Category: E-learning

Industries that VR & AR Technology Could Transform With the Aid of Localization
14/11/2023

The Role of Localization in VR & AR Industry Growth

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on The Role of Localization in VR & AR Industry Growth

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are getting a lot of buzz these days and for good reason. This exciting technology can be applied to many industries. Because of its potential and VR headset adoption rate, more industries are taking advantage of this technology’s benefits than ever before.

While many people are interested in the potential applications of AR and VR in the entertainment space since that industry is so consumer centric, we want to take a look at the other types of companies that stand to benefit from AR and VR technology and how localization can help aid the adoption of both. Here are a few applications to keep an eye on.

Healthcare & Mental Health

The healthcare industry is arguably one of the most exciting industries for VR to make an impact on. From improving surgical efficiency to simulating health conditions so doctors can have more empathy to helping patients decrease pain, VR has the potential to majorly improve the healthcare industry. There are also advances being made in the mental health space thanks to Virtual Reality Experience, which is a treatment that is showing promising results in having positive effects on patients and providing a calming effect on patients’ minds.

Education

Education tends to be slow at adapting to new technologies because of how bureaucratic their acquisition processes can be, but even so, some institutions are taking notice and venturing into the space. Because VR is attractive to young students, it is quickly becoming an integral part of field trips, educational games, and other learning experiences.

As students progress and pursue higher education, VR can also make an impact. For example, medical students can use VR to simulate surgeries so they can learn and practice in a safe environment. When using VR, students can make mistakes that they can learn from without having to worry about the very dangerous results that could occur if they made mistakes on a real patient while learning.

Not to mention, VR is really making a splash in the field of e-learning, which can benefit students of all ages.

A great example of how AR is contributing in education environments is the medicine program at Case Western Reserve University. They are able to project an image of the human body that they can interact with through the use of HoloLens glasses.

Employee Training & Recruitment

Businesses who are looking to improve their recruitment and training processes can find that VR can help them make progress. When recruiting new employees, they can use VR to assess an applicant’s skills, without requiring them to come to an office in-person to interview. With more and more companies hiring remotely, VR can bridge a gap that would be difficult to fill otherwise. Once they hire an employee, they can also use VR to train them in a safe environment. This is especially helpful for very hands-on roles where technical training is required and where safety issues are a concern.

Retail & Sales

From training to the sales floor, retailers can benefit from embracing VR and AR. For example, through VR, employees can interact with products and can learn about them in a way that is superior to just reading about them. AR can also be used to show customers what a product would look like in their home, making it easier for them to visualize how a potential purchase would impact their daily lives.

How Localization Comes Into Play

The key to VR’s success in all these different industries and spaces is the immersive experience this technology provides. That being said, for it to be successful, this immersion has to be accompanied by “localized worlds”, where all the speech audio is in a language the user understands. If visual cues or prompts include text, these elements also need to be translated. Otherwise, the user will find herself in a world they can’t make sense of, the immersive experience will be shattered, and the ultimate goal (whether it’s learning a skill, healing trauma, or just disconnecting from the real world and getting some entertainment) won’t be achieved.

Voice Over vs Subtitles in eLearning Localization
08/08/2023

Voice Over vs Subtitles in eLearning Localization

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on Voice Over vs Subtitles in eLearning Localization

Long gone are the days where your whole life revolves around your commute to work or school. Many people can choose where they want to live and can work remotely. College students can learn from the comfort of their bedrooms in their parents’ homes instead of going away to college.

Because employees can be trained remotely, students can learn from home, and countless other endeavors can happen digitally, it’s no surprise that eLearning courses are more popular today than ever before.

Businesses can capitalize on that popularity by making their eLearning courses accessible through localization. When they do choose to localize their eLearning content, they will not only have to consider the on-screen text and graphics, but also assess whether their course includes audio narrations or captions. They may decide to localize just voice-overs or subtitles to save time and money. Ideally, they’ll localize both, but if they feel they have to choose between the two, here’s what they need to know.

