Designing Digitally
01/09/2018
Mobile training, or mLearning, topped the list of emerging trends in 2017. With the millennial workforce and their affinity to anything mobile, this is no surprise. Experts predict the mobile learning market to be worth $37.6 billion by 2020. Here are some more statistics to ponder. According to Google, roughly 40% of people search on a smartphone instead of computers. By 2018, most consumers will use three to four mobile devices for their daily work.
Millennials are the most mobile-savvy population. They are part of the emerging workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2030, millennials will constitute about 75 percent of the workforce. If you want to gain their attention, you cannot ignore mLearning strategies. Harness it effectively to build an engaging learning experience for your employees.
Are you, as an organization, ready to embrace mLearning solutions?
Organizations who plan to adopt mLearning strategies as part of their corporate training plan need to ask the following questions:
Once you are sure about the answers to the above questions, here are five tips for successfully deploying mLearning.
Every learner has their own device preference. Each device has its own operating system and they impact the features of the learning content. You have two options to deal with selecting the devices. You can either provide your employees with identical devices, or you can allow employees to use their own devices. The latter is the easier and more popular option, though there are security concerns. You need to find out which devices are popular among your employees and focus development around the most commonly-used devices.
Apps are a good way to stay connected. They are also good for learning. You need to decide whether you want to use a native app or a web app. The advantage of using the native app is that your employees can access learning content even if they are not connected to the internet. The native app downloads the material and stores it on the user device. In comparison, a web app needs an internet connection and downloads data every time it is run.
It is important that you select the right delivery tool. One option is to design your own framework with native codes. The other option is using rapid authoring tools like Articulate, Captivate, and so on. Once your mLearning is ready, you need to decide on the delivery platform. Set up your apps store where your employees can download content. Or, opt for a Learning Management System that is compatible with mobile devices. The final content should be SCORM-compliant if you want to track your learner’s activities and preferences.
Mobile learning is valuable because it provides performance support to your employees when they need it the most. Your mobile content should serve as a useful job aid and allow the learner to search content using an open-ended search feature. At the point-of-need, the learner will not have the time or patience to have to go through lists of irrelevant topics. The more accurately the content is tagged, the easier it will be for them to find it.
It might be difficult to find out the exact ROI for your mLearning. But if you collect relevant data, you can improve your offering and defend your choices. It is important to have information on who is using the mobile training solution, when they are using it and how useful they find it.
Mobile learning is an upcoming trend that believes in a learner-centric approach. It saves time and cost for the organization. You should take full advantage of the trend to benefit your learners.
Designing Digitally, Inc. creates 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 through a web browser, a series of brief eLearning courses to open through your LMS, or a custom Android or iOS app.
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