Designing Digitally
07/06/2018
It is not news that the digital world we live in has changed the way employees interact with each other and with their work environment. As millennials become an increasing part of the workforce, their preferences of the work environment is changing the way companies work and operate many functional areas of the organization. It is not surprising that one of these changes is the way companies conduct employee on-boarding and training. Mobile learning is the new way of increasing employee engagement, improving performance, and enhancing corporate e learning within the organization.
Mobile technology offers new solutions to increase employee engagement in the learning process. This training involves the development of small bite-sized modules, called microlearning, that the employee can access from their mobile devices. This allows the learner to progress at their own pace and to train anywhere. Often, the lessons are offered across different devices including laptops, desktops, tablets, and of course, smartphones. This allows the learner to access their learning environment and digest the small lessons in a place where they are most comfortable.
Mobile devices have created a world where information is literally right at the tips of everyone’s fingers. It allows people to access information right at the time when they need it. For instance, they do not have to worry about where to find restaurants close to their destination. They can simply look it up and see what is around when they get there. They also tend to look at their phones several times an hour and digest information in small chunks. Attention spans are getting shorter and the way information is presented must change to accommodate the new learning environment.
This is a world of instant gratification where people expect to be able to access information at a moment’s notice. They either see what they want quickly or click out in only a few seconds. The new generation likes to watch videos, play games, and have social interactions instantly through mobile devices. Employers can utilize this new technology to their advantage by presenting lesson plans that are designed for the needs of the new generation of employee.
Learners retain information best when they are fully engaged in the learning process. This is getting more difficult as learners have a shorter attention span and demand something that draws their attention. Mobile training can take advantage of these traits by providing a multimedia experience that addresses learner engagement in the knowledge acquisition process.
Not only can the use of mobile devices as a learning tool promote the recall and retention of knowledge, it can also help learners apply the knowledge on the job. For instance, simulations can ask learners to make decisions based on what they have just learned in a module. There is a difference between being able to recall and recite the information and being able to use it to make useful decisions. This is one way that learning using mobile devices has an advantage over traditional classroom settings.
Another way that mobile devices can enhance learning is that they can make it fun. Interactive games that mimic what employees do for entertainment after work are more likely to hold their interest and make them want to do their lessons. Immersive learning strategies push employees to think and this helps them to retain the information and learn to use it in a practical way.
New employees want to be able to access information when they need it on the job. For instance, they need to be able to refer to a bite-sized module at the exact time when they need it. They are unlikely to try to store all of the information in their head. Instead, they want to know how to find it, but only when the situation arises to use it. Before the advent of mobile devices employees had to learn a wealth of information and keep it in their head. This is no longer necessary in the digital age and the only necessity is that the information is readily available.
Mobile training is not just for younger employees and millennials. Employees of all ages can benefit from the engagement and immersive learning environments provided by this new technology. The idea that engaged learners are better learners is not new, but mobile devices make it much easier. This technology makes the learning process more efficient and makes it easier to change employee behaviors.
Designing Digitally can help with course design to create a learning platform that is engaging, fun, and takes full advantage of these new learning platforms. Get in touch with us to develop solutions to help your organization use mobile learning to streamline your training process.
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