The Difference Between Voice-Over and Subtitles

These days, most eLearning courses combine both audio and visual text. They may have a narrator (on or off-screen) and slides or text graphics that highlight the main points of what the speaker is explaining.

When localizing eLearning courses that have audio material, this leaves you with the option of choosing to localize the voice-overs or subtitles of the audio content for the sake of speeding up the localization process and saving money. It’s always a good idea to localize any on-screen text.

Choosing to localize one element over the other will come down to the course content. If the course relies more heavily on audio narration than written content, then it may make more sense to localize the audio of the course. If the course features on-camera hosts who speak frequently, then the dubbing of the audio can be costly and you may find that localizing the subtitles gets the job done well. Localizing subtitles takes less time than localizing voice-over content, so this is usually the more affordable route to take.

Pros and Cons of Voice-Over Localization

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons associated with focusing on voice-over localization.

Pros

  • More engaging for the viewer
  • No loss of audio
  • Less text on the screen

Cons

  • More time-consuming than localizing subtitles
  • Less cost-effective
  • Voices may not match the on-screen speaker’s speaking movements and gestures

Pros and Cons of Subtitle Localization

There are of course also advantages and disadvantages associated with localizing subtitles.

Pros

  • Easier and faster
  • Cost-effective
  • Improves accessibility of video content

Cons

  • Subtitles can distract from on-screen text
  • The learning experience becomes less immersive
  • Text may be too small on mobile eLearning experiences

The Takeaway

Depending on the specifics of the course that needs localization, choosing to localize just subtitles or voice-overs may be the way to go. Which is the right fit will depend entirely on the unique needs of the project. For example, if there’s already a lot of text on screen that could make the use of subtitles confusing or if the narrator is off camera, then localizing voice-over content may be more important.

At times a combination of localizing both elements would be the best approach. In any case, it’s always advisable to talk to your eLearning localization partner and they will be able to provide advice and quotes for the different paths you can take to make your eLearning courses accessible in multiple languages.

What is the Difference Between VR, AR, MR, and XR - Portada
13/06/2023

What is the Difference Between VR, AR, MR, and XR?

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on What is the Difference Between VR, AR, MR, and XR?

There are many exciting new and emerging technologies making a splash these days and it can be easy to confuse them with one another. Virtual reality (VR) as well as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and extended reality (XR) are four types of technology that you likely hear referenced, but how do they differ? Keep reading to find out.

VR

VR is a type of immersive experience that involves simulating reality using computers. Headsets are a vital component of VR, as you can use reality headsets to experience realistic images, sounds, and even sensations—all of which help replicate the feeling of being in a real environment or an imaginary world. While it isn’t always possible to do so, an authentic VR environment makes it possible to engage all five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste).

AR

AR takes a real-world environment and augments elements using computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics, or GPS data. The point of AR is to augment existing reality and to add to it in one way or another. Currently, smartphones and tablets are the most common way to access AR, but some custom glasses are also being used. Pokémon Go is a great example of AR. With that game, players use their phone to interact with the world around them, finding and catching Pokemon in their own backyards/their surroundings.

MR

MR, which can also be referred to as hybrid reality, merges a virtual world and the real world to create a new environment. In a MR environment both physical and digital objects can co-exist and interact together in real time. MR can place new imagery within a real space and can make it possible to interact with this imagery in our physical world.

XR

XR is one of the more recent technologies emerging in the immersive virtuality space. XR stands for extended reality and encompasses all forms of combined real and virtual environments. AR, MR, and VR are all included in XR. You can think of XR as an umbrella that brings those three terms together. The term XR is helping group all of this technology together and is making this space less confusing for consumers.

When XR Goes Global

When consumers interact with these virtual worlds (whether VR, AR, or MR is being utilized), language is often involved in one way or another. This is why it’s so important to localize the content featured in these worlds. That way, users worldwide can take advantage of the new developments and trends in immersive virtuality without being blocked by a language barrier. Localization also takes cultural differences into account, which can apply to all of the senses that these technologies can utilize to create a more immersive world.

