Suddenly there seems to be a lot that we want our staff to know. For example:
- How to handle personal data?
- Latest financial regulations?
- Company policy regarding on-line security? and of course
- How to comply with relevant Health and Safety legislation?
Uncomfortably, as we read in the media every day, the risks of sanction where these issues are not dealt with properly through staff not being able to apply knowledge practically, are growing higher. Indeed, perhaps not in the territory of Google’s recent slap, but fines are usually eye-watering for most normal companies.
Of course, the company intranet or indeed providing access to the internet, may provide employees with all the information that they need, but corporate risk only reduces where there is effective training provided and there is evidence that learning can and is being applied in the workplace.
Few companies can afford the high financial and abstraction costs to send employees to classroom based training. E-learning packages are affordable, but staff often say that they find them boring. This is why immersive learning is becoming a major format for training staff in high numbers.
Immersive learning harnesses the engaging approach used by the computer games industry, but in an educational format. Staff use computer tablets to enter and interact with scenarios that replicate workplace problems. Academic research shows that the learning sticks and that when real situations are subsequently encountered, users’ experiences in the virtual world, really help them find the right answer in the real one.
Employers also benefit from the metadata generated whilst their staff are being trained. Such data shows how staff are performing, where there are difficulties and therefore how effective the training is in mitigating corporate risk.
Perhaps most importantly, immersive learning is effective because it is engaging and, perish the thought, can be fun! So, we are pretty excited about immersive learning as you may have gathered. We think it offers the potential to turn the tide on neglected training needs by providing easy to access, easy to update, affordable and auditable training, anytime and anywhere.
At Droman, we are currently using our immersive learning platform to provide cybercrime training to Police Scotland’s officers. We are developing the platform to offer a range of courses accessed through apps, on subjects such as GDPR, Health and Safety, induction and many more.
Have a look or even better, ‘dive in’ to immersive learning at http://www.droman.co.uk/cybercrime/
