Key Takeaways
Why knowledge retention matters
What is the goal of employee training? For staff to better understand concepts and skills and be able to do their job to an exceptional standard, right?
However, if your employees lose more than half of what they learned immediately after traditional training, it’s unlikely you’re going to get your
money’s worth.
So, to successfully achieve your goal of improving your workforce and their competencies, you need to ensure that each employee can retain knowledge
and be able to implement it.
But what is knowledge retention and how can it be improved to see greater results from your training budget? In short, knowledge retention is the ability
to remember, apply, and access information.
Despite the unfortunate stats on memory loss following traditional training, there is a way to turn your workforce into more knowledgeable and confident
professionals. And the answer is virtual reality. Using immersive technology, organisations can present information to employees in an engaging way, allowing instant access to a safe learning environment that’s proven to heighten knowledge retention.
Strategies to increase employee knowledge retention
1. Repeat information in different ways
Use it or lose it. That’s how our brains deal with newly stored information. According to the ‘Forgetting Curve’, we forget newly learned information that
isn’t used regularly. In addition, studies continue to show that for information to be retained effectively, we also need to continue to recall and use it.
So, how can you ensure your employees retain knowledge so they can implement it in their work? In short, it’s by repeating information in more engaging ways, formats and scenarios.
2. Distribute learning in smaller chunks
Information overload will only make your employees start shutting down automatically. At the initial stages of learning, science tells us that an overwhelming amount of information in a short space of time will make our brains process information slower into our memory. Instead, break up learning into smaller sessions. If you want your employees to learn complex information, you need to let their brains process it in manageable chunks. Implementing a microlearning strategy in your training programme will not only be more engaging for your employees, but could also cut training costs and improve retainment.
3. Hands-on learning
Practice-based learning has been shown to increase comprehension to a level that no other learning methods can achieve. Plus, active participation helps store learned information in your long-term memory. When we actively participate in a learning experience using not only our sight, but also our hearing and touch, we remember much better. That’s why we recommend including as much hands-on experience as possible in any training programme. That doesn’t mean sending your employees out on expensive team building days or creating extravagant sets for real-life training scenarios. Instead, it means putting on a headset! New multimedia technologies offer interactive elements for participation that allow learners to immersive themselves. Using gamification to practice encourages knowledge recall for better retention of what has been learned.
4. Make learning focussed, fun and free of distractions
We’ve said it before, but distractions slow down learning and interfere with remembering and recalling information. It is therefore vital to create a contained learning environment with clear goals for learning, which will create a focus and desire in your employees to retain knowledge. But learning in a focused way doesn’t have to be boring or rigid. Creating multi-sensory learning environments and mixing up topics and input by gamifying learning keeps your employees engaged and as a result increases motivation. The reward for you, as an employer, is that it is one of the most effective ways to increase long term retention and recall of learning.
5. Build upon existing knowledge
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just tell your employees something once and they’d master it? That’s not how our brains work, unfortunately. We need to
work for it by repeating information. Not only do we need to experience information in different ways over several smaller sessions, we also need to construct new learning on prior knowledge. Consider using multi-sensory representations, modelling of real-life examples and implementing quizzes before and after learning to trigger your employees’ prior knowledge when learning new concepts and skills. This is another bonus of gamification, as you can create small tests that only allow learners on to the next level or module once a certain score is reached. Learners that know they will be tested will be highly motivated to absorb and retain information so they can recall it for tests during the course.
How VR improves employee knowledge retention
What if we told you that there is a one-stop training solution that incorporates all of these strategies for improved knowledge retention? Here’s how:
A virtual reality (VR) learning platform offers a fully immersive environment that cuts out distractions, provides unlimited learning experiences through
multi-sensory gamification and the ability to recall prior knowledge by repeating exercises in different scenarios.
Even practising tasks in high-risk environments, such as operating an aircraft or navigating hazardous construction jobs, can be simulated realistically.
When an individual picks up a VR headset to complete life-like learning scenarios, they have already taken a leap in learning and retaining the knowledge they have learned.
Immersive learning takes advantage of the most powerful aspects of improving knowledge retention. However, various factors are worth considering before spending your training budget on VR.
Although VR can reduce training costs significantly, make sure immersive learning is the right fit for your organisation’s training needs and workplace
culture.
Is VR training relevant to your employees’ job roles? Is there a culture of innovation to support a smooth implementation? Similarly, will you be able to
transform your current training structure, which might be classroom-based, into bite-sized digital learning experiences?
Generally, if your workforce operates in complex or high-risk situations and require frequent technical upskilling, VR has been proven to be very effective
in improving knowledge retention for employees.
Conclusion
Virtual reality is a superior way to improve knowledge retention for your employees by offering an immersive learning experience for professional
development and employee training. Its ability to provide engaging, practice-based learning in focussed and dynamic learning environment is a turning point for knowledge retention.
Want to find out how our VR technology can improve employee knowledge retention?
Contact us today and we’ll get straight back to you.