After all, if the point of these technologies is to create truly immersive experiences, then localizing the world you’re creating for your target audience can help accomplish that goal.

What is Technology Enhanced Learning and What are the Benefits
30/05/2023

What is Technology Enhanced Learning and What are the Benefits?

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on What is Technology Enhanced Learning and What are the Benefits?

Technology touches virtually every area of our lives, including how we learn. Which is why it’s no surprise that Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is rising in popularity. In short, TEL applies technology to the process of teaching and learning. Many students find that TEL helps them learn information more quickly, understand it better, and retain that information for longer.

To better understand what TEL is and what its benefits are for students, keep reading.

What is Technology Enhanced Learning?

TEL is used to enhance the learning experience and how educators teach. Educators can turn to both analog and digital technologies to help their students learn more efficiently and effectively. Any technology that improves how someone learns can be considered TEL.

So, what does TEL look like exactly? Today, TEL can be found in the form of ebooks, video content, audiobooks, smartphone apps, computers, tablets, and video games. Virtual classrooms that make it possible to learn in group settings from the comfort of home are also an example of education opportunities that TEL can improve upon, as are e-learning courses.

The Benefits of Technology Enhanced Learning

Due to the pandemic shutting down schools and workplaces, TEL made a great impact on how many of us learned in the past few years. Thanks to TEL, it became possible to continue elementary, high school, college, and graduate-level education from home. Workplaces also embraced TEL to host employee trainings and many found that virtual trainings were both time and cost-effective.

TEL can be combined with more traditional learning techniques to meet a student’s needs. Other benefits include:

  • Versatility. TEL can accommodate accessibility features to appeal to different audiences by allowing users to alter font sizes or to listen to the audio content in lieu of reading written content.
  • Localization. It’s possible to localize TEL resources in a language that the user is most comfortable with.
  • Flexibility. TEL gives students the option to learn where and when is best for them.
  • Engaging. Many children find TEL style learning to be more engaging — this is especially true when gamification techniques come into play. Millennials who grew up with technology can also find TEL such as e-learning courses to be more engaging than attending an in-person lecture or reading a training manual.
  • Customizable. Students have the ability to learn at their own pace when learning via TEL instead of a physical classroom environment.
  • Less limiting. A textbook has a limit on how much information it can hold. Teachers now have the ability to get more creative and can turn to resources like video, audio, and interactive learning to help their students learn.

The Takeaway

Technology can be extremely beneficial in regard to providing quality learning experiences that adapt to each learner’s unique needs (whether those needs are related to a specific subject matter, a disability, or a preferred language for learning). Shying away from technology can do both teachers and students a disservice and it’s more than likely that TEL is here to stay.

HOW-TO-BUILD-AN-EFFECTIVE-GLOBAL-LD-TRAININGPROGRAM_PORTADA
21/03/2023

How to Build an Effective Global L&D Training Program

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on How to Build an Effective Global L&D Training Program

Many global businesses adopt an English-first approach to learning and development (L&D) training for their employees. Whilst English is a widely understood language, it’s important for businesses with a global workforce to remember that a strong understanding of the English language is not a guarantee for every single worker they employ.

Understandably, creating L&D materials in English is a popular choice for global organizations that feel they neither have the budget nor time for translations, but assuming people understand English is one thing and assuming they understand the cultural differences is another. The clash is inevitable.

While you’re likely to start with an English training program, there are a few things you can take into consideration and do in the development stage in order to make its localization easier and more cost-effective.

Choose Function over Form

Everyone loves a beautiful design, but when it comes to creating effective L&D training materials, the function must take priority over form. This is especially true when creating L&D content that requires localization. For example, adding animations can be visually appealing and add a fun flair to the L&D experience. However, when you have to localize complex design elements repeatedly, you may find those extra special touches don’t justify the cost of localization. Before choosing design elements, think about how they will affect your localization needs and if they provide enough value to justify localization.

