Louise Paepe, consultant and XR-coordinator for RTC Antwerpen has accepted to give us her feedback on our solution after 1 year since her last testimony. Has a reminder, RTC Antwerpen work for the Department of Education to professionalize teachers and students in secondary education, mainly technical and vocational education.
How did you integrate virtual reality in your organization?
“Through the XR Action plan, we integrated XR-technology across 700 technical and vocational schools in Flanders.
The plan consists of four main pillars, each essential for the success of the implementation:
- XR lending service: the RTC’s make XR hardware and software available for the schools. We have 1152 Pico 4 Enterprise-headsets, and a software library currently consisting of about 500 training modules in multiple fields (construction, logistics, food industry, healthcare, electricity and mechanics, general subjects …). Everything is available for the schools for free.
- XR Academy: A consortium consisting of Vives Hogeschool, Thomas More Hogeschool, Brightlab, UCLL that organizes teacher training on the use and implementation of XR-technology in the classroom.
- XR Learning network: one-on-one coaching for 25 schools and bringing schools together to discuss experiences
- XR Research: A consortium consisting of Universiteit Gent, Thomas More Hogeschool, PXL Hogeschool, Howest, HoGent en UCLL that is doing research on the implementation of XR in schools.
With hindsight, what do you think of the use of virtual reality in training?
“Virtual Reality has great benefits and adds value in training and education. It makes it possible to train things that are difficult or impossible in the real world.
Students can train in a virtual environment, where they don’t need expensive equipment or materials and aren’t exposed to real danger. This reduces costs and risks for schools.
Students can retry repeatedly until they feel confident or until they get a good score. They will then perform better when they have to do the procedure or technique in real life. Besides, it’s a lot more fun to train in an interactive virtual world, compared to a textbook.”
Does your students still like using this too? What do they think about it?
“Virtual Reality perfectly aligns with the world of students. It allows them to learn in a fun and immersive way. It's something different, yet still a valuable and educational experience. They are doing something fun and learning at the same time.
It also provides an opportunity to learn and try things or visit places that aren’t possible in the real world. A lot of industrial settings have age restrictions so it’s impossible for students to go there, they can still experience this in VR. In addition, they can see the consequences of making a mistake (e.g. explosion, fire, physical injuries …) without being exposed to any real risk. This makes them more cautious when performing in real life.”
Were you able to measure the difference before/after virtual reality? If yes, how?
“Research conducted by the consortium of universities and colleges will soon get published. But we see the impact of VR learning in our schools every day. Students are more excited to learn and retain the information better.”
Are you satisfied of the Immersive Factory's services?
“We are absolutely happy to partner with Immersive Factory. They provide great training content for our schools to allow them to train in a safe and fun way.”
You, too, can integrate Immersive Factory’s solution smoothly in your organization thanks to the autonomous headsets, a preinstalled catalog of over 30 exercises developed with major accounts and a personalized support. You can know more here.
