A beginner’s guide to immersive learning

Have you heard of immersive learning? It’s a kind of training technique that places learners within an interactive environment. Learners work within the system to engage with tools to sharpen their skills, or to gain a well-rounded understanding of a particular concept.

Why immersive learning?

Immersive learning moves learners from passive spectators to active participants. It’s powered primarily by emerging technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality (AR and VR).

Using immersive learning, the user feels that they are actually experiencing whatever they are learning – be it learning about places in geography, handling heavy machinery, or performing a medical procedure.

Achieving the immersive experience

Immersive learning hinges on believability. The realistic graphic design, 3D animation and smooth rendering of the scene help engage the learner and keep them involved. 

However, graphic design does not serve its purpose without very strong instructional design. Using the immersive experience to trigger learning is driven by the right instructional design and content.

Immersive experiences can be created using AR and VR, each of which has different applications and use cases.

For instance, surgery can be practiced effectively using virtual reality. The medical student wears a VR headset and gloves, and enters a virtual operating theater. They pick up a virtual scalpel and cut into a ‘patient’ with realistic-looking skin and muscles. They are informed when they make an error, and can repeat the entire process any number of times without additional cost or any other resource loss. 

If on the other hand, the objective of the module is to teach the student about the surgical tools, virtual reality is unnecessary. A simple augmented reality overlay allows the learner to see features and use cases of each tool placed on a tray before them. They can interact with the augmented experience through a mobile application or tablet.

Benefits of immersive learning

Hands-on training 

• Immersive learning is ideally designed for practical, hands-on learning.
• It can be used in conjunction with other media to deliver the theoretical foundation.
  

Interactivity

• Objects being studied are rendered in three dimensions.
• It is possible to zoom in, rotate, handle and examine objects in the immersive environment.
  

Active user participation

• This is probably the most important benefit of immersive learning.
• Immersive learning increases learner involvement, resulting in improved engagement.
  

Faster comprehension

• The gaps in training caused by a purely theoretical approach or less realistic 2D graphics are eliminated through the immersive learning approach
  

Fewer distractions

• Learner attention spans are low. When they are fully immersed in the learning environment, they are removed from other distractions.
• This leads to better retention and knowledge gain.
  

Repetition and practice

• Since the learning experience is realistic, it offers the same experience as real practice.
• However, it is much safer, repeatable and cheaper than real practice, as it allows for any number of repetitions at no additional cost.

Immersive learning offers unique learning opportunities and is a great way to achieve improved learning outcomes. Do get in touch with our experts to discuss how to implement it in your organization or for your next project.