Choose Your Layout Wisely

When you translate written content, this can affect the visuals of your L&D content greatly as other languages can take up much more or less space than written English text after translation. More often than not, other languages take up more space than English text. When choosing your initial layout, it helps to be strategic knowing that your space needs may change. Leaving a decent amount of white space in your original design can make a huge difference. While you can request that the localization specialist keep their new text concise and your designers can shrink the size of the text a bit, having more white space available to add expansive text can give you some much-needed breathing room.

Make the Choice Between Subtitles and Voice-Over

In an ideal world, you would localize all voice-over and subtitle content in your L&D materials, but this cannot be easy to pull off budget-wise as you would need to not only translate the subtitles and voice-over scripts, but hire a new narrator and record new audio content in all target languages. You may find that you need to choose between localization with just subtitles, voice-over, or dubbing to accommodate your budget. Think carefully about which format will best highlight your training materials.

Be Patient

The localization process is one that is best not to rush. To start, it can be helpful to wait until your source content is complete to provide the localization specialist with editable files. This will not only save you time, but money.

It’s also a good idea to coordinate timelines with your localization partner to ensure that the turnaround is viable and won’t require compromising quality to get the job done on time. Your localization partner will be able to advise which steps are needed to complete the project correctly and how long it should take.

The Takeaway

How can you make it easier to incorporate all of these tips into your L&D plans? Don’t leave planning the localization step for the end. If you keep localization needs in mind from day one, you’ll save money, time, and a headache.

E-learning Elements That Require Localization
14/02/2023

E-learning Elements That Require Localization

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on E-learning Elements That Require Localization

While e-learning has been rising in popularity for years thanks to how accessible, engaging, and cost-effective it is, it’s not a surprise that in recent years interest in e-learning has skyrocketed. Especially as a resource for companies looking to train their global workforce. Speaking of a global workforce—having an online course that is suitable for learners that speak different languages requires the localization of several e-learning elements within the course so that the whole learning experience is a smooth one.

These are some of the elements worth keeping in mind:

Mouse cursor movement captures

Most e-learning programs contain an instructional nature that include cursor movements. These movements may point to actions that the narrator is explaining. They play an important role and need to be taken into account during the localization process. This may seem odd since these are cursor movements not text, but the cursor movements need to properly time up with the accompanying narration and the timing may be off once the narration is localized into a new language.

Content and narrative translation and formatting

E-learning content includes on-screen text that require localization when you want the content to appear in a new target language. When you localize text, it often changes drastically in length which can require formatting changes to make the design of the program flow as intended. Similar to the cursor movement captures we discussed earlier, you also need to make sure the timing of audio content is lining up with any written content in the e-learning materials—as well as any subtitles. The length of audio and visual text can also impact the timing of slides.

Subtitles and voice-over recordings

How large a budget for a localization project is will determine whether or not you need to localize voice-over recording and subtitles or just subtitles—which is a more cost-effective option as you don’t have to hire a narrator and record new audio. That being said, this extra step does greatly enhance the quality of the end product and creates a better user experience for the person engaging with the e-learning product.

Graphics

On-screen graphics in e-learning courses and training materials can contain text. If you embed the text into the graphic, it will require translation in an external file, and then you can request the localization of the original graphic into the target language with the help of a graphic designer or DTP specialist.

Navigation and action buttons

Because e-learning content often incorporates navigational and action-related buttons that contain text (such as “next” or “submit”), these buttons require localization. If you fail to localize this important type of content, the user can end up confused and frustrated and not able to proceed with their learning opportunity. Authoring tools usually allow the creators to set up the UI language. By selecting the desired language, you can have localized buttons. However, it’s important to remember to do so. If the tool doesn’t allow it, then you can include this in the content that needs localization. There can be cases in which the instructional designer creates their own buttons. Depending on how such designer creates these buttons, they may require separate localization as well.

