Bright Idea: Feeling vs. reading

Virtual reality may be the next trend in e-learning. 

Whether at universities, corporations or associations, visual learning is increasingly being incorporated into curricula. 

Take for example Tesseract Learning, which recently created a fire safety VR e-learning program for one of its clients.

By using VR, participants who take the course are able to immerse themselves in a fire emergency situation. 

They are able to take the course on a variety of platforms, including PCs and smartphones, and, of course, using VR googles. 

Tesseract used a 360-degree camera to take pictures of the office floor and fire exit points, then adding a few hotspots to the simulation to show how individuals can exit the office in a case of emergency. In the simulation, employees can choose to extinguish the fire, but have to find the fire extinguishers, water sprinklers and fire alarms. They also have to answer a few questions and find an exit that is closest.

As one can imagine, the scenario is stressful – as it would be in a real fire emergency – and learning is much more powerful, thanks to VR. Practicing fire safety vs. reading about it is a much more engaging and compelling way to learn.

“After the course was over, we told the employees to sit back and allowed the course to seep in,” writes Suresh Kumar, CEO of Tesseract Learning, in e-Learning Industry. “After that we asked for their feedback. Most of the employees said the experience with VR was quite exciting and useful, and helped them in experiencing a fire evacuation drill in real time. Thus, the e-learning course with virtual reality helped learners understand the concept better.”