You have a lot of options if you want your corporate training programs to succeed. One of them is virtual training. But what exactly does this type of learning entail?
This is a type of simulation program that will help train employees. It is not like the other elearning programs wherein you will be taught concepts and other information that you can use to improve your daily tasks. While there will be some education involved, it will mostly lean towards the application of skills. Of course, the application will not be in the real world. It will all happen in the digital realm through gamification.
This type of training has two important parts.
The Lesson. This is still a training program after all. The primary goal is to make sure that employees will learn something. So you can be sure that there should be a lesson in here somewhere. You have to learn something new – it can be a skill, a technique or even a simple message. If you do not learn something from this program, then it would have been a waste. This lesson will shape the next part of virtual training. Whatever the lesson will be, the simulation will be based on that.
The Game. This is what sets this elearning strategy apart from the rest. While there will be an element of fun, this will still be considered a serious game. Try not to make it too enjoyable because it might compromise the value of the lesson that the employee is expected to take from this program. Employees might not take it seriously. The simulation should provide the learners with different scenarios that they will most likely encounter in the real world. Through the virtual training, they will face representations of real-world problems and they will be given the chance to solve them. Of course, there will be consequences from every decision. The employee will get an idea how their choices can affect how a project or task will come out.
This type of learning provide employees with the best of everything. They get to learn new things and the gamification element of virtual training makes it fun to do so. They also have the opportunity to practice what they learned through simulations. Because of this, mistakes are not as costly as they will be in the real world. It is possible to make a mistake, learn from it and then redo the simulation so you can make a different choice. It is a great way to practice without the necessary consequences. They can continue to experiment – even make a mistake intentionally so they will have an idea what will happen. It is all okay because everything is happening in the digital realm.
Virtual training intends to help employees feel engaged. That is its main objective. Placing the lesson in a simulation and inserting a gamification element into it create a great opportunity for everyone to apply the concepts that they have and watch how it will affect their environment. It is not just about learning something new – it is about learning how it should be applied correctly in the real world.
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