The takeaway

It’s advisable to work with a localization partner who has experience with e-learning content and that has the capacity to work on each of these elements (since they require different professionals such as localization project managers, translators, DTP specialists, voice-over actors, and subtitlers). If they can provide a comprehensive solution, the end result has a high chance of being pretty seamless.

Why the Education Sector Should Embrace Digital Transformation
24/01/2023

Why the Education Sector Should Embrace Digital Transformation

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on Why the Education Sector Should Embrace Digital Transformation

The pandemic pushed many traditional educational organizations to enter the online world of digital education. They all dipped their toes into the water by moving classes to Zoom and Google Meet, but the truth is that it takes a lot more than that to meet the demands of a digital generation.

There’s no time like the present for education to catch up with technological advancements to better serve and engage their users—aka learners. There is also a high percentage of teachers leaving traditional education institutions to work in the eLearning industry as of late, which is another factor the educational system needs to take into account as they look to the future. Let’s take a closer look at why the education sector should embrace digital transformation.

What Does a Digital Transformation Look Like?

A digital transformation greatly surpasses typical software or hardware upgrades. A true digital transformation is just as philosophical as it is physical. For education institutions, a digital transformation may look like creating a learning environment that connects in-person education resources to digital ones so that students can belong to a robust ecosystem that combines security, technology, and education services.

A digital transformation can help create a more personalized, collaborative, and interactive learning experience.

How to Digitally Transform Education

So, how exactly can the education sector undergo a digital transformation? Let’s look at a few paths education institutions can take to enhance their digital presence in a meaningful way.

  • Multimedia digital textbooks. Heavy textbooks will soon be a thing of the past, as students can now access source materials from their digital devices wherever they are whether that be at home, the library, or in the classroom.
  • Bring your own device (BYOD). Enabling students to use the digital device they work on best in the classroom to take notes and work on their assignments can help foster engagement and retainment.
  • Personalized curriculum. With artificial intelligence, it’s now possible to create customized learning experiences for students by using artificial intelligence.
  • Game-based learning. Not only does game-based learning help encourage students to study, but it can actually help them better retain the information they’re being taught. This is a concept known as gamification and it’s very commonly used in e-learning materials.

The Benefits of Digital Transformation on Education

Why would education systems invest ample time and money in a digital transformation? To start, doing so actually increases access to education from students because the education experience becomes less reliant on one specific geographical location. This accessibility just adds to the convenience associated with a digital transformation. From being able to access source materials from any device, to collaborating and sharing notes digitally, to more spaces for interaction between teachers, students, and peers with their instructors and fellow students, there are tons of valuable benefits of a digital transformation for students.

The Takeaway

Through a digital transformation, educators can help enhance students’ learning experiences by fostering better communication and connecting them to more educational resources and materials.

Digital transformation in education is bringing down geographical barriers, allowing learners worldwide to choose what they want to learn regardless of location. Localization can help expand the target audience of whatever educational program that is already online. In addition, students can benefit greatly from localization as learning in their native language can greatly boost their engagement with the education materials, how they understand it, and how they retain the information.

VR & localization the key to an immersive experience for users worldwide
23/11/2022

VR & Localization: The Key to an Immersive Experience

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on VR & Localization: The Key to an Immersive Experience

Virtual reality (VR) refers to a simulated experience that can either be totally different or very similar to the real world. It is achieved by creating a sensory environment using primarily sight and sound to create an interactive and immersive experience. VR is rising in popularity day by day and by 2025, experts say the VR industry will be worth more than $22 billion. One reason for this industry’s continued growth in popularity is due to VR’s endless potential to create experiences and immersive environments, as these headsets can make it easier to integrate games into education, entertainment, and many other endeavors.

Standard VR systems tend to rely on VR headsets in order to generate the realistic sensations that create its well-known immersive environment. VR headsets generally include what people know as a head-mounted display (HMD). This HMD is a wraparound headset that blocks light and real-world images, so the user can focus on the virtual world they are entering. During 2022, experts anticipate that consumer AR/VR headset shipments will reach 13.24 million units.

