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What Is Immersive Learning: From Campfire to Virtual Reality
In today's professional learning and development landscape, "immersive learning" has become synonymous with virtual and augmented reality experiences. While these technological advances are revolutionary and have enabled us to develop incredible virtual immersive learning experiences, they represent the latest chapter in a long history of learning through immersion and direct experience. A history that began and existed for thousands of years without technological interventions. To truly understand and leverage modern immersive learning technologies, we must first recognize that they build upon fundamental principles of human experiential learning or learning by doing. By understanding these principles and understanding the available options for creating immersive learning experiences, both with and without technology, we can deliver more effective and powerful professional development.
What Does Immersive Learning Mean?
AccessVR, a cutting-edge learning platform that allows users to design their own virtual reality training programs, as well as host and deliver them, defines an immersive experience as, “An experience where a person feels a deep sense of presence, created by sensory stimulation. This deep sense of presence can increase our ability to learn, when applied to experiential learning.”
What is an Immersive Experience and The Evolution of the Phrase “Immersive Learning”
The phrase immersive learning can cause confusion, in part because it is first understood as a description of a quality of learning as opposed to learning that is enhanced by immersing the learner in a cultivated environment. It is important to remember that immersive learning can take place both with or without the aid of technology, even though currently when people use the term they are mostly speaking about virtual reality or extended reality learning.
The broad definition of immersive is “being characterized by deep absorption or to be engrossed.” Historically the term “immersive learning” began to take on a formal meaning in the 1960s when immersive learning language programs began using the phrase “immersion education” to describe their practice of putting learners in environments where only the language being learned was spoken or used. This was found to be an effective and fast way to learn a new language.
Around the same time the military began using the term to describe the simulation-based environments used to train pilots by immersing them in visual and physical environments simulating what they saw and felt when flying airplanes.
In the 1990s the term immersive learning began to be used frequently in association with virtual reality and computer-generated learning environments. As new technology enabled more people to create virtual and simulated experiences that were previously only available in the real world. Immersive learning, as a term, is now most commonly used to describe the type of learning facilitated by technology such as virtual reality, augmented reality, or mixed reality.
Why Immersive Learning Is Important
For most of human history, immersive learning wasn't a choice – it was the only way to transfer knowledge and skills. In prehistoric societies, survival itself depended on the effective transmission of complex knowledge: how to track animals, which plants were safe to eat, where to find water during dry seasons, how to create tools, and how to navigate by the stars. This knowledge couldn't be effectively communicated through abstract instruction – it required direct experience, observation, and practice under the guidance of experienced members of the group.
Around fires at night, our ancestors shared stories that were far more than entertainment. These tales were immersive educational experiences that engaged multiple senses and emotions, creating vivid mental simulations of crucial scenarios.
As human societies grew more complex, the apprenticeship model emerged as a structured form of immersive learning. This wasn't merely a practical necessity – it was a recognition that complex skills required a specific type of learning environment. A blacksmith couldn't learn their craft from verbal instructions alone; they needed to feel the heat of the forge, understand the sound of properly heated metal, and develop the muscle memory required to shape materials effectively. The master-apprentice relationship provided a controlled environment where novices could observe, practice, and receive immediate feedback while gradually taking on more challenging tasks.
The shift away from purely immersive learning began with the development of written language and the gradual standardization of education. As societies grew larger and more complex, the need to educate larger numbers of people efficiently led to more abstract, standardized forms of instruction. The invention of the printing press accelerated this trend, making it possible to disseminate knowledge widely through text rather than direct experience.
The Industrial Revolution marked another significant shift. The need to educate large numbers of workers quickly led to the development of classroom-based, standardized education systems. This model, while efficient for teaching, moved further away from the immersive, experiential learning that had been humanity's primary mode of knowledge transfer for millennia.
However, certain fields never fully abandoned immersive learning, recognizing that some skills simply couldn't be developed through abstract instruction alone. Medical training, for instance, maintained a strong apprenticeship component through clinical rotations and residencies. Traditional crafts and trades preserved hands-on learning through journeyman systems. These fields understood what our ancestors knew intuitively: that deep learning requires immersion, practice, and direct experience.
Key Elements In Creating an Immersive Learning Environment
When we design immersive learning programs now, we need to consider the goals for the program and choose from the wide variety of modalities available. All of these modalities have different advantages when it comes to achieving the learning objectives - from in-person learning to headset VR learning, to handheld mobile-first learning.
