As remote working and remote learning become the norm, immersive learning makes training faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective. Training budgets are decreasing and the need for specialist employees is increasing. The gap between the need and availability of trained personnel is increasing as well. That’s why immersive remote training is so powerful and offers such great returns.

Immersive remote learning without VR hardware

While companies can provide VR hardware to every remote learner, such headsets are not always required for immersive learning. Immersive VR training can also be delivered via standard mobile or desktop devices, in the form of 360-degree videos and realistic avatar-based role plays.

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Why use VR in soft skills training?

Leveraging competition to deliver better learning outcomes

Traditional in-person learning has a number of cost and logistical hurdles, which are overcome by immersive e-learning.

Solving real problems faced by remote learners

Remote learners have a number of demands on their time, and it’s difficult to pull time out for training. Since immersive learning programs are more engaging, they are faster to complete than other e-learning programs, making remote learning more efficient. VR learners complete modules 4x faster than classroom learners and 1.5x faster than e-learners, according to a recent PwC study.

Another issue faced by remote learners is that they can feel emotionally disconnected from their colleagues and the organization. The PwC study found that employees who completed VR training “felt almost four times (3.75x) more emotionally connected to the content than classroom learners did, and more than twice (2.3x) as connected as e-learners”.

VR training delivers positive ROI

When compared to ‘traditional’ e-learning, PwC found that while of course VR training does require initial cost investment, it achieves a cost advantage over e-learning when delivered to learning populations of more than 1,950 trainees. Since remote learners cannot be called together for in-person classroom learning, e-learning is realistically the only option available.

That’s because the upfront investment in terms of VR software (and hardware if applicable) is amortized at scale. As a result, VR training is proven to have positive ROI while also delivering more effective learning.

Heightened focus

Interactive learning experiences are so immersive that it makes it easier for learners to stay focused — a very real benefit for remote learners. PwC found that learners working with VR-based e-learning are 4x more focused than their e-learning peers, and 1.5x more focused than classroom learners. Focus drives engagement, which in turn delivers better learning outcomes.