The same holds over time as companies make improvements to VR hardware (such as designing smaller and more stylish headsets) and as they become more affordable, that interest in this industry will continue to grow. For example, a less cumbersome device may increase popularity in healthcare training, such as training simulations for surgeons.

Let’s take a closer look at why localization for VR is becoming a growing need!

Applications and Industries

These are some of the industries that are embracing VR:

  • Entertainment. VR is especially common in the gaming sector, as VR can create an exceptional game experience for players who want to immerse themselves in the world the game takes place in.
  • Training. The learning and development possibilities of VR are nearly endless—especially for providing a more hands-on corporate training experience.
  • Tourism. Imagine being able to make someone feel like they are visiting your city and encourage them to visit by introducing them to your most exciting sites virtually.
  • Well-being. You can achieve a more immersive wellness experience when you combine VR with apps that help guide meditation, workouts, mindfulness, and relaxation.
  • E-learning. Many students engage with their learning materials and retain them better when using VR during the e-learning experience.

VR Localization

The fact that more industries are adopting VR and with headsets becoming more affordable, it is natural for this technology to reach new markets and people that speak different languages. This is where localization comes in.

When someone is engaging with an immersive experience, you don’t want them to become confused by language or prompts they don’t understand. Localization makes it possible to translate elements like prompts, buttons, in-app menus and messages, narration or voice-over cues in the app the consumer uses. Anything that requires interaction on the part of the user needs to be clear or else you risk your message not coming across clearly, or the user not being able to properly navigate the experience—all of which can lead to the user leaving a bad review of the app. Localization also needs to cover the content in the app store, as the app store description helps them select and decide to purchase the app. Making sure this text is in a language the user understands can make a difference in the total number of downloads.

As VR adoption continues to expand and more industries realize the potential it has, it’s only a matter of time before the localization needs in the industry also increase. This is key to ensure access to this technology and its applications are accessible to anyone, not only to English speakers, making these virtual worlds into more inclusive and diverse spaces.

4 Reasons To Localize Your Global Training Program - Portada
25/10/2022

4 Reasons To Localize Your Global Training Program

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on 4 Reasons To Localize Your Global Training Program

Running a business that employs workers from around the world is no easy feat, but it makes it possible to expand into new markets and to tap into a diverse talent pool. Companies that make localization a key part of their global training pipeline can benefit greatly. How? Let’s look at four different ways that localization can improve your global training strategy.

Employees Learn Better

Even if your workforce all speaks the language of business—aka English—, providing employees with access to training materials in their native language can help them learn better. Doing so can also make them feel like they belong to a more inclusive workplace environment. You can help avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and can make it easier for them to retain information by allowing them to learn in their native language. If you can provide your employees with resources that make thriving in their job easier, why wouldn’t you?

Employees Get Maximum ROI on Learning Initiatives

When employees understand and retain educational materials better, that clearly benefits their personal and professional development, but their employers also benefit. If you’re going to invest a lot of time and money into creating learning initiatives and then are going to have your employees commit more time and resources to consuming that content, you want to get the most ROI possible. When you provide localized training materials, you can help increase productivity and can enhance retention of the learning materials — all of which end up benefiting you as their employer.

Companies Create a More Equal Workplace

Employers should take whatever steps possible to create a more fair and equitable workplace. One way to do this is to give all employees, no matter what their native language is, the same level of opportunity when it comes to improving their skills and reaching their full potential at your company. If a company doesn’t localize its training materials, they risk putting non-native English-speaking employees at a disadvantage. While they may not mean to do this, they may make it more difficult for their employees to grasp critical concepts by not localizing their training materials. If you want a global workforce, you need to support them properly and localization can help you do that.

