What Does The Future Hold For Virtual Training?
The world of education has transformed rapidly in recent years. Traditional classrooms have been replaced by virtual ones, where learners can gather from any place in the world and acquire knowledge that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. Virtual training, as it is commonly known, has opened a world of opportunities for learners, and it is only evolving as time goes by. In this article, we will discuss the significance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), analytics, and other emerging technologies for enhanced engagement, as well as some trends that are shaping the future of virtual training technology.
The Progress Of Virtual Training Technology
When Virtual Reality (VR) broke into the world of learning before the turn of the millennium, it was much different from what we know today. At that time, learners only had access to clunky, expensive equipment with limited practical applications. In fact, it was mostly used for specialized training programs in the medical and aviation industries.
What made virtual training accessible and valuable to a wider audience was a number of technological advancements. First, the improvements in VR technology enabled the creation of immersive 3D environments, where learners could practice their skills in a safe yet realistic setting. Then, Augmented Reality (AR) made virtual training even more accessible by bringing it into the physical world. With smart devices, such as phones or AR glasses, trainees receive just-in-time materials and directions while interacting with real-world objects. Finally, gamification has made virtual training more engaging, incorporating game mechanics such as levels, points, and leaderboards into the learning process.
How Do AI And Analytic Technology Enhance Engagement?
An essential component of virtual training is AI and data analytics, which eLearning developers and instructors use to optimize the learning experience and gather data that is valuable for enhancing learner engagement. Let's see how this is achieved.
1. Personalized Learning Paths
Every learner is unique, and if you want your virtual training course to be successful, you need to take that into consideration. Using Artificial Intelligence, you can analyze learner behavior in real time to gather vital insights into their learning journey. For example, you can adjust the difficulty of the learning content if a learner is struggling or the material is too easy for them. Another thing AI can do when learners find a certain topic challenging is suggest resources to address their knowledge gaps. By offering a dynamic learning experience that adapts to each learner's competency level, you can reduce frustration and enhance engagement.
2. Real-Time Feedback On Engagement Levels
Disengagement can become a real thorn in your side and significantly impact the effectiveness of your virtual training strategy if you don't catch it early. This is where AI and robust analytics come into play to give you timely warnings when a learner is at risk of becoming disengaged or when they need some assistance to move forward. In addition to analyzing and tracking participation and interactions, AI-powered learning courses can automatically send encouraging messages that motivate learners to revisit the course or retake challenging modules. They can also offer hints and additional resources when they detect a decline in performance.
3. Smarter Virtual Assistants
The fact that online learners can't be in a physical classroom and walk up to the instructor to ask for guidance or clarification doesn't mean they are without support. On the contrary, AI is contributing significantly to the development of intelligent virtual tutors and chatbots that can greatly improve the learning experience and enhance engagement. Specifically, these virtual assistants can receive questions from learners, analyze them, and provide relevant and immediate responses. But don't expect these responses to be wooden or pre-programmed. AI enables virtual tutors to assess a learner's confidence or frustration levels and offer appropriate answers to motivate and encourage them to continue learning.
4. Robust Learning Analytics And Reporting
Data analysis is a powerful tool for instructors, supporting them in maximizing the effectiveness of their virtual training courses, driving continuous improvement, and enhancing learner engagement. By utilizing AI-powered analytics, instructors can constantly and accurately monitor various metrics, such as module and course completion rates, time spent learning, number and frequency of interactions with various elements of the course, performance on quizzes, assessments, and knowledge checks, preferences for material formats, and many more. These valuable insights and the reports generated from them empower instructors to identify successful vs unsuccessful modules, learners with declining performance, and effective learning materials.
Future Trends In Virtual Training Technology
Virtual training is always evolving with new tools and technologies to enhance engagement by making the learning process more interactive, intuitive, and immersive. Let's look at some of the emerging technologies that are expected to take over the field of virtual training in years to come.
Extended Reality
Extended Reality (XR) is an umbrella term that encompasses VR, AR, and Mixed Reality (MR). This technology will help create ultra-immersive environments for collaborative or independent learning, virtual coworking spaces, simulations for complex team-based scenarios, or immersive onboarding experiences.
Digital Twins
A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object or system. It is used to provide learners with a highly realistic environment where they can practice new skills without the risk of making mistakes. This allows learners to build their confidence and master new competencies before applying them in real-life situations.
Holographic Technology
This futuristic technology, which has already appeared in our lives, will be used in virtual training to create 3D representations of persons, objects, etc., to promote better knowledge acquisition and learner engagement. For example, individuals in the construction industry will be able to practice operating heavy machinery and explore its full capabilities without needing to be on-site.
Predictive Learning
We've already highlighted AI's significance in enhancing virtual assistants and tutors for online learners. But as it evolves, AI will not only analyze learner behavior and respond accordingly but also predict it and act proactively. This might involve predicting skill gaps before their negative effects become apparent, offering material recommendations based on their interests and career aspirations, and more.
Integration With Metaverse
The metaverse will create persistent interactive virtual worlds with capabilities that we can now only imagine. By incorporating it into virtual learning environments, participants will be able to explore entire virtual campuses, interact with peers, and collaborate on complex tasks, making learning that much more fun and engaging.
Leveraging Neurotechnology
Brain-computer interfaces are another tool expected to be integrated into virtual learning. These systems create a direct link between the learner's brain activity and an external computer or device, providing valuable insights into what learners find interesting or not. With this information, the course can automatically modify its content to bring it closer to the learner's preferences.
AI-Powered Dynamic Assessments
AI can take dynamic assessments to the next level by analyzing learner performance, identifying challenging questions, assessing overall progress, and more. This approach allows for automatic and targeted adjustments to the difficulty and format of questions while also providing instructions and clarifications as needed by the learner.
Conclusion
If you think that virtual training is innovative now, the future can only surprise you. As technological advancements become more accessible, virtual learning will become even more interactive, responsive to learner needs, and ultimately more engaging. In this article, we discussed emerging technologies for enhanced engagement and the significant role of AI in all this to give you insight into what virtual training technology will look like in the future and what trends you should look out for to stay up to date.
Download Addressing The Learner Engagement Gap In Virtual Training today to leverage the latest tech, implement tested strategies, and overcome engagement obstacles in your L&D program.
You can also check out Adobe Connect's webinar "Can You Hear Me?" Isn't A Learning Strategy to uncover why traditional video tools don't cut it for training, and what to use instead.
