It’s actually super simple and once you sort it out the value of the Unity platform increases significantly.

Our project started with the following requirements:

1. 1. Engaging graphics and environment
   2. Good feedback to the user throughout the module
   3. Emit progress data to xAPI and SCORM and Mysql
   4. Track user mistakes
   5. Provide video in the simulation as a help resource
   6. Allow for a rules-based coach system to react to learner actions
   7. Conduct assessments at the end of the simulation

The Unity platform is fantastically rich, but not designed for this kind of project unless you want it to chug along like a 1980’s pc.

After some experimentation we developed the following simple approach:

The really big deal here is that Unity gets a break and has to do very little work to emit the data. The off-board data manager is responsible for onward transmission and reformats the data for the target system or systems. It also broadcasts real-time information and passes data to an external rules engine that can detect situations that require intervention and then send a signal to Unity to react to the user.

Step through the slides and you can see some of the features. Most notably the last slide is what was appearing on a browser received from the pusher. Below is a brief video of the environment.

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At Learning Town in Orlando this year, the change was not just on the agenda, it was happening in real time, and it feels like we won’t be looking back anytime soon. The highlights:

1. Bots for everything you can imagine. There were some fantastic demonstrations of training bots that can support a learner by answering their questions in real time. Not just rote answers, but deep learning, AI-driven intelligent responses to all kinds of queries. The possibilities are extraordinary for self-serve learning and discovery as and when needed. “How do I adjust the potentiometer on line 3?”
2. VR was shoved unceremoniously into the corner. The demonstrations were banal, the value questionable and the price tag so high only the most well-heeled companies can afford to go there. We have all heard the horror stories about millions spent, months elapsed and the projects being shelved because that training is now outdated. It will be a while before things change, so hang out in the real world for a bit longer.
3. Big Data and training.  Terabytes of information about how learners actually learn were on display. It was arguably some of the most exciting material. Big companies are generating rafts of data. Patterns are emerging; conclusions being drawn. We are all a bit scared of measuring what we do in a scientific sense, preferring the subjective approval of our learners, but Big Data can be fascinating. Armed with imperial numbers the training landscape makes far more sense.
4. Modalities from science fiction hit the mainstream. Everything from Augmented Reality to IBM Watson on the case, measuring brain patterns during learning to the psychology of distraction.  Stuff we can use every day.
5. Real training available on mobile devices. Content that was planned for the medium not squeezed onto it. You realize this opens up access to 95% of the population, anytime, anywhere?
6. Much, much more – something for another time perhaps.

So, what died? What passed? Chalk!

The post The Day the Music Died for Conventional Training? appeared first on RCP Learning.

There is a fairly typical trend with any new technology; it starts with the hype, builds to a crescendo as very early technology launches and then falls flat on its face as end users struggle to find the real purpose for it. Whether it ever gets up again is anyone’s guess.

Wisdom of the Ages: “Virtual Reality” A fairly plausible explanation for the abundance of Virtual People running around these days. ― Matthew Heines

VR is a particular case. It cannot just be slotted into a content development plan. Several things currently make it impractical for every day training. It might work for the military or an exciting Hollywood project, but has little place in training employees how to go about their business in a professional and knowledgeable manner.

Let us break it down:

1. Cost

The individual headsets are still expensive at around $700 (there are cheaper option, but you get what you pay for). The computer hardware required for delivering the experience is also not insignificant. The planning and content requirements are exponentially more complicated than regular video or animations.

One of the things that has changed video based training has been the learners willingness to use their own devices to view training material. It is clearly a step backward if an organization needs to provide an expensive studio style environment to conduct training. The whole point of web-based training, in particular, is it is low-cost, and that it can be easily replicated as viewers watch on many different kinds of devices in many different locations.

2. Technology

The thing about video production in today’s web-centric world is the abundant supply of high-quality software tools and vendors that are capable of delivering the components needed to create useful, reasonably priced training content.

The tools for VR development are pretty rustic and “add-ons” to enhance productions are almost non-existent. Obviously, over the coming months and years additional and approachable tools will appear making this a more viable medium for corporate use.

The more time we spend interconnected via a myriad of devices, the less time we have left to develop true friendships in the real world. ― Alex Morritt

3. Your career

There is a little bit of nerd in all of us. Maybe you fancy yourself as the next Steven Spielberg of the VR world. Of course, that is not what we get paid to do. This kind of technology is incredibly time-consuming and at the same time absorbing. Achieving a successful project is no doubt very rewarding, but is not much help at your annual review when you have only finished one project and spent a great deal of your budget on it.

Conclusion

Hang on awhile and let the technology grow up. Remember that BYOD and web-based training has helped us get where we trainers are today. Be ready for VR. If it survives the stern gaze of the gaming public and eventually makes it into the mainstream and you want to use it – your day may come.

A different viewpoint

If you would like to hear the other side of the story try these links:
Virtual Reality: It’s not just for gamers anymore
Beyond Gaming: 10 Other Fascinating Uses for Virtual-Reality Tech

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