One of the most common pieces of feedback received in corporate training surveys is that training is different than reality. Sometimes this difference is in the system—that we use a demo version of a live system and some elements are not able to be replicated—and other times it is about the physical space in which the training is conducted. As hard as we try, there will always be some difference between the training environment and reality; however, there are now technologies to help us reduce the differences. By closely simulating the actual environment in which the learner will use the skills they are learning, learners will associate action to the environment and be more comfortable when they are performing the task in real life. mLearning helps us bring the learning to the learner and using technologies such as virtual reality or augmented reality can help us simulate or create the experience that will enhance learning transfer.
This week, my readings focused on using virtual reality or augmented reality in corporate training as I intend to build a learning experience using one of these for my final project. First of all, why should we use VR and AR in corporate training. In a nutshell, multiple case studies have shown that those trained using VR or AR perform better in the real world (Gavish 2015, Amorim 2013, Seymour 2002). These studies range from military, healthcare and general business applications. One reason that I find VR and AR learning so beneficial for corporate learning is because it can be used to simulate a level of stress in the environment. As Amorim describes,
“The objective of these facilities is to offer the students a more realistic training. And realism is essential: a most important statement on military simulations relies on the induction of combat stress. With the use of paintballs, mock explosives and a gradual exposure to stress, the instructors of the CIOpGLO are able to see their students showing the same symptoms of combat stress – tunnel vision, temporary loss of recent memories, etc. [3]. These reactions during simulations reveal how these soldiers would act like on real situations – therefore, stress control can be trained and those who do not have emotional control are usually put away from combat missions” (Amorim 2013).
And, in other studies the VR group was faster and more accurate than the group trained traditionally:
“The use of VR surgical simulation to reach specific target criteria significantly improved the OR performance of residents during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This validation of transfer of training skills from VR to OR sets the stage for more sophisticated uses of VR in assessment, training, error reduction, and certification of surgeons” (Seymour 2002).
While performing member service tasks at a credit union is nothing like combat or surgery, there is a level of stress associated with performing financial tasks for members. Money is a very sensitive and personal thing for people. For some, it is how we quantify our success and what drives our ability to live out our dreams. So, when mistakes are made it can be quite sensitive for members. Replicating a level of stress benefits member service training as we do not help members in a vacuum. There are distractions, interruptions, hesitations and changes that may make the transaction or request more complicated than what we see on the surface.
The articles brought up several design considerations. In particular, Martin discussed keeping the size of the device, usability and content design in mind (Martin 2012). And, Martin specifically noted a focus on testing the functionality of the course (Martin 2012). When using AR technology, keeping the relationship of the augmented layer and reality in perspective is key (Amorim 2013). To help learners adopt the new technology and learn best from the experience, it is critical to test the course thoroughly and make adjustments as needed. Gavish noted that “VR and AR training groups required longer training time compared to the Control-VR and Control-AR groups;” therefore, it is important to consider that learners may require additional time in the VR or AR environment to acquire the skills; but that once the skills are acquired the error rate is lower (Gavish 2015)
While the time to develop and learn in a VR or AR environment may be longer than other types of training, it is clear that for the right topic, the time is well worth the effort. This may not be possible in all situations in my career, but there are many when it would be valuable. To wrap my head around what types of training other designers working in corporate training use AR and VR for, I referenced a few industry-related blogs. I discovered that designers are using it for safety training to keep employees safe while teaching for potentially hazardous situations, airline crew training and maintenance, and even to train customers how to perform do-it-yourself skills (Immersive Learning News 2019 and Designing Digitally 2019).
Final Project Concept
To apply what I am learning in this course, my final project design will be for a virtual reality mLearning module to teach employees how to use the technology conference rooms at Credit Union Headquarters. This course will include booking the room, a tour of the room, room setup tips and how to use the technology and conferencing features in the room. In addition, troubleshooting tips and help resources will be included. Many times, meeting and class facilitators are nervous when using the technologies in the conference rooms for the first time and this can lead to a less than ideal experience for the group. The goal of the training will be to help new users feel comfortable with the technology in the room, know how to use the room and who to resource if they need assistance.
Resources
Martin, F., Pastore, R., & Snider, J. (2012). Developing mobile based instruction (http s://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/canvas/master/ms-142150-20160602160611/common/images/Develop ingMobileBasedInstruction.pdf) . TechTrends, 56(5), 46–51.
Amorim, J. A., Matos, C., Cuperschmid, A. R., Gustavsson, P. M., & Pozzer, C. T. (2013). Augmented reality and mixed reality technologies: Enhancing training and mission preparation with simulations. Paper presented at the NATO Modelling & Simulation Group (NMSG) Multi-Workshop, MSG-111 Conference, Sydney, Australia.
