I had to laugh when I wrote the title of this blog post. It’s something that I have thought for a long time, but recently there has been a buzz about this on TV and the Internet. So here I am to prove it to you and then you can pass it along to other non-believers…CNN recently published an article by Scott Steinberg entitled “How video games can make you smarter” in the article, Steinberg outlines that the interactivity of video games help your intelligence. Backing up the article is one study from Loyalist College which showed that students playing a simulation saw test scores jump from 56% to 95%. And not to mention Directory of Duke University’s Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center, Dr. Jeffrey Taekman stating that “Serious games and virtual environments are the future of education.”
The key take-aways (just as I have been preaching) are:
-Build brain cells by requiring extensive problem solving, dynamic decision-making skills and teamwork.
-Encourage players’ confidence
-Hands-on experience
-Job training
-Contextual learning
-Teamwork and collaboration
So there you have it, I hope I have made a believer of you now.
Rear Admiral Randy Mahr from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) recently posted a blog entry on virtual worlds. While we have seen some RFP’s and dealt with some other military specific virtual worlds it seems like it has been a long road to go down to see traction that virtual worlds so deserve. So I was pleased to hear RDML Randy Mahr’s thoughts on the subject. Looking at virtual worlds to improve their training systems, albeit Second Life but nevertheless it’s a virtual world, right? According to the Rear Admiral “While this type of “real” training is valuable, for some recruits the shock of experiencing the events can sometimes slow the learning process down. Using a virtual world to pre-immerse and familiarize the recruits holds the prospect of having them better prepared, and helping them get more out of the event.”
Mahr goes on to state: “Before we get too excited we need to acknowledge there are problems we’ll need to overcome. Our existing security firewalls and the NMCI system are not designed to permit this type of virtual interaction. We’ll need to overcome the perception that the virtual world is for “gamer”’ only, just like we finally accepted search engines were powerful tools used by everyone for things other than shopping online. (Did you realize that over 1500 colleges and universities, including Harvard, are already using virtual world technology to deliver some of their education for credit?)
Finally, we’ll need to further bridge the digital divide between the generation that has grown up fully immersed in electronic technology, and the generation that is still making the decisions about where to invest our budget.”
Urghh the firewall thing again, I just hate when that comes up (but we have found solutions to that problem). In my opinion virtual worlds are a big step in the right direction to train our future military personnel.
All too often a client gets confused with all of the different types of training available, from E-Learning to CBT and Decision-Based simulations to Virtual Worlds (and now Hybrid Simulations)… the possibilities just seem endless. For those unfamiliar with the different styles of training available on the market today the task of choosing the right training method can be daunting. In the end it all comes down to utilizing the right tool to get the job done, in the most cost efficient and timely matter.
Let me highlight a few differentiating factors that an organization should consider when looking into employing a new type of training, you’ll notice that Visual Purple offers checkmarks in all of the below boxes.
• Highly interactive
• 3D
• Intelligent World – trainees don’t have the luxury to just ‘play’
• Compelling storyline
• Character development and quests
• After Action reviews
• Aptitude screening
• Realistic scenarios
• LMS reporting
• Reduced cost
• Short development time
• Easily updateable
• Reference documents
The obvious choice here is a modern approach to workforce training whereby an organization can cost effectively build an efficient training tool that is proven!
