Immersive Learning Experiences in the Workplace
- Allison Perez
- May 5, 2025
- 2 min read
This week, I created a video exploring how immersive learning can be used to enhance training and performance in the workplace — particularly through safety leadership simulations. You can view the full video here:
In the video, I walk through three key examples of immersive learning in action:
Safety and Compliance Training — Using virtual simulations to help employees recognize hazards and respond to emergencies in a safe, controlled environment.
Customer Service Role-Play — AI-driven conversations that help learners build soft skills and practice communication strategies.
Safety Leadership Simulation (featured focus) — A branching scenario experience where leaders must make real-time decisions about safety protocols, feedback, and modeling behavior.
These examples highlight how immersive learning closes the gap between knowing and doing, and how it can be strategically tied to business outcomes like reduced incidents, improved audits, and stronger team culture (Dede, 2009; Radianti et al., 2020).
Best Practices for Designing Immersive Learning Experiences
To guide the design of immersive learning, I developed a checklist of best practices based on research:
⬜ Align training with specific performance or operational goals (Radianti et al., 2020)
⬜ Simulate realistic job or leadership situations (Dede, 2009)
⬜ Reduce cognitive load through intuitive interfaces (Makransky & Mayer, 2022)
⬜ Provide immediate feedback after learner decisions (Merchant et al., 2014)
⬜ Ensure accessibility and scalability across devices (Radianti et al., 2020)
⬜ Prepare learners with an orientation before the simulation (Dede, 2009)
⬜ Evaluate results based on behavioral or business outcomes (Makransky & Mayer, 2022)
⬜ Pilot the experience before full implementation (Merchant et al., 2014)
References
Dede, C. (2009). Immersive interfaces for engagement and learning. Science, 323(5910), 66–
Makransky, G., & Mayer, R. E. (2022). Benefits of taking a virtual field trip in immersive virtual
reality: Evidence for the immersion principle in multimedia learning. Educational Psychology
Review, 34, 1455–1479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09624-5
Merchant, Z., Goetz, E. T., Cifuentes, L., Keeney-Kennicutt, W., & Davis, T. J. (2014).
Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students’ learning outcomes in K–12 and
higher education: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 70, 29–40.
Radianti, J., Majchrzak, T. A., Fromm, J., & Wohlgenannt, I. (2020). A systematic review of
immersive virtual reality applications for higher education: Design elements, lessons learned,
and research agenda. Computers & Education, 147, 103778.
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