Virtual Environments

Learning through exploration, minus the consequences

Virtual environments are a great way to allow learners to explore at their own pace in a “world” where their inputs generate dynamic responses that will increase engagement while providing direct feedback to each interaction. Environmental sandbox designs can vary widely and “play” in an assortment of different ways, but the overall goal is to provide a kinesthetic constructivist learning space sans any real world consequences. As an added bonus, since the environment is digital, it can be accessed at the learners convenience as many times as they feel they need it.

Virtual environments are frequently paired with an initial guided practice in the form of an e-learning segment facilitated by an avatar. In the event that the learner has not been given previous in-class or digital instruction, this is a good option to provide them with the necessary tools to interact with the open world before they are set loose in it. Once built, both stages of the virtual training can then be combined into one convenient module ready to plug into your LMS or webpage.