Designing Digitally
05/22/2018
Business simulations are a form of experiential learning that helps improve your skills in business strategy and decision-making. Corporate simulation training provides an interactive and immersive learning environment where your employees can actually apply what they have learned. Through a business simulation, learners can build and improve their skills. Most organizations have adopted this new method of learning and are reaping rich benefits.
Here are the top five reasons why you may want to consider using business simulations as a part of your learning strategy.
Simulations emphasize learning by doing as it is one of the best ways to retain and recall knowledge. As compared to passively listening to lectures or watching visuals and demonstrations, experiencing the knowledge through practicing is more effective in imparting knowledge. Simulations require your employees to do something in order to progress with the learning module. So, they have to participate actively in the learning process. Since they need to apply their brains throughout the process, they remain motivated and invested in the course resulting in better knowledge retention.
Mistakes are huge learning opportunities. But, it may not be possible to commit mistakes in the workplace. The damage may be irreparable. This is where business simulations prove to be a game changer. The learners practice in a virtual environment, and whatever mistakes they make stay there. There is no damage in the real world. If they go down the wrong path, they fall, and learn how to not make the same mistake twice. The more mistakes they make the better they are equipped to not repeat them at their workplace. There are times when your employees may want to try out new ideas but are apprehensive to try it out on the job front. Simulations allow them to try out the new behaviors and experiment without losing their peace of mind. They know that if they fail, there is no damage to the brand image of the company.
Games are fun and can make learning enjoyable. When your employees are captivated by the various aspects of the game experience they forget about their stress and get hooked to the elearning. They do not feel that this is something they need to complete quickly and get back to their work. Instead, they actively participate in the learning process and are invested in it. This level of engagement may not be possible in traditional learning formats, as simulations are “pull” motivation instead of “push”.
Business simulations may seem to be expensive, but it is actually quite cost-effective in the long run. This is possible because the simulations can be reused several times. Every time a learner uses it, a part of the fixed cost is written off. Once you build a template, you can customize it in many ways without having to invest again. The shelf-life of simulations are pretty high. You save on the travel and accommodation costs that you need to incur for face-to-face training. You do not need to book a venue, hire instructors, or print stationery. Your workforce does not need to take time off from their work to attend training during work hours. They can finish their regular work and learn during their free time. This ensures that there is no dip in the productivity. So even if the initial investment seems to be more, in the long run, they prove to be less costly.
Practice makes perfect. The more you practice a skill, the better you get at it. In business simulations, you can make the learners go over the same content and perform the same action several times without them getting bored. You can tweak the visuals and activities based on the same content. Since it is in a game format, the learners don’t mind doing the same thing over and over again till they perfect it. This may not be feasible in traditional classroom experience. By repeating the task, the behavior gets embedded in their memory. So, when a similar situation occurs at the workplace, they can resolve it easily. This goes a long way in enhancing their confidence level.
At Designing Digitally, Inc. our team of instructional designers have been creating simulated learning experiences for decades. These simulated learning experiences range from a complete 2D simulated software experience up to a 3D immersive experience. Each of our instructional designers approach simulations with a learner-centered perspective to ensure success.
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