Immersive Technology for Training and Education Checklist

This detailed guide will help you evaluate current challenges, identify opportunities, and determine how immersive technologies can enhance your training programs. 

In a previous post, Boston Engineering asked the question: Should your company be using Immersive Technology in training and education? 

The central aspect of that article was understanding that traditional methods of instruction, while still valuable, often fall short in delivering the dynamic, hands-on experiences needed in modern workplaces. Immersive technologies, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), have emerged as powerful tools to fill this gap.

How can you asses if Immersive Technologies are right for your company? To determine whether immersive technologies like AR, VR, and MR are right for your company’s training and education needs, use the checklist below.

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What is Immersive Technology? Immersive Technology is the interaction of advanced software, devices, and data allowing users to experience information in new and empowering ways. Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality from Boston Engineering are tools available today to elevate your organization’s capabilities, competitiveness, and agility.

Immersive Technology addresses today’s operational, service, and sales challenges with a nod to the future of business: better information and faster delivery that strengthens companies against uncertainty, while building competitive advantage.

Learn more about Immersive Technologies at Boston Engineering

Should your company explore immersive technologies for training and education?

Below are several select areas of focus that will help you understand of immersive technologies could give you a market advantage through your training and education programs.

 Complexity and Risk of Training Scenarios

• Are your current training programs highly complex or involve high-risk environments (e.g., manufacturing, healthcare, construction)? 

• • Immersive technology can simulate these environments to provide safe, risk-free training. 

• Do your employees need to be trained on dangerous tasks or scenarios (e.g., emergency response, hazardous materials, critical machinery)? 

• • VR can simulate dangerous or life-threatening scenarios for practice without real-world risks. 

• Is it difficult or expensive to recreate the real-world environment for hands-on training? 

• • AR/VR simulations can provide realistic environments for training, eliminating the need for costly setups. 

• Is your workforce geographically dispersed or remote? 

• • Immersive tech allows for centralized, uniform training accessible from anywhere, reducing travel or logistical barriers. 

• Do you have difficulty delivering consistent training across different locations or time zones? 

• • VR environments can standardize training experiences for all employees, regardless of location. 

• Does your organization rely on a global workforce with different cultural or language backgrounds? 

• • Immersive technologies can offer multilingual and culturally adaptive training experiences.

• Are your current training programs failing to engage employees? 

• • Immersive technologies provide interactive, hands-on learning, which increases engagement and attention. 

• Do employees report low knowledge retention from traditional training methods (e.g., PowerPoint, videos, or manuals)? 

• • VR/AR simulations offer active participation, which has been proven to enhance retention and understanding. 

• Is employee performance or skill mastery slow due to lack of engagement or practice? 

• • Virtual environments offer repeated, on-demand practice that leads to better mastery of skills.

• Does your training involve repetitive processes or procedures that employees need to master (e.g., technical maintenance, surgery, machine operation)? 

• • Immersive technologies allow employees to repeat complex tasks as often as needed in a controlled, virtual setting. 

• Do employees need regular refreshers or updates on specific tasks or procedures? 

• • VR can offer continuous learning environments where employees can refresh their skills on demand.  

Costs and Logistical Barriers 

• Are your current training programs costly due to the need for physical equipment, materials, or travel? 

• • VR or MR solutions eliminate the need for expensive materials and travel by creating virtual replicas of environments or equipment. 

• Does your training require shutting down production lines or removing equipment from service for hands-on practice? 

• • Immersive simulations can mirror production environments without the need for actual downtime. 

• Is your company looking to scale its training programs but face budget or resource constraints? 

• • Immersive tech can scale training efficiently, allowing more employees to participate without additional physical resources. 

• Does your workforce have varied skill levels or backgrounds, requiring personalized training? 

• • Immersive training programs can adapt to the learner's pace, offering tailored experiences based on skill level and role. 

• Do some employees need more in-depth or repeated practice than others? 

• • VR allows employees to practice specific skills repeatedly until they feel confident, all in a controlled, personalized environment. 

• Do you want to offer training pathways that adjust based on an employee’s progress or skill development? 

• • Adaptive learning in immersive environments can offer personalized feedback and learning paths. 

• Is onboarding a challenge for your organization due to the complexity of job roles or the number of new hires? 

