Virtual Simulations Student Engagement
Higher education institutions aim to prepare students for their futures, but many students need more than good grades to be ready for real-world jobs after their coursework ends. Virtual Simulations Student Engagement. The 2024 Walton Family Foundation-Gallup Voices of Gen Z Study found that 65% of Gen Z adults enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program after high school. However, only 25% of these adults found themselves ready to succeed in a career. While education is certainly valuable for its own sake, this research shows that there is a significant gap between attending a higher ed institution and actually being prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation.
How to bridge that gap? Increasing student engagement through more hands-on, job-relevant activities. These activities help students learn applicable skills they need for their future and make them more likely to stick with their program all the way through to graduation. Doing this at scale without requiring more lab space or costly equipment is a huge challenge, but technology can help.
Why virtual simulations make a difference
When students are engaged in the classroom, they are more likely to learn and retain that information long-term. Instead of studying just for the test and immediately forgetting what they learned, engaged students make those vital connections in their brain from theory to application. Virtual simulations can play a powerful role in helping students bridge that gap in a way that encourages them to engage more in their own learning process.
For example, Remington College found that embracing virtual learning environments, like VR and 3D simulations for higher-ed construction trades programs, meant their student outcomes increased across the board. They found that implementing more problem-solving-based teaching methods through virtual simulations led to:
- Better student attendance
- Improved overall performance
- Increased confidence
By embracing a hands-on approach right away, students at Remington College can take ownership over their learning, and that ownership helps inspire greater engagement. Granting greater autonomy to students works when you have technology, like simulations, that make it possible for complete novices to try their hands at brand new skills in a safe, guided environment.
How virtual simulations scaffold to real-life experiences
Sitting in a lecture hall can give students a chance to absorb some knowledge, but providing students with the opportunity to be hands-on earlier in a course helps them be more engaged and start thinking about real-world applications faster. For example, instead of looking at a diagram of an electrical circuit in a textbook and reading about how it works, students are more likely to be engaged when they can immediately dive into videos and simulations that dynamically teach the same skills in an interactive manner.
Virtual learning programs in the medical and aerospace fields, like digital surgery and flight simulators, laid the groundwork for a more interactive approach to real-world training. These programs work because aspiring professionals can virtually simulate a wide range of real-world scenarios and practice how they would solve problems in those situations. Classroom learning absolutely has its place, but even labs are limited in how many scenarios students can recreate in that environment. Virtual simulations provide students with more scenarios, more problems to troubleshoot, and more equipment.
Not only have we seen the success of simulation-based training in other fields, but research also shows that virtual training can increase the velocity of learning. In one study, learners with access to VR training learn four times faster than their counterparts. Not only that, but these students were significantly more confident when applying training to the real world. The evidence shows that virtual training does work.
The importance of soft skills for student outcomes
While understanding the technical aspects of a job is important, instructors must also incorporate soft skills into their classroom if they want to truly prepare students for careers. Results from a BestColleges.com survey found that 41% of workers use soft skills more than any other skill set at work and that 34% of the workforce believes that soft skills make people more competitive in the job market.
One of the most important soft skills is problem-solving. Virtual simulations allow students to face a problem and then work to resolve it through trial and error. Even if a student is learning a specific skill, such as fixing an HVAC unit, their ability to confront a problem, diagnose the issue, and resolve it is a skill that will transfer across all sorts of applications.
However, one of the challenges in teaching problem-solving in a more hands-on course is safety. Letting students have ownership over their learning and dive into new situations is a powerful teaching strategy, but when teaching courses in areas such as the construction trades, that practical approach poses a real safety risk.
Fortunately, virtual simulations allow students to try new things and explore in an environment where they are not risking anyone’s safety. Virtual simulations also enable the “walk, jog, run” style of learning where simulations can start off highly guided and then slowly remove the training wheels so students can practice completely on their own. This application allows students to learn the incredibly important skill of problem-solving in a totally safe, pedagogically sound environment.
Bridge the gap between schools and businesses
Many students find they are not ready to land a decent job after school because they aren’t sure what future employers want in employees. This disconnect happens because most businesses do not collaborate with learning institutions on what they are looking for in a new hire.
A Harvard Business School study found that only one in four employers reported “that they were transparent in communicating their hiring needs to educators,” and 93% of educators gave employers a “B” grade or lower on how well they communicate with community colleges.
One way educational institutions can start helping to bridge this gap is by looking at the tools that employers use to train their own employees. Many employers are embracing simulations to help onboard new technicians and upskill more tenured employees. Incorporating the same tool into your classroom can give your students a leg up in the workforce by ensuring they are learning the skills that employers already value.
Integrating simulation-based technology that adheres to industry standards with current curriculums that employers already trust can give educators a chance to boost engagement and give students a better chance of securing a well-paying position out of college. From vital soft skills training to virtual career prep, advanced digital learning platforms build a solid foundation for students to rely on as they enter the workforce.
Source: Virtual Simulations Student Engagement
Brock Smith, MBA, MLTID, is the Vice President of Public Sector Sales at Interplay Learning. In his current role, Brock leads the teams of account executives that work with education, workforce development, and facilities maintenance entities within state, local, and federal agencies. Brock has led teams in the edtech vertical for over 20 years at Apollo Group, YouScience, and Qualtrics, and spearheaded initiatives in CTE, certification and credentialing, and LMS/research services for academic and government agencies. As a product of the CTSO DECA, and frequent judge and mentor at DECA events, Brock credits this experience as instrumental to his ultimate career path and passion for educational tools that advance learning outcomes.
How Virtual Simulations Lead to Greater
Student Engagement and Better Student
Outcomes
By Brock Smith
https://www.techedmagazine.com/category/news-by-industry/
Virtual Simulations Student Engagement