virtual location can exactly replicate whatever training scenario is needed. Psychologists have known for years that people learn best in real life scenarios. With virtual reality, people could go through those scenarios without risking themselves or others.

The issue, of course, was cost. Despite being highly effective, virtual reality training simulations were limited to applications where that risk was extremely high. That was of course until this guy came along:

Our Hawaiian shirt wearing hero! Image courtesy of Official GDC.

With the introduction of the Oculus Rift, virtual reality headsets were affordable by all but the most broke companies. Like other disruptive technologies, the Rift began to displace expensive VR headsets as the training solution of choice.

We began to see virtual reality surgery simulations used by medical students. The NFL announced a virtual reality training experience for quarterbacks to improve how they would read defenses. Coal miners and airline pilots got VR simulations for safety critical scenarios. There’s even a virtual reality crane operating experience.

But this is just the beginning. There’s already plans for virtual reality diversity and maintenance training. Over the next few years, we’ll start to see VR training applications for everything from design to sales. VR will make these experiences more fun, engaging, and informative. The only thing missing: other people.

The People Factor

Trainers and teachers have known for years that most people learn best when they learn with other people. They can offer advice, reinforce lessons, keep people engaged, motivate others, and even provide a little competitive peer pressure. Especially as more and more of our work is done through teams, it is critical that training isn’t done in isolation.

Social VR provides the perfect solution for this, allowing people to talk with each other in a virtual environment as if they were together in the same room. Imagine a virtual disaster preparedness scenario where a group has to work together to put out a fire. Or interview training where you can talk to a real interviewer across the world. Or even something as simple as a virtual safety seminar where people can discuss problems and ask questions.

Like, “Why are we hosting this in a bar?” Image courtesy of SpokaneFocus.

At Agora, we’re creating these multi-user virtual reality training environments. It’s easy to design virtual environments specifically tailored to each training scenario. We can add props and interactive elements. Our social VR software then does the work of allowing people to interact and learn together within this virtual space. These type of training simulations work in a wide variety of applications from interactive compliance training to training a global sales team how to sell a new product.

No matter the type of training, the future is virtual. It makes the way we learn new information more immersive and engaging, leading to higher retention. No more checking your email during a Webinar. No more nodding off in a training workshop. And who knows, it might even make you feel like a kid again.