How to design simulations that align with your learning objectives

When it comes to designing immersive simulations, you have to align them with organizational goals. Here's a set of guidelines for choosing a simulation type by taking a closer look at your primary objectives.

Do you want to identify skill gaps?

If you focus on benchmarking and identifying skill gaps, the simulation should let learners work independently. Turning the coaching component of a simulation off will ensure you get an accurate understanding of where employees stand.

Best fit: Diagnostic simulation

This provides a clear snapshot of an employee’s skills without external guidance to help leaders identify where their abilities stand. You’ll collect real data on your team members and understand what they need.

Are you trying to upskill employees?

If your goal is upskilling employees and proving to upper management that learning is improving, you'll want to consider a pass/fail type of simulation. The emphasis here is on measurable learning, making sure employees meet a certain threshold to show progress.

Best fit: Measure-practice-improve simulation

This allows learners to practice repeatedly until they pass a certain level of skill set within the simulation. It’s the best way to upskill large or small groups of learners.

Do you need to drive behavior change?

If your objective is to drive behavioral change or get a self-assessment, you should create more of a reflective simulation style. This becomes especially important in leadership training or DE&I training, where learners need to understand their own biases, behaviors, and more.

Best fit: Measure-coach simulation

This type of ETU simulation embeds feedback and coaching to help learners reflect on how to improve their behaviors and sustain new behaviors longer.

Do you want to reinforce outcomes?

Some companies need to show concrete improvement from employees. When improving performance, repeated practice in simulations is a great way to ensure learning is happening. You can allow your employees to repeat simulations to ensure they understand the material and apply the proper skills in a real-life scenario.

Best fit: Measure-coach-improve simulation

These types of ETU simulations can be practiced over and over again, perfecting employees’ ability to understand and use a skill set.

Designing the perfect simulation

Make sure your simulations are tailored to your specific corporate learning needs: benchmarking, upskilling, or behavioral change. By selecting the right simulation type, you will ensure the delivery of measurable, impactful outcomes for your people and your business.

At ETU, we don’t only specialize in designing the right simulation for you. We bring our years of expertise crafting impactful, corporate training programs that move the needle. Learn more by exploring our case studies here.

Which topics can you cover with simulations?

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