Best Practices for Implementing VR Training

Current Research Makes VR a Clear Choice

Classroom and online training can be cost effective and easy to implement, but research show that only 10% of the lesson’s content is retained after a week. Traditional programs struggle to meet their objectives and to engage participants. Engagement refers to a learner's involvement during the lesson. Without proper engagement, the lesson won't be effective. A driving factor with immersive and experiential training is that all impulses from the real world are shut out by the encapsulating VR headset, focusing the workers’ attention on the tasks at hand. The gamified aspects of learning-by-doing increases engagement to allow the curriculum to be absorbed and retained.

A study conducted by PwC concluded that:

• SPEED. An average employee learned 4 times faster in VR than in the classroom.

• CONFIDENCE. Employees were 275% more confident in applying what they have learned after training.

• CONNECTION: Employees experienced a 3.75 times higher emotional connection to the content.

• FOCUS: Employees were 4 times more focused in VR than in online training.

• COST. VR training is 52% more cost effective than classroom training at scale.

A Pilot to Answer your Questions

The only way for an organization to get the answers they need is to get their feet wet. Therefor we have initiated a low cost and easy to implement Pilot Program. Here are some questions that we are been asked frequently on how to execute a successful VR Training Pilot and what answers a pilot will help you find.

Q: Our team wants to run a VR training pilot. What are the next steps?

A: First, identify the primary goals of the pilot. What specific outcomes or insights are you hoping to achieve? Running a VR training pilot will give you firsthand, empirical data to help assess whether VR is the right training solution for your organization.

While specific metrics will vary based on factors like the number of participants, frequency of training, importance of the content, and the scope of VR modules, at a high level, you’ll likely focus on:

• Resource Needs: What will it cost in terms of time, technology, and people?

• Ease of Implementation: How seamlessly can VR be integrated into your existing training framework?

• Employee Experience and Learning Outcomes: Do employees find VR engaging, and does it enhance their learning?

Our team is here to support you and can facilitate a roundtable session to discuss these considerations and help you get started.

Q: We have a general idea of what we want to learn. What’s next?

A: Select a training module important to your operations for the VR trial. Ideally, choose a business-critical training scenario unique to your facility—like working with your factory’s machinery—rather than a generic module like fire extinguisher training. A relevant environment in VR training—one that closely mirrors the actual work setting—offers several key benefits:

• Increased engagement and immersion.

• Important skill strengthening and process enforcement.

• Higher confidence and reduced anxiety.

• Improved safety and risk awareness on daily tasks.

Using a realistic VR environment for training isn’t just about making the experience immersive; it provides better feedback and assessment opportunities, which is what you really want from a pilot. It varies of course, but many companies we work with have successful pilot with a VR training module focused on energy isolation and maintenance procedures on a machine that needs routine maintenance.

Q: We have decided we want to conduct the training inside a virtual replica of our facility. How do we get it made and what do we have to do?

A: It is actually quite simple to create the content needed to make the virtual environment. Here is the process our customers use most often, which does not require any special equipment beyond what you already possess.

The VR environment. Most of our customers chose to conduct their pilot training inside a virtual replica of their facilities. Here’s what we need to create the virtual replica:

• Take your mobile phone and take photos of the area where the training will be conducted along with the machinery and equipment that will be used in the virtual environment.

• Take some measurements to ensure correct scale.

• Links to suppliers of the equipment if available.

With this information we will create a digital replica of your facilities. This process typically takes about two weeks.

Q: We have decided on a business-critical training module. What do you need to get that into the VR environment?

The Training Module. To get the training program inside the VR environment is also a straightforward process. For a pilot, we always start the training with instructions on how to use the VR controllers, move around and complete the tasks involved in the training. We take care this set-up and add your branded elements to the staging area so the Trainee from the start understands that this training is custom to them.

The actual training typically includes three main components:

• Content on the Subject: Whether it’s energy isolation (LTT training), confined space work, or another topic, you can send us the presentation you usually use. We may have relevant content, but we prefer to use your language and images.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): We set up a hands-on scene where workers go through the required PPE for the task. If you feel that correct PPE use is already well-established among your workforce, you may omit this segment. To include this, simply provide images or links to your PPE or supplier’s website. For added realism, send a photo of the locker room.

• Training Sequence: We generally need two types of information for this:

  • The Play Action: Use a mobile phone to record one of your employees performing the training tasks. Focus on buttons, switches, and equipment being used if applicable. For an LTT training module, capture close-ups of locks, tags, lock boards, and Redboxes.

  • Pop-Up Facts and Information: Send us the PowerPoint presentation you currently use for classroom training on this topic.

It normally takes us one week to create the hands-on learning-by-doing VR training module. We will then send you a screen capture video of the training being done in VR for your review along with a Word Doc containing the written and audio delivered information. Turn-around on your changes takes us 48-hours.

Q: What about the hardware for the pilot?

A: We will provide and set up the hardware needed. Additionally, we will train the personnel who will conduct the training and connect them with a dedicated support member from our team.

Q: So, IT does not have to be involved?

A: This depends on your company’s policies. Cloudberrie does not require any integration with your systems. All we need is access to your guest Wi-Fi. If guest Wi-Fi is not available, we can bring a mobile router. Cloudberrie can also operate offline if necessary. We would be happy to review the system with your IT team and answer any questions they may have.

Q: How much space do we need for the trial training area?

A: It can easily be adjusted to the space and time you and team have available to you. We deliver the pilot hardware as a mobile unit so you can pack it away between sessions, but it is, of course, more convenient for your team if it can be permanently set up for the trial period. We recommend a few square meters of space for the Trainee, so they don’t bump into anything. It’s tempting to take a step or two when the VR environment is very realistic. We also recommend that there is space for the Trainer to sit and watch the Trainees progress on a laptop screen (can be hooked up to any size screen), so help and suggestions can be given to first time users if they get stuck on something. Otherwise, the space issue is up to you and what you have available.

Q: How long should we plan for a pilot to last?

A: We recommend planning for a four to eight-week pilot, depending on available resources, training volume, existing systems, and the length and complexity of the training session.
 

Q: We know the information we need. How many people should we train to gather the required data?

A: That is a very important question and before a trial starts it is important that all decision makers agree on the number of workers that need to conduct the pilot training to provide a sufficient data foundation. We have seen successful trials with as few as 20 to 60 workers.

Regardless on the number your team agree upon, we recommend that you follow the 100% - 50% - 50 % model to get all the data you need out of your pilot. First you run 100% of your test group through the training, then with a minimum of one week interval you run 50% of the test through again, and a minimum of a week later run 50% of them through a third time.

Workplaces are diverse, and we all adapt to new technologies at different rates, but we all learn and improve. With just one round of your test group, you cannot calculate the time needed to reach the required volume, the amount of equipment, and perhaps most importantly, the resources needed to manage the training sessions.

Cloudberrie’s built-in reporting and analytics record key metrics, such as the time it takes an employee to complete a training session. Here’s an example from one of our clients who followed the 100% - 50% - 50% methodology:

• Average time for the first round: 20.84 minutes

• Average time for the second round: 12.00 minutes

• Average time for the third round: 7.48 minutes

This showed:

• A 42.4% reduction between the first and second rounds

• A 37.7% reduction between the second and third rounds

• A 64.1% reduction between the first and third rounds

Another valuable data point is a recommended exit survey with eight questions on the employee’s VR training experience. Combining the hard data from our reporting system with feedback from these surveys will provide your team with the insights needed to make informed decisions about implementing VR training.

Hopefully this has answered most of you questions on engaging in a pilot, but please don’t hestiate to send us additional questions on support@cloudberrie.io.