While the tools and technologies of immersive learning have evolved dramatically, the core principles we want to include in the learning design have remained constant. Understanding these principles helps learning and development professionals evaluate and implement immersive learning, whether it's an immersive training or a cutting-edge VR experience.
The following list represents three key elements to consider and include when designing immersive learning programs, either with or without the aid of technology:
Immersive Learning Engagement: The Gateway to Deep Learning
Engagement or presence in immersive learning goes far beyond simply holding attention. It means creating an emotional and intellectual investment in the learning experience.
The most effective immersive learning experiences trigger multiple forms of engagement:
· Cognitive engagement through problem-solving and decision-making
· Emotional engagement through meaningful contexts and consequences
· Physical engagement through hands-on interaction
· Social engagement through peer and mentor interactions
Immersive Learning Feedback: The Critical Loop
Immediate, meaningful feedback has always been central to immersive learning. Feedback can be defined as any response or information that helps learners understand the impact and effectiveness of their actions, decisions, or behaviors within the learning environment.
Quality feedback in immersive learning is:
· Timely enough to connect actions with outcomes
· Specific enough to guide improvement
· Contextual enough to make sense in the moment
· Actionable enough to inform next steps
Immersive Learning Reflection: Converting Experience into Understanding
Reflection transforms experiences into lasting learning. Reflection in immersive learning is the intentional process of examining and making meaning from direct experience, where learners actively analyze their actions, decisions, and emotional responses to understand what happened and why.
Effective reflection in immersive learning involves:
· Analyzing what worked and what didn't
· Connecting experiences to broader principles
· Planning how to apply lessons learned
· Identifying areas for further development
Blended Learning: Combing Immersive Learning With Traditional Learning Methods
Modern immersive learning technology isn't about replacing traditional methods – it's about amplifying them. The most effective learning programs often blend:
· Traditional face-to-face interactions
· Virtual reality simulations
· Augmented reality job aids
· Hands-on practice
· Peer learning
· Expert mentorship
Culture Coach and Immersive Mobil Immersive Microlearning
As we embrace new technologies, it's crucial to remember that the core principles of effective immersive learning remain constant. The most successful learning and development initiatives will be those that use technology not as an end in itself, but as a tool to apply these principles in new and powerful ways. That is why Culture Coach has been focused on developing immersive mobile-first microlearning video modules for our clients. We have carefully considered the evolution of immersive learning and the available technology and understand the opportunity to engage and boost learning outcomes for employees and managers.
By understanding that true behavioral change requires both engagement and accessibility, we've created a solution that meets modern learners where they are, on their mobile devices. Our microlearning modules harness the core elements of immersive learning to create effective microlearning that focuses on topics related to teamwork challenges we all face when working together. We combine education, reflection, and action into powerful learning experiences that take minutes to engage with. Incremental education and the opportunity to practice this knowledge at work helps employees apply and see the value of skill-based education within each microlearning module.
Each mobile first module is carefully designed to create a sense of presence and emotional connection. We achieve this through scenario-based learning that reflects real workplace situations and challenges. This approach triggers both cognitive and emotional engagement, as learners see themselves and their daily experiences reflected in the content. You can preview these immersive microlearning modules on our website by clicking here.
Mobile first learning can be combined with instructor led lectures, 360 simulations and live simulations to create a structured and effective learning pathway. By adding mobile first into the learning pathway, organizations are able to reinforce key ideas taught ahead of virtual reality and simulation experiences as well as following up after to test and assess the retention of knowledge.
By combining the timeless principles of immersive learning with the convenience and reach of mobile technology, Culture Coach is helping organizations create lasting cultural change at scale. Our approach recognizes that while technology and delivery methods may evolve, the fundamental human processes of learning through experience, feedback, and reflection remain unchanged. We're not just delivering content, we're creating immersive experiences that drive meaningful behavioral change and cultural transformation in organizations worldwide.
The Future of Immersive Learning
The evolution of immersive learning isn't a story of replacement, but of expansion. Each new technological advance adds to our toolkit without diminishing the value of traditional approaches. By understanding this continuity, learning and development professionals can better evaluate and implement new technologies while preserving the essential elements that make immersive learning so effective.
ABOUT CULTURE COACH INTERNATIONAL:
Culture Coach is a pioneering provider of cutting-edge learning solutions with a twenty-five year track record of excellence in professional development. We design and deliver training on a variety of topics and via multiple modalities, including: instructor-led, virtual, manager-led tools, edugraphics, mobile-first immersive videos. Reach out today to learn more about how we can help you deliver effective, skill-based trainings.
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