Session 108 - Virtual Reality in L&D: Are You Ready?

Intro
"We are going to talk about Virtual Reality, talk about what works, what doesn't, and what the research shows..."  Starts with a poll as to how folks are using VR professionally and at home...

Jen's organization does work with the DoD and has been doing so for quite some time (15+ years).  Vr is something they've been working with for a long time and have done quite a bit of research on.  Great time to be interested in it, as price points and accessibility have gone down and up, respectively.

I also apparently let her down by telling her I could hear her unmic'ed.  Sorry, Jen.  Let's talk about VR in the context of mixed reality...


VR in Mixed Reality
Talking VR in and among the context of other realities is important to address/think about.  People will sell you left right and sideways on an Oculus Rift, but what goes into developing a VR application involves a whole lot more.  Jen surveys the audience as to who has a general idea of what VR is, and the majority of the audience identifies at least some knowledge therein.

Jen level sets on the terms to be concerned with: Hardware, software, and experience. Some people will refer to desktop simulations (video games) as VR, and it's not that.  We, for the purpose of this presentation, will be looking at the EXPERIENCE factor as the main driver going forward.


What is Mixed Reality?
MR is a spectrum of experiences categorized by a feeling or immersion, or "presence" in a digital environment.  Jen provides an image of the Physical World and the Digital World separated by AR (more towards real) and VR (more towards digital), combined into the Mixed Reality Spectrum.  It's hard to digest as professionals, though, as we tend to deal in absolutes.

The purpose of AR is to put stuff in front of your face which you will encounter in the real world.  There are people who propose that, eventually, the mask won't come off...it will help us 24/7.  AR headset, though, is transparent, whereas a VR headset will occlude your view of the 'real world'.  So, you can begin to see how the spectrum needs to exist, as there's such a broad gamut of how these different realities exist.


What is Virtual Reality?
VR is an "Autonomous 3D synthetic environment".  Real time interaction can occur with elements of the environment.  There is a feeling of presence or immersion in the environment.  There are three axes (Zeltzer 1992), presented in cube form between Presence, Autonomy, and Interaction. 

But let's talk what is NOT VR...


What is Virtual Reality NOT?
Let's look at AR v VR - AR overlays graphics using input from a camera as a references.  VR, on the other hand, occludes your view of the real world.  AR can be used in conjunction with real world objects, whereas VR is fully immersive.

How about 360 video?  360 Video provides higher visual fidelity and is less expensive, whereas VR enables interaction with objects in the real world.


A Brief History of VR
(Check out my Twitter or Instagram for the image Jen used)

A history of VR from 1960 to 2020 is presented, and I am floored.  Kind of like how we envision Instructional Design, this has been a round far longer than most people envision.  VR was actually referred to as the biggest tech flop of the 90's...


"I Need Dis"
Sure, it's cool.  Sure, it's accessible.  But it's NOT cheap.  Just because it's the cool thing and marketing or other leaders WANT it, doesn't mean you go with it.  You have to ask two different questions: Does it work? and Is it worth it?

Take the Air Fryer - Is it worth it?  Depends on how many broccoli tots you can eat (really, Jen?)...if you can eat enough of them and you can spare the kitchen real estate, sure. 

What does the science say?  "Is VR training better than what we already have going on?"  Most of the research in this area has been done with older, lower fidelity systems and was focused on evaluation immediately rather than following the training journey.  The current research tends to use a 'straw man' (PPT v VR) control group and has small sample sizes, using reactions as primary outcomes.  Finally, it's not typically replicated with the same system...and these research trends aren't going to change anytime soon.

You won't see research coming out ranking the Oculus Quest and other competitors.  The good news is that, currently, sales trends indicate that we've blown by predictions - Which is great.  But this is based on the entertainment value at this point...but, at the end of the day, if that's what you're going for with your training product, it might be a good mix.  The problem with getting information on specific products and comparing them, though, is that the VR market is EXTREMELY volatile, to say the least.  Combine this with the fact that it takes 8 months to get a research article approved - Therein lies your problem: Providers have either gone, or new providers have come by the time your research hits.


Why Should VR Work?
In short, VR supports:
- Immersion
- Embodied Cognition
- Personalized Learning
- Social and Emotional Learning
- Experiential Education

VR is not the only way to tailor to the individual learner, but it's a good way.  The way that you even see things through VR is tailored: We look around a room in different ways and may experience fear/apprehension of being 'enclosed'.  Jen presents a lit review of VR effectiveness - Over 1,000 articles, Jen and crew went through and identified those that were throwaways...remember: Just because something is published doesn't mean it's good.  They whittled their way down to 100, then 25, separated them into industry/categories (aerospace, laproscopic surgery, etc.), and separated into domains (psychomotor, etc.).


Training Psychomotor Skills
The main contrast here is Commercial VR controllers vs a Virtual Simulation.  The VR controllers put you in contact with a controller whereas the virtual simulation puts you in the environment and places you in contact with the actual tools (see: Flight Simulator in an actual cockpit setting).  VR is good for training psychomotor, but it depends on whether or not you leverage the true environment.

Generally speaking, it is safe to say that task performance and knowledge retention were higher in VR conditions, but it can take longer to train.  A review of VR training for laparascopic surgeons showed increased accuracy, decreased completion time and reduced errors.


Knowledge Acquisition
Generally, VR improves knowledge acquisition when compared to instructor led training and Powerpoint.  Sailors showed improvements after VR training in issuing commands, visual inspection of ship parts and checking positions. (Hays/Vicenzi 2000)


Spatial Navigation
Generally, VR supports training spatial navigation (of course, so does looking at blueprints of the building).  Firefighters who viewed VR breakthroughs of buildings were faster at rescue and made fewer errors (Bliss/Tidwell 1995)


Dealing with Stressors
Check out Bravemind: VR training to manage PTSD.  VR can also help reduce space sickness when trained in VR (Stroud et al 2005)


In Conclusion
You might benefit from VR if:
- Your learners are in dangerous situations.
- The cost of your learners making a mistake is very high.
- Your learners would benefit from figuring out where stuff is before you get there.
- If you'll be in unavoidable stress (desert heat/hot gear/etc.)
- If your learners need to practice skills prior to being there 'for real'

Is it worth it to take the leap?  The VR application development process is lengthy, including: Needs analysis/user story dev, Research and development, Design of scenario/features/characters, Data strategy/implementation, Software development, Software testing, and internal marketing and distribution.  THIS IS NOT A ONE PERSON JOB.