The 3 Leading Benefits of Simulations for Learning Reinforcement
To fully understand the benefits of simulation training, you must first be familiar with what a simulation is.
Essentially, simulation learning is the process of immersing students in an imitation environment that closely mimics a real-life situation. Specifically, the scenario will replicate a situation that the learner will likely face in the real world, when they are in the field and working directly in their chosen career.
Simulations are used to give learners an in-depth understanding of their lessons that goes beyond simply comprehending the theory. Students leave these simulated scenarios with a better idea of how to navigate many of the situations that will likely arise in their day-to-day professional life.
This interactive and immersive style of learning is extremely beneficial for people who naturally process information better in a hands-on environment.
In fact, the retention rate from experiential learning can be as high as 90 percent, and 75 percent of people find it easier to remember specific skills when they practice via hands-on exercises.
For these reasons, our team of Reach mobile app developers knew that incorporating simulations into our training platform was a no-brainer.
So, what are the key benefits you can expect to see from using our mobile app to expose your learners to simulation training exercises?
HERE ARE THE THREE LEADING BENEFITS OF SIMULATIONS FOR LEARNING REINFORCEMENT:
1. THE ABILITY TO CREATE SCENARIOS THAT MIMIC THE REAL WORLD
When it comes to positions in the workforce that require hands-on skills and quick decision making, reading isn’t enough to fully prepare your students. They must feel comfortable and ready to act, completing functional tasks with confidence and precision.
For this reason, simulations are invaluable. They are a much more cost-effective, safe, and efficient way to train learners, and eliminate the need to expose your students to real risks in the field when they don’t fully know the ropes.
Medical simulations are a great example of this. Many healthcare professionals are exposed to medical simulations while they are in post-secondary, and even after.
We encourage you to read this article that was featured in the National Post about one of our clients, George Brown College, who has used the Reach platform to deliver simulation-based training to students in long-term care.
2. THE ABILITY TO HELP STUDENTS NAVIGATE MULTIPLE OUTCOMES
Just like in real life, simulations can be programmed to account for any number of outcomes.
For example: Let’s say the objective of your simulation is to expose your students to problem-based learning as they train to become firefighters. You want to create a scenario where a school bus has been overturned and has caught fire. As you create your simulation, you can decide to include multiple learning pathways that depend on the choices your learners make. So, let’s say your student chooses to conduct a scene assessment first. If this is the right course of action, your student will be rewarded within the simulation. If it isn’t, you can have a secondary result occur, which the learner must then adapt to. We can these branching simulations.
This ability to use simulation gaming as a dynamic, adaptable training resource is highly valuable to business owners, instructors, and educators. It prepares learners for the various possibilities that can occur in real-life situations, preparing them to make quick decisions and respond according to best practices.
3. THE ABILITY TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE RETENTION RATES
When it comes to the benefits of simulation training, this is arguably the most important. The use of simulations during the training process has been proven to increase retention rates amongst learners, bettering educational outcomes and resulting in higher performance.
To be more precise, typical retention rates for training that use experiential learning are as high as 80 percent to 90 percent, compared to an average retention rate of just five percent amongst students who simply read their learning materials.
That’s a massive difference in retention, and one that educators and instructors of all kinds have begun to take note of.
Not convinced?
Dr. Narendra Kini, CEO at Miami Children’s Health System, stated that a whole year after a simulation-based training session, her students’ retention rates are as high as 80 percent, compared to a 20 percent retention after a week with traditional training (reading and lectures).
With serious gaming and simulations producing such compelling results across a wide range of industries and organizations, it’s difficult to deny the value this approach to learning holds.
So, how does Reach incorporate the benefits of simulation training into our app platform?
We use simulation gaming to expose your learners to practical, hands-on skills and improve their understanding of the key concepts you require them to know.
Our simulations provide instant feedback, so your learners are constantly learning and fine-tuning their comprehension as they navigate through their learning modules.
And the best part? Your learners can access these exemplary learning tools from their mobile device, at any time, from wherever they are!
Interested in learning more about Reach? Book a demo with us today.