M-Learning Projections for 2018 and Beyond

Designing Digitally

02/21/2018

M-Learning Projections for 2018andBeyond

Developing M-learning does take time and effort, and it may require a good amount of financial support too. But, the advantages it offers is totally worth the investment. A critical point to keep in mind is that the workforce is changing. The millennial employees are tech savvy and like learning on-the-go. If you want them to upskill, you need to adapt to their way of learning. Technology helps you connect with them faster.

If you are still not convinced about investing in a mobile training solution, here are some mobile learning trends that may change your mind.

#1: The mobile learning industry is growing.

The mobile learning industry  predicted to reach $12.2 billion at the end of 2017. M-learning is here to stay for a long time. Gartner predicts that for 2018, the size of the mobile workforce will be tripled compared to what it was last year. Each user will own more than three mobile devices on an average. If one device does not work, they always have a backup ready. For example, if the smartphone is suitable for text-based learning, tablets may be the choice to watch simulations on.

Now, that means the only way to capture their attention is to have a mobile learning strategy. And why not? M-learning keeps the learner hooked and enhances knowledge retention. It allows your employees to grow their skills anytime and from anywhere. As an end result, your employees get more out of the learning and you get back a higher return on your investment. It’s a win-win both ways.

#2: Bring your own device (BYOD) is for keeps.

According to a research by SailPoint, in 2018 almost 70% of professionals will prefer taking care of their business on personal mobile devices. So basically, this means that even if organizations do not provide mobile devices, employees will bring their own device. We live in times of a tech boom. Your employees are tech-savvy and will not wait around for you to adopt a BYOD strategy. They are used to the convenience of a smartphone and will use it to access resources anytime they need it and from anywhere. The sooner you understand this, the better you can take advantage of the situation.

#3: Mobile analytics is gaining grounds.

The L&D organization across all organizations are keen to offer personalized learning paths to its employees. In a nutshell, it means that they have to address specific requirements of individual employees. Now that is not possible manually. But M-learning makes it easy. Analytics help decipher learning patterns. Mobile app analytics play a huge role in deciphering the learner behavior for mobile learning solutions. They monitor traffic, keep a track of the sequence through which they access screens, and how much time they like to spend on each screen. With that kind of information, you can create a customized learning experience for your employees. And, if you provide the learners with what they need, they are sure to stay invested in the course.

#4: M-learning supports performance support.

M-learning and performance support go hand-in-glove. Performance support deals with providing your employees with all the support they need to do their jobs perfectly. The support should be there when they need it and where they need it. For example, if some sales personnel are at the client site and he requires some sales related statistics, then he should be able to access it then and there. This can be possible, only, when they have access to the information from the mobile device.

#5: Bite-sized mobile learning is highly effective

The average attention span of the learner is pretty low. You cannot expect them to go through a long winding course and retain what they have learned. They will lose interest within the first few minutes. A good strategy will be to chunk content in bite-sized portions. Focus on a single topic at one time so that the learner finds it easily digestible. This is a trend that is catching on among the corporates. These micro-learning modules are easily delivered through mobile devices and are effective. If you push these short bite-sized courses to your employees at regular intervals, you are bound to get positive results.

Designing Digitally, Inc. creates custom mobile projects suited to each client’s needs. We will help you determine which mobile solution is best for your application. It may be a website with training content that can be accessed in a web browser, a series of brief eLearning courses to open through your LMS, or a custom Android or iOS app.

Get in touch with our experts.