What Are Simulations In Learning?

Why Are Simulations In Learning Useful?

Organizations are under a lot of pressure to get ahead in today’s competitive landscape. Companies must train their employees; otherwise, they can leave the company, and finding new resources is not so easy. Companies can launch new technology, but they may not be able to teach employees to use it. This is a major problem as it leads to a waste of the company’s time and resources. A critical problem occurs when employees are not able to practically apply knowledge. Simulations are an indispensable learning tool for companies that help employees learn the practical applications of software or machines.

The Need For Simulation-Based Learning

Corporate training aims to ensure that the employees don’t give up their knowledge. The drawback of conventional learning is that it fails to provide employees with the context of learning. They can’t apply the same knowledge on the job. Therefore, traditional learning may fail to train employees.

The benefit of simulation-based learning is that it can train employees on a large scale, whereas conventional learning might fail. Simulations can teach as many as thousands of employees in six months. Simulations provide standardized training, which is not possible with traditional learning. 2D simulations are used by organizations to teach employees leadership and decision making.

The Pros Of Using Simulations

These are the advantages of using simulations instead of conventional learning:

1. Easy Alteration

Simulations can be changed easily, as compared to conventional learning. As far as 2D simulations are concerned, their content is designed after considering someone’s role, say a manager’s; these simulations will consist of managerial duties. If these duties change in the future, simulations can be altered.

The simulations ensure that employees are interested in them. So, the investment of a company does not go to waste, and it gets a higher ROI when the employees work efficiently in their jobs due to their newly acquired skills, hence the company benefits.

2. Practical Application Of Knowledge

Simulations show real problems to employees, and when they solve them, they can learn a lot about corporate struggles, like how to communicate with others. Also, sales professionals learn a lot from simulations, like how to attend calls when there is a specific problem. They can also help customers in solving conflicts and provide them with a satisfactory response.

Simulations provide the much-required practical experience to employees for applying soft skills. Teaching these skills in theory is not enough. They must be taught practically, and this is where simulations help. When, through simulations, employees imagine themselves in tough situations and use soft skills to get out of them, they learn the skills better. In such 2D simulations, they know the consequences of misapplying the skills and making a wrong decision. They learn the importance of fostering interpersonal relationships through emotional intelligence and showing empathy.

3. No Risk Involved In Simulations

Simulations ensure that individuals can see the repercussions of their decisions. When individuals see that their decisions go wrong, they develop soft skills. This is beneficial for the company because learners can learn about handling situations without making any wrong decisions in real life that lead to adverse consequences.

4. Quick Feedback

Simulations also provide quick feedback to employees, which implies they learn instantaneously what the consequence of their demeanor will be. They learn about their behavior, tone, and body language and what impact it will have on them in certain situations. AI can help an employee evaluate the manager’s tone in certain situations affecting employees. Simulations are used in all kinds of situations now, whether in a corporate situation or the healthcare sector. In the corporate sector, they can be used for teaching leadership skills, and in the healthcare sector, they can be used for empathy training.

The Cons Of Using Simulations

1. A Lot Of Time In Developing Them

Simulations require a lot of help from SMEs. They ensure that the simulations cater to scenarios that can happen in a sector. However, there is a drawback: if the help of SMEs is enlisted later on, the entire simulation will have to be changed, which will cause a lot of delays.

2. Not A Complete Reflection Of Reality

In reality, employees have to base their decisions on their understanding of a situation. It’s not so easy when they watch simplified simulations and perceive them as reality. Simulations often do not completely reflect the real situation. Hence, if the learners think every real situation is based on a simulation, they can get confused. The learners might just be focused on getting the simulation right rather than making the right decision in a situation.

Moreover, simulations can’t completely be relied upon for the development of soft skills. After all, they are an abstraction of reality, not a complete reality. Hence, employees should be encouraged to chat with others to develop skills. Employees need to get real-life experience to develop such skills. Certain skills, like how to interpret body language and voice tone, can only be developed through real-life conversations.

In some simulations, the focus might be more on winning, whereas the focus should be on cooperating. So, the learners might not learn anything useful from the simulation, like skills of negotiation and empathy towards others.

3. Difficult To Use

Some learners may have difficulty accessing or using the technology needed for simulations, especially if they have limited access to necessary hardware or internet connection. Simulations often don’t have the necessary impact. Also, they need specific hardware for 3D simulations. Such simulations are expensive to develop. These simulations have a lot of development time and costs. They require a lot of skills.

Organizations may not have the money for these simulations or may not be able to get the required hardware, i.e., the VR headsets and computers with certain video RAM for all the employees in the organization. Due to the lack of video RAM, there might be technical problems while watching such simulations, causing frustration for the learner.