News
March 3 2009
Simulating Success: The Promise of Simulation-Based Training
The average employee may be more familiar with simulation games (like SimCity) than simulation-based training. But simulation-based training—where employees engage in a synthetic learning environment—is now widely used for training that's too dangerous, expensive, or unduly limited if done with real people and resources.
Simulation-based training has experienced significant growth in the last several years. It's estimated that almost 98 percent of business schools currently use simulations in their curricula, and 75 percent of large U.S. companies (more than 1,000 employees) use training simulations.
Yet recent data shows the economic downturn is driving many companies to cut back on their use of simulations. However, a new study by Cornell's Center for Advanced HR Studies (CAHRS) and ILR School researchers, published in The International Journal of Human Resource Management, suggests companies should look more carefully at the great promise of simulation-based training before they pull the plug on it wholesale due to costs.
The study, conducted by researchers Brad Bell and Adam Kanar, along with Michigan State University faculty member Steve Kozlowski, notes that the rise of simulation-based training has been driven by many factors, including its capability to offer employees a highly immersive and interactive learning experience.
Using Capabilities, Benefits of Sim-Based Training
But do the unique capabilities of simulations translate into higher levels of effectiveness? Bell, Kanar and Kozlowski now argue that current evidence points to "yes," although few studies have looked closely at this question. One large scale study, for example, found that using business simulations increased learning by an average of 10 percent. Simulations have also been shown to be effective across a wide range of contexts, including training business leaders, military personnel, doctors and nurses.
Virtual worlds, such as Second Life, are used by Ivy League universities and corporations (like IBM and Sun Microsystems) to create rich learning environments and facilitate social networking among learners. Storytelling and narratives are also being used more often in simulations to engage learners and guide them through the experience. Like other forms of distributed training, simulations offer flexibility for learning to occur almost anywhere, at anytime. Simulations even allow synchronous team learning on a common task for geographically scattered employees.
Bottom Line for Trainers: Keep Eye on Simulations, Despite Barriers
Despite their benefits, Bell and colleagues lay out a number of costs and challenges associated with using simulations to deliver training. For example, the fixed costs associated with simulation development remain high relative to other forms of e-learning.
Estimates suggest that traditional web-based training requires an average of 220 hours of development for each hour of content, whereas simulations delivered via the Internet require 750 to 1,500 hours of development per hour.
Higher costs are likely driving the current decline in corporate simulation usage. But the researchers note that advances in object-oriented design and software libraries are making it easier and cheaper to customize and reuse simulation content for multiple courses.
Companies also aren't quite sure how best to use the social networking capabilities of simulations. Recent studies show that groupware and collaboration tools incorporated into simulations and other forms of e-learning are generally not used frequently by learners. Instead, employees tend only to use these tools when they're seen as an integrated and essential component of the learning experience.
Although the current recession has reversed recent growth in simulation-based training, Bell and his colleagues predict that trend is temporary. As economic constraints ease and the industry finds cheaper and faster ways to develop content, companies will turn again to simulations as a powerful tool for providing employees with flexible, experiential—and highly effective—learning opportunities.
Want more? Read the full CAHRS working paper titled "Current Issues and Future Directions in Simulation-Based Training" »
Have a question? Email Professor Brad Bell »