Immersive learning can be a great tool in the virtual classroom. But what exactly is it? It is a well-known fact that virtual practice is very effective. It is even believed that this is far more effective than practicing it in real life.
There are a couple of reasons why this is true. For one, those who are doing it virtually do not have to suffer the consequences of their actions. Everything is just simulated. This gives the learners more courage when it comes to taking risks. They know that they can see the effects of their decisions without really being hurt by it. Not only that, the virtual practice remains controlled. In the real-world, there are so many factors that can go wrong. It can compromise the lesson that should be learned.
But how can you make a lesson immersive? The key to making immersive learning in the virtual classroom successful is through storytelling. Come up with a great story that has characters that the learners can relate to. Give them a scenario that they usually encounter in real life. When you have done that, you should consider the following tips.
Involve emotions
People react to things when their emotions are triggered. This is why you need to engage your learners on a human level by tapping into their emotions. Make them react by appealing to their human nature. This makes them more engaged in the lesson. When that happens, you can expect that their focus will increase significantly. The effect is a higher retention rate.
Concentrate on showing
Learning is more effective if it is visually appealing. So do not tell the learners what to do. Show them how to do it. When they see something happen, it becomes more ingrained in their memory. Sometimes, you do not even have to use videos or animations. You can use text. But make sure that you use descriptive words. Describe the scene so it is easy for the learners to create a picture in their mind about what is bound to happen. It allows them to draw their own conclusions. This is how you use immersive storytelling.
Let them participate
Allow the learners to be personally involved in the lesson. Create a character that they can relate to. That is one way to do it. Or you can literally ask them to put themselves in the shoes of the main character. Force them to deal with situations within the lesson and let them decide what to do. The key here to make them choose. Give them different options or let them make their own. There should be no right or wrong answers. This is how you can encourage all the participants in the virtual classroom to give their answers.
Make it social
There is nothing more immersive than social learning. Set up a platform where the students can discuss among themselves. Give them the freedom to share their thoughts and be open to the opinion of others. Learning from each other will give them a fresh new perspective on things.
As you can see, the virtual classroom can benefit from immersive learning because it makes the lesson more real and valuable too. It is something that they know they can use. If that fails to get their attention, then nothing will.