• • AR or VR-based onboarding modules can offer new hires an immersive introduction to their roles, products, and company culture. 

• Do new employees require extensive hands-on training that’s difficult to manage at scale? 

• • Immersive environments can standardize onboarding and provide new employees with hands-on training experiences before they even start work. 

• Does your company rely on team-based problem-solving or collaboration (e.g., product design, engineering, cross-functional projects)? 

• • MR and VR environments allow for remote teams to collaborate in a shared, virtual space, enhancing teamwork without needing everyone to be in the same physical location. 

• Do your employees need to learn soft skills, such as communication, leadership, or conflict resolution? 

• • Immersive technology can create realistic simulations for employees to practice customer service, negotiation, or team dynamics in interactive role-playing scenarios. 

Download the Latest Immersive Technology Whitepaper from Boston Engineering

Augmented Reality (AR) is revolutionizing the way we interact with digital content, merging the physical and digital worlds in innovative ways. In this white paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of AR, exploring its definition, potential uses, challenges in adoption, and strategies for companies to embrace this transformative technology.

Download to begin Embracing the Future

Product Training for Internal Staff 

• Do your employees need to understand how to use or service your products? 

• • VR and AR can simulate real-world product interactions, allowing employees to explore and train on complex systems or devices in a hands-on way. 

• Is your product too large, expensive, or complex for regular hands-on training? 

• Immersive technology can provide detailed, interactive digital models for training without needing physical products. 

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Training Programs

• Do you currently struggle to assess how well employees have understood or retained their training? 
   
  • VR and AR training platforms can track progress, assess skills, and provide real-time feedback, giving you data on how well employees are learning. 

• Is it challenging to offer feedback or adapt training based on employee performance? 

• • Immersive platforms can offer immediate performance-based feedback, helping employees correct mistakes on the spot. 

• Is your industry undergoing digital transformation, requiring your workforce to adopt new skills or adapt to new technologies? 

• Immersive technology can train employees on emerging technologies, digital tools, and new processes in a hands-on, interactive way. 

• Are you looking to create a more resilient, adaptable, and future-ready workforce? 

• AR, VR, and MR can train employees not only on current tasks but also future scenarios, making your workforce more adaptable to change. 

Next Steps: Assessing Feasibility and ROI 

After going through this checklist, if you identify several areas where immersive technologies could benefit your organization, the next step is to assess the feasibility and return on investment (ROI): 

• What’s the cost of integrating immersive technology (hardware, software, training)? 

• What are the measurable benefits (increased engagement, retention, reduced training time/costs)? 

• Do you have the internal resources to develop, implement, and maintain immersive training programs? 

• Can immersive technologies replace or enhance existing training methods? 

By answering these questions and addressing the checklist, your company can make informed decisions about when and how to integrate immersive technologies into your training and education programs. 

Ready to Start the Immersive Technology Journey? 

With the capability of saving time and money in operations, improving field service, and creating efficiencies in your sales process-- Immersive Technologies are currently available to provide an advantage against competition, and a buffer against uncertainty.

Augmented Reality seamlessly blends the physical and virtual, enhancing user experiences by providing additional information and digital elements without completely detaching them from their surroundings. This intuitive integration makes AR an accessible and cost-effective solution across various industries, from education to healthcare to gaming. By overlaying digital content onto the real world, AR empowers users to access valuable insights and engage with information in a more natural and contextual manner.

Virtual Reality offers a completely immersive experience, transporting users into captivating digital realms. VR's high level of engagement and interactivity makes it an ideal medium for applications that require intense focus, such as gaming, training, and therapeutic interventions. By fully engaging the user's senses, VR has the power to inspire, educate, and transform the way we approach challenges and opportunities.

Mixed Reality seamlessly blends the physical and virtual, enabling users to interact with digital elements as if they were physical objects. This enhanced level of interaction and collaboration opens up new possibilities for product design, maintenance, and training. MR is revolutionizing the way we tackle complex tasks and collaborate across different locations.

Whether you’re seeking to meet rising manufacturing demands, offer more efficient training and service delivery, or revamp marketing & sales efforts, Boston Engineering has the tools to tackle these issues head on and incorporate your specific needs. Let us help you create the roadmap to success: Get the full ROI through Immersive Technologies by working with Boston Engineering.

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