Participating in seminars with your own avatar in the Metaverse or preparing apprentices for their careers – since spring 2023, the eyewear and audiology specialist "Neusehland" has been focusing on in-company training in the virtual learning environment "Gather Town". Learn now how training in the Metaverse works and how the Confidos Academy and blink.it support "Neusehland" in bringing employees together virtually!

Training in the Metaverse – at first glance, it sounds like science fiction. However, the latest blink.it use case clearly shows: To experience digital training just like in person, there is no need for expensive VR technology! This is because virtual learning environments can also be realized at home via remote work. The Confidos Academy has established a virtual learning world for the optician and acoustician Neusehland, which has been used for internal training since the beginning of the year. The application, on which the playful online meeting place is based, comes from the American company Gather, which is why the resulting implementations are simply called "Gather Town".

The integration of the blink.it platform into the virtual seminar room Gather Town allows trainers and participants to meet virtually under relaxed conditions. Participants can quickly and easily switch between online courses on blink.it and the interaction space in Gather Town. The playful character of the digital learning environment contributes to a positive learning experience for participants.

The Confidos Academy – The partner for digital and analog knowledge transfer

The Confidos Academy specializes in the development of blended learning courses and training for companies in virtual worlds (Gather Town). The central goal: to promote and develop the potential of employees through sustainable and tailored solutions.

Confidos is an official "Gather Ambassador"

The academy is one of 24 "Gather Ambassadors" worldwide who design virtual learning and working environments using Gather's software. You will now learn how the virtual learning environment is structured!

Training in "Gather Town" – What’s behind it

Virtual seminar room of the Neusehland Online Academy // Image: Neusehland

You can see: Gather Town is set up like a virtual office. In this virtual world, spaces can be designed and customized – for example, by placing interaction objects that hide links. With your personalized avatar, you can move freely in Gather Town and by clicking on the links, participate in meetings, complete online courses on the blink.it platform, or hold a conference. There are even gardens, coffee lounges, and meditation rooms.

In short, the Confidos Academy has created a virtual learning environment using Gather's software that allows learners to exchange and share experiences as if they were in person.

Immersive learning – Neusehland as a pioneer in training

Neusehland has been using the blink.it platform for blended learning training for years. Therefore, the question arises: Why invest in a virtual learning world?

The medium-sized company employs nearly 500 people spread across Hesse. Nevertheless, for training purposes, store managers and employees of the company should be brought together in one place. To make this possible, Neusehland decided to use "Gather Town" in a pilot project to bring employees together away from in-person events.

Info: This is immersive learning

Immersive learning is a learning method in which learners immerse themselves in a virtual or real environment to learn through interactive experiences. The aim is to create a learning environment that is as realistic as possible to convey to learners an intense and deep understanding of the subject. Immersive learning can be achieved through technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality, or simulations. "Gather Town" adheres to this principle and allows employees to experience training realistically in a virtual setting – all without a VR headset.

This is how the 8-week pilot project went

Neusehland developed two different online courses for two target groups for the project:

First Training:

Ursula Fleckner-Jung (trainer at the Confidos Academy) trained employees on how to lead teams appropriately for the times – "from Generation Z to Baby Boomers". The training took place both via the company's internal blink.it platform and via Gather Town. The trainer especially addressed the question: How can young employees be better understood and motivated?

Second Training:

Parallel to the first training, trainer Peter Gerst (trainer at the Confidos Academy) conveyed applicable "happiness techniques" for everyday work. Standing better in stressful situations and becoming more balanced – this especially appealed to employees in sales and consulting.

The blink.it course "Leading Appropriately" is available to participants through the Neusehland Online Academy with direct access to the virtual seminar room // Image: Neusehland

Employees of the company could thus work through the content in blink.it courses according to the blended learning format and then discuss it in Gather Town. The advantage: Instead of long travel routes across Germany, employees can exchange ideas digitally, with office life becoming virtually tangible. At the same time, the exchange of experiences and knowledge remains the same as in an in-person training session.

Implementation of a blended learning course from the Neusehland Online Academy on the learning platform blink.it as well as in the virtual training room // Source: Confidos Academy

The Metaverse – The new way to learn?

The 8-week pilot project from Neusehland has shown that it is possible to design virtual training in many areas to be as realistic as in person. Thus, employees could use "Gather Town" as a digital meeting point that also invited spontaneous exchanges: "When I first heard that apprentices had voluntarily arranged to meet in the Gather world, it was a great sign for me." – Jonas Fachinger, responsible for the apprentices in audiology

Training through the virtual learning world – this is not only a well-thought-out concept, but it was also well-received by employees: “Collaboration and learning together can look different this way. The apprentices could have simply called each other, but instead they met digitally. It’s about creating connections.” – Jonas Fachinger

Nevertheless, the pilot project demonstrated that the Metaverse – despite the opportunities for quick and easy exchange – cannot completely replace in-person gatherings. “Ideally, participants should also see each other live on-site.” – Thomas Kupka, HR manager

Another challenge for the company was to convince all team members of the new virtual learning environment. “Of course, it is an important aspect in times of skilled labor shortages to present oneself sustainably. From our experience, most employees enjoy the application, and of course, as with all developments, you can never convince 100 percent.” – Thomas Kupka

Working together at the whiteboard: Image excerpt from the Neusehland workshop // Image: Confidos Academy

The use case clearly shows: To design training virtually to be more realistic than in-person, you don't need expensive VR technology! Low-threshold immersive training can become an alternative to in-person training depending on the use case.