What’s Next for I-CAR Learners? Virtually Everything!

04/14/2025 by I-CAR

This looks a little blurry. Let me tilt the headset up and adjust the head strap. Ah, much clearer. IRL I'm in my shop, but in this headset, I'm in a lab at I-CAR's Chicago Technical Center. Straight ahead, I see a van. Now what? Ah! The virtual narrator says to remove the door. I've removed doors before, but nothing like this. The difficulty level on this is not set to easy, but it's okay if I mess up. I can't actually break anything and no one sees my mistakes. To get started, got to protect the door. I'll start taping. Oops, the narrator caught me missing a step. Just like in real life, got to first put on my PPE and follow OEM guidelines....(Guided by virtual narrator and on-demand video demos, learner checks negative battery terminal is removed, selects proper tools, and completes procedure, getting scored each step of the way)....Done. I took the time I needed to really get the hang of it. Got to do things differently in the shop, like taping the end of connectors to keep them clean. But right now, I'm repeating this. I won't lose points this time by forgetting to keep parts organized. (Join an actual I-CAR learner in a mixed reality demo)

Virtually everything about I-CAR learning experiences is changing. The familiar “Next” arrow used to navigate through I-CAR online courses is taking learners someplace more engaging where they can choose both what and how they'll learn. In the scenario above, the learner dons a VR headset and uses a hand-held controller to move through a simulated process in virtual reality. This immersive experience is all part of Advanced Learning Effectiveness (ALE) technologies adopted by I-CAR. “It's a game changer for I-CAR and how we're perceived,” says Mike Mertes, I-CAR's Learning Innovation & Technology Manager. “Most importantly, it's another way to learn how to work through a complex vehicle technology process.”

Investing in ALE technologies is as much a strategy to keep I-CAR on the cutting edge as it is a necessary act of self-preservation. “If we don't do this, we'll become extinct,” Mertes explains. However, there's little danger of that, as I-CAR is well on its way to becoming subject matter experts on everything related to these new learning technologies. When the blueprints were being drawn in 2021 for I-CAR's Chicago Technical Center (CTC), space was designated for a design studio where the latest learning technologies using artificial intelligence and virtual reality could be explored.

Like all I-CAR initiatives, ALE is implemented through collaboration. I-CAR's product development team identifies ALE course topics, while the curriculum development team prepares content with support from 3D animators and modelers, programmers, and analysts on the learning innovation team. The collaboration that brings ALE courses to life is expected to expand with input from industry partners.

The importance of ALE technologies is tied to the ever-steeper learning curve for complex collision repairs. Studies by outside experts and results from I-CAR user testing and surveys show that participants learn better, score higher on tests, and retain more knowledge with these new, engaging learning platforms. Take as an example a difficult structural repair procedure like pulling a frame. Clicking through a series of static screens with still images and text (a basic online course format) is not going to be as effective as viewing a video of an actual frame pull done in a shop setting. Add ALE technologies to that video and you can enhance the learner's experience with “choose your own adventure” interactivity. I-CAR interactive video courses Unibody Measuring, Anchoring, and Pulling, and Full-Frame Measuring, Anchoring and Pulling engage learners with real-time decision making and possible outcomes in different repair scenarios.

I-CAR's move to new learning technologies wasn't driven by industry mandates, though it did have one. In 'Voice-of-the-Customer' research, it is clear that “the industry wants more engaging and realistic training. And it has to be on demand because shops are so busy,” Mertes says. Personalizing and streamlining training are key benefits of ALE. For example, mixed reality training exercises, built by I-CAR for a high-voltage battery disconnection and multimeter use, complement the 5-Day Electric Vehicle (EV) Hands-On Skills Development course taught at I-CAR's CTC facility. Learners who first practice these virtual exercises potentially “could complete the EV live training in just three days. They'd come to class more confident and ask better questions to get more out of their training.”

I-CAR's ALE initiative also responds to feedback from experienced technicians. “They don't want to be treated like they just started their career. They want their knowledge acknowledged,” Mertes says. “We can do that with adaptive learning tailored to the learner. You can test out of topics you already know and complete courses a lot faster.”

I-CAR is escalating its use of ALE technologies after the success of an 18-month-long development and testing phase. Sixteen prototypes, spread across three ALE platforms, were completed in this first phase, including course modules, 3D interactive animations, and short exercises with gamification.

Mertes's team entered phase two of the ALE initiative with a strong momentum of “highly positive feedback” received at SEMA 2024 last November and the 2025 Consumer Electronic Show in January. According to Mertes, “Mixed reality demonstrations, tried by hundreds of booth visitors, went flawlessly.”

The most memorable reactions at SEMA for Mertes came from two individuals he didn't expect the demo to attract. One was the youngest EV tech he'd ever seen. The other did the demo in his wheelchair.

Mertes describes how the seven-year-old daughter of a booth visitor asked her mom's permission to try I-CAR's VR demo. “This little girl puts the headset on, and she's learning how to do a HV disconnect. Then she does the procedure again on our cart (physical prop).” Can ALE technologies attract new talent to the industry? There's no evidence more convincing than this.

The demo participant in a wheelchair provided another type of proof Mertes was looking for. To accommodate learners with disabilities “We build everything to be ADA-accessible. It was really exciting to see him smiling ear to ear, using a two-pole voltage tester in a virtual reality exercise. He told us he can't get underneath cars easily. He came back a little later to tell us he hoped we're here (at SEMA) next year.”

Showcasing I-CAR's use of ALE technologies at one of the most significant tech events in the world, the Consumer Electronics Show, gave I-CAR exposure outside the collision repair industry. “We were able to connect with representatives from several large companies, including Bosch, Microsoft, and META, which manufacture the mixed reality headsets we will be using with our Q4 2025 release,” Mertes explains.

The biggest challenge for the learning innovation team lies with the mixed reality platform and VR headsets. To ease learners into using headsets, I-CAR plans to initially loan them out. A “VR Trainer” course has been developed to explain how to use virtual reality equipment.

“There's a perception problem with headsets. People think they're for kids' games. We need to show that this technology is very capable of teaching a hands-on experience that can be applied to real life,” Mertes says. Another challenge in mixed reality course design is minimizing the type of movements that cause some users to get motion sickness. Learners have the option to take mixed reality courses without a headset, allowing them to explore a 3D world while taking a course on their computer, tablet, or phone.

What's next for I-CAR learners? “We'll weigh how well our 2025 releases are received before deciding how fast we go forward,” Mertes says. “We don't want to overpromise and underdeliver.” Analysis of user experiences with the new courses, drawn from data on a granular level, “will be used by I-CAR's content designers to develop better content.” Looking further ahead, there are plans to make ALE mixed reality courses browser-accessible and enhanced with an AI mentor to help answer learners' questions.

Enhancing the entire course catalog with ALE technologies is the ultimate goal, but no one platform will be used across the board. There will continue to be a place for the tried-and-true online course format.

The enormity of the work ahead has required expanding the learning innovation team to nine members. Working with “easily one of the most talented teams I have ever worked with across my career,” Mertes is confident that ambitious 2025 production deadlines will be met.

Something more personal also keeps Mertes on track. The connection he's built with learners during demos at shops, technical schools, and industry events. An abstract concept of “the learner” motivates everyone at I-CAR to work together to make a better learner experience. But what could be more powerful than learners IRL cheering you on?

Mike and his team can't wait to give them want they want.