Gavish, N., Gutiérrez, T., Webel, S., Rodríguez, J., Peveri, M., Bockholt, U., & Tecchia, F. (2015). Evaluating virtual reality and augmented reality training for industrial maintenance and assembly tasks. Interactive Learning Environments, 23(6), 778–798.
Immersive Learning News (2019). Virtual Reality In eLearning: A Case Study On Safety Training https://www.immersivelearning.news/2019/01/24/virtual-reality-in-elearning-a-case-study-on-safety-training/
Designing Digitally (2019). 5 Examples of Immersive VR Training Solutions to Increasing Training ROI. / https://www.designingdigitally.com/blog/5-examples-immersive-vr-training-solutions-increase-training-roi
Seymour, N. E. , Gallagher, A. G. , Roman, S. A. , O’Brien, M. K. , Bansal, V. K. , Andersen, D. K. & Satava, R. M. (2002). Virtual Reality Training Improves Operating Room Performance. Annals of Surgery, 236(4), 458-464.
Narciso, D., Melo, M., Raposo, J.V. et al. Virtual reality in training: an experimental study with firefighters. Multimed Tools Appl 79, 6227–6245 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-019-08323-4
Stone, R. T., McLaurin, E., Zhong, P., & Watts, K. (2013). Full virtual reality vs. integrated virtual reality training in welding. Welding Journal, 92(6), 167S-174S.
Poeschl, S. (2017). Virtual reality training for public speaking-A QUEST-VR framework validation. Frontiers in ICT, 4 doi:10.3389/fict.2017.00013
Hi Katie,
I found many elements of your post fascinating. In particular, the quote by Amorim et al. (2013) regarding the use of VR or AR to simulate stress in certain environments. In their example they discussed military combat training, but I can see this as a beneficial training activity in many different industries. In reality, all jobs come with some level of stress, especially when a person is new on the job. As mentioned by Seymour et al., using VR simulation can help
with surgical transfer of knowledge more quickly and accurately than when using traditional training. And the added benefit of using VR simulation to train surgeons is that it can replicate the stress of the operating room environment, so that when they are in the actual operating room they’ll be more prepared to handle the stress.
Anxiety and stress can be a huge deterrent to successfully completing a task. Personally, when I don’t feel confident about how to complete a task, procedure, or use a technology, my stress level goes up. When I was first tasked with using a video conferencing system to connect with my colleagues at a different campus, I panicked. I had never used a Tandberg system and had no idea how to turn on the system, let alone initiate the connection. There were no instructions, and I had to fumble my way until I finally got it to work. Unfortunately, I would have to fumble my way every time we had meetings, because I never learned how to use the equipment and I would always get stressed out.
Therefore, I love your idea of providing VR/AR training on how to use the conference room technology. Giving learners the opportunity to practice so that they can build their confidence and alleviate their stress will be extremely helpful. Additionally, providing resources via AR will allow them to get the information they need if they do run into any issues. Will the training module require learners to use mobile devices? What type of software are you thinking about using? I’m imaging that you might have a 360 video of the conference room that students can view and “move around” in. Would love to hear more about your project!
Katie,
I agree with your statement about mobile technology helping to reduce the difference between the training environment and reality in order to enhance transfer. It’s interesting to me to see how effective it can be in various learning contexts and with different types of learners. Several of the adult-learning examples that you described – military training and medical training, specifically – utilized very immersive VR experiences, where in some cases effective training can mean the difference between life and death. In other cases, such as the credit union employees using technology conference rooms use case that you describe, have much lower stakes which would seem to indicate a lower need for immersiveness. There seems to be a strange relationship between stress and VR/AR technologies. The higher the degree of stress the training is meant to reduce (for example, I counted 4 uses of “stress” in the Amorim military quote you shared) the more ‘technology stress’ can be tolerated, and therefore the more immersive the experience can be. Possibly because the stress induced by learning new tools and technologies is outweighed by the potential reduction in stress that the training will hopefully result in. That would make sense for medical and military training. The inverse then must also true – using overly-immersive training experiences designed to mitigate stress for lower-stress activities may result in the stress involved in learning/interacting with new technologies not outweighing the stress they are designed to reduce. I’m not sure if that makes any sense, but my experience in IT has definitely made me aware of the need to evaluate the cost of new technology (in terms of time, money, and in this case stress) against what users will get in return for integrating and using it.
That said, in the context of technology conference rooms, I like the idea of using VR, even though it is a very immersive experience. Within my work context, we’ve discussed using AR in the recent past to help train users on conference room technologies, and have even implemented lower-level AR (QR codes that link to websites contaning instructional and contact information) to some degree of success. The issue, even at that time, was that our conference room technology changed so fast that spending too much time creating helpful resources before what was there was replaced by something better was hard to do. The learning designer in me always said ‘that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try’ but that cost vs benefit formula always overruled me. So, I’m very interested to hear more about your final project as you develop the concept further. I think it has some great potential!