Key Takeaways
Why knowledge retention matters
What is the goal of employee training? For staff to better understand concepts and skills and be able to do their job to an exceptional standard, right?
However, if your employees lose more than half of what they learned immediately after traditional training, it’s unlikely you’re going to get your
money’s worth.
So, to successfully achieve your goal of improving your workforce and their competencies, you need to ensure that each employee can retain knowledge
and be able to implement it.
But what is knowledge retention and how can it be improved to see greater results from your training budget? In short, knowledge retention is the ability
to remember, apply, and access information.
Despite the unfortunate stats on memory loss following traditional training, there is a way to turn your workforce into more knowledgeable and confident
professionals. And the answer is virtual reality. Using immersive technology, organisations can present information to employees in an engaging way, allowing instant access to a safe learning environment that’s proven to heighten knowledge retention.
Strategies to increase employee knowledge retention
1. Repeat information in different ways
Use it or lose it. That’s how our brains deal with newly stored information. According to the ‘Forgetting Curve’, we forget newly learned information that
isn’t used regularly. In addition, studies continue to show that for information to be retained effectively, we also need to continue to recall and use it.
So, how can you ensure your employees retain knowledge so they can implement it in their work? In short, it’s by repeating information in more engaging ways, formats and scenarios.
2. Distribute learning in smaller chunks
Information overload will only make your employees start shutting down automatically. At the initial stages of learning, science tells us that an overwhelming amount of information in a short space of time will make our brains process information slower into our memory. Instead, break up learning into smaller sessions. If you want your employees to learn complex information, you need to let their brains process it in manageable chunks. Implementing a microlearning strategy in your training programme will not only be more engaging for your employees, but could also cut training costs and improve retainment.
3. Hands-on learning
Practice-based learning has been shown to increase comprehension to a level that no other learning methods can achieve. Plus, active participation helps store learned information in your long-term memory. When we actively participate in a learning experience using not only our sight, but also our hearing and touch, we remember much better. That’s why we recommend including as much hands-on experience as possible in any training programme. That doesn’t mean sending your employees out on expensive team building days or creating extravagant sets for real-life training scenarios. Instead, it means putting on a headset! New multimedia technologies offer interactive elements for participation that allow learners to immersive themselves. Using gamification to practice encourages knowledge recall for better retention of what has been learned.
4. Make learning focussed, fun and free of distractions
We’ve said it before, but distractions slow down learning and interfere with remembering and recalling information. It is therefore vital to create a contained learning environment with clear goals for learning, which will create a focus and desire in your employees to retain knowledge. But learning in a focused way doesn’t have to be boring or rigid. Creating multi-sensory learning environments and mixing up topics and input by gamifying learning keeps your employees engaged and as a result increases motivation. The reward for you, as an employer, is that it is one of the most effective ways to increase long term retention and recall of learning.
5. Build upon existing knowledge
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just tell your employees something once and they’d master it? That’s not how our brains work, unfortunately. We need to
work for it by repeating information. Not only do we need to experience information in different ways over several smaller sessions, we also need to construct new learning on prior knowledge. Consider using multi-sensory representations, modelling of real-life examples and implementing quizzes before and after learning to trigger your employees’ prior knowledge when learning new concepts and skills. This is another bonus of gamification, as you can create small tests that only allow learners on to the next level or module once a certain score is reached. Learners that know they will be tested will be highly motivated to absorb and retain information so they can recall it for tests during the course.
How VR improves employee knowledge retention
What if we told you that there is a one-stop training solution that incorporates all of these strategies for improved knowledge retention? Here’s how:
A virtual reality (VR) learning platform offers a fully immersive environment that cuts out distractions, provides unlimited learning experiences through
multi-sensory gamification and the ability to recall prior knowledge by repeating exercises in different scenarios.
Even practising tasks in high-risk environments, such as operating an aircraft or navigating hazardous construction jobs, can be simulated realistically.
When an individual picks up a VR headset to complete life-like learning scenarios, they have already taken a leap in learning and retaining the knowledge they have learned.
Immersive learning takes advantage of the most powerful aspects of improving knowledge retention. However, various factors are worth considering before spending your training budget on VR.
Although VR can reduce training costs significantly, make sure immersive learning is the right fit for your organisation’s training needs and workplace
culture.
Is VR training relevant to your employees’ job roles? Is there a culture of innovation to support a smooth implementation? Similarly, will you be able to
transform your current training structure, which might be classroom-based, into bite-sized digital learning experiences?
Generally, if your workforce operates in complex or high-risk situations and require frequent technical upskilling, VR has been proven to be very effective
in improving knowledge retention for employees.
Conclusion
Virtual reality is a superior way to improve knowledge retention for your employees by offering an immersive learning experience for professional
development and employee training. Its ability to provide engaging, practice-based learning in focussed and dynamic learning environment is a turning point for knowledge retention.
Want to find out how our VR technology can improve employee knowledge retention?
Contact us today and we’ll get straight back to you.
