Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2024 - 50

PERSPECTIVES
OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES OF
IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING
BY DR. YOGINI JOGLEKAR
If you've ever endured an online training
session with endless slideshows,
you know how quickly it can become
disengaging and dull. You might
run
through the training at 2X speed and
multitask - or just switch off mentally -
while it runs in the background.
After a brief test, your training is complete,
and you forget everything minutes later
as your mind shifts to other tasks. The
consensus is clear: traditional online
training can be inefficient and uninspiring.
This is precisely why immersive
technology, specifically virtual reality (VR),
is gaining ground. Immersive technology
doesn't just make you an observer, it
brings you into the learning experience.
VR, along with augmented reality (AR)
and mixed reality (MR), collectively known
as extended reality (XR), offers a new
dimension of " switched-on " learning.
GROWING POPULARITY OF VR
VR training is probably historically known
best in the case of flight simulation.
Organizations like NASA, the United
States Air Force and Boeing have long
used VR flight simulators to train pilots,
driven by the immense cost of real
aircraft and the high stakes involved in
pilot training.
Health care is another field where VR
training has flourished. Medical students
can practice surgical procedures on virtual
patients, offering a risk-free environment
for learning. Other industries, such as
firefighting, the military, manufacturing
50
Before delving into the challenges,
it's essential to understand why
organizations are turning to VR training
despite the obstacles. VR's primary
advantage is engagement. When
you put on a VR headset, you're fully
immersed in the training experience,
free from external distractions.
VR enables instructors to use experiential
learning, teaching through practice
rather than passive memorization. This
aligns with adult learning theory, which
emphasizes " learning by doing " through
role-playing and simulations.
and customer service have adopted VR
training for various reasons, including
safety concerns, cost savings and the
ability to create diverse training scenarios
without real-world logistics.
From an organizational perspective,
the most significant advantage of VR
training is efficiency. Experiential learning
reduces training hours. According to PwC
research, VR training can be up to four
times faster than traditional classroom
training, ensuring employees get back to
their tasks sooner.
IMMERSIVE
TECHNOLOGY
DOESN'T JUST
MAKE YOU AN
OBSERVER,
IT BRINGS
YOU INTO THE
LEARNING
EXPERIENCE.
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS OF
IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL REALITY
TRAINING
While there are many benefits,
it's
the challenges that can quickly derail
your efforts to add VR to your training
programs. Let's examine five challenges
and solutions.
Challenge 1:
Employee Familiarity and Resistance
ADVANTAGES OF VR TRAINING
It is true the popularity of VR has grown
over the years, but a large section of
the working population has never tried
it. Human beings are naturally hesitant
about new technology. Adding VR as a
new training tool may worry some of your
employees rather than excite them.
Overcoming this challenge is all about a
gradual addition that can help prepare
your workforce. Rather than changing
your entire program, consider adding a
15-minute simulation to the tail-end of
a training session. Robust instructional
design considering the " why " behind
implementing this new technology goes
a long way in making VR-enhanced
training palatable.

https://www.pwc.com/us/en/tech-effect/emerging-tech/virtual-reality-study.html https://www.pwc.com/us/en/tech-effect/emerging-tech/virtual-reality-study.html https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/mar-apr-2019/disrupting-ld-with-immersive-learning/ https://trainingindustry.com/glossary/virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/learning-technologies/ar-vr-technology-set-to-transform-medical-training/ https://trainingindustry.com/glossary/adult-learning-theory/

Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2024