How smart phones give learners control, and learning context

Mobile learning is a valuable new addition to organizational learning strategy. Implemented correctly, it provides an excellent way of spreading knowledge rapidly across an enterprise, ensuring for example that new corporate initiatives are understood or that new product knowledge is quickly available to mobile field engineers and sales people. The power of modern smart phones, however, also means that as well as learners receiving content pushed out to them, they can use web 2.0 technologies to find the help that they need at a particular moment - for example by accessing a wiki, a blog or a social network.

This combination of delivering both traditional elearning courses and just-in-time help in context makes mobile learning different from traditional desk-based elearning. Mobile learning is more than just a smaller version of elearning courses designed for the desktop, it is a performance support tool and this makes it a valuable supplement to current learning programs not only for employees on the go, but for potentially everyone.

Learning in this manner has been dubbed mobile learning 2.0, a term reflecting developments in the field in recent years. Even a few years ago, mobile learning was a complex activity, a fact recognized by both analysts and practitioners. Now, however, it is possible for mobile learning to be implemented effectively, and quickly, provided that the right approach is taken.

The right approach means putting the business need for the learning first, and reducing administrative overhead during implementation. For example, in creating content designed for mobile learning it is crucial to use an integrated approach, so that the content sits in a system alongside materials produced for desktop courses. In a fully integrated system learning materials would be stored centrally for output on a variety of media, including not only computers and smart phones, but also MP3 players and other devices. Alongside this flexibility of output, the mobile content must be 'future proof' for learners. It is impossible to say what smart devices they might be using in the future, and so the content must not be tied to one platform, but be usable on a range of mobile devices and operating systems.

Mobile learning is now living up to its promise, implementing it well is not a complex task, provided it is done with some key principles in mind, and using the right technologies.

Download