Companies Enjoy Optimal Resource Utilization

When you expand your workforce globally, you must also enhance your training efforts to make them work on a more diverse scale. While localization is an investment, that investment will pay off and save you time and money in the end by helping you make the most of the resources you already have. When you localize your global training program, you create a better company culture, help employees learn better, and make a fairer working environment, and as a result, your employees will thrive. You want all of your employees to have the best chance of understanding and retaining learning materials and localization can help you reach that goal.

How to Utilize VR in Corporate Training
23/07/2021

How to Utilize VR in Corporate Training

Posted on | by Carolina Arriagada | Leave a Comment on How to Utilize VR in Corporate Training

Training new employees or keeping your current employees up to date on company happenings, industry advancements, and important safety information can be expensive and time-consuming. It’s easy to understand why some employers are looking for more efficient and effective ways to train their employees. This is where virtual reality (VR) comes in. E-learning advancements are making waves in the industry, especially VR related techniques. There are many benefits of using VR in e-learning that is utilized for corporate training, such as boosting employee engagement and retainment rates. VR can be incorporated into workplace training in a variety of ways, but three key areas are improving the onboarding process, building on the job skills, and mastering compliance and safety rules.  

For Onboarding Employees

For new employees, the onboarding process is extremely important. It can also be very overwhelming and quite frankly — boring. The onboarding process typically includes an introduction to the organization and its history and key figures within the company, tackles important HR issues, and helps the new employee adjust to the company culture. 

Through games and virtual interactions, VR can make the onboarding experience more engaging and lively, helping new employees weed through a lot of important information in a way that keeps them excited and ready to learn more. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, some companies are even using VR to offer office tours to their new hires safely at home. 

The employees at Ericsson’s USA 5G Smart Factory in Texas utilized VR during their onboarding processes and had almost no face-to-face interaction during their initial training. Instead, they learned directly from their peers in the company’s smart factory in Tallinn from 8,000 km away, thanks to VR-enabled virtual collaboration and knowledge sharing. No travel was required and Ericsson found the process to be more efficient and productive. 

For Practicing On The Job Skills 

One main component of corporate training is to help employees learn how to do their jobs. Employees can practice the skills needed to perform a job across a variety of industries and roles using VR techniques to make training easier and more effective. For example, to make miners’ jobs more safe, cost-effective, and productive, there is VR technology that simulates situations miners encounter at real blast walls. These VR trainings can help them perfect their craft in a safer and less expensive way than building these skills at actual blast walls. 

Airline pilots are another great example of how someone can build their job-required skills in a safe environment. Pilots can interact with virtual cockpits that offer an interactive image of the control panels. They can watch videos of flights from the cockpit jump seat that provide a realistic 360-degree POV. They can also undergo a virtual tour of the aircraft to learn more about their future work environment. 

Compliance and Safety

Employee safety should always be a top priority of employers and VR techniques applied to corporate training can help accomplish that goal. Not only can employees learn the safety and compliance rules they need during e-learning, but if you add in VR, they can also put what they’ve learned into practice to make sure they know how to do their job in a safe and compliant way. There are creators working on OSHA compliance courses that utilize VR techniques.

Jobs that require building muscle memory and to retain important safety information (such as someone who works with live wires) can benefit greatly from practicing their skills in a zero stakes virtual environment. The costs and risks that can come from making mistakes in a VR simulation are practically non-existent, whereas people can get severely injured or even die while training in the real world if they need to perform dangerous tasks. The construction, fire safety, manufacturing, medical, and transportation industries can all benefit from VR in compliance and safety training. 

Why VR Improves Corporate Training

VR offers immersive and engaging experiences that can result in employees learning better and faster during corporate training. That being said, VR is not enough to make up for serious e-learning barriers. For example, language is an important component that can’t be overlooked in corporate training, even when VR is involved. When creating training materials it is imperative that language does not become a distraction for the employee. Localizing e-learning courses into different languages and taking cultural variances into account can help ensure that all of your employees fully understand their training material, feel supported, and stay engaged.