What is Mobile Learning?

Mobile learning is a relatively recent development that allows people to enjoy training opportunities from their mobile device, such as a smart phone or tablet. Mobile learning is unique because it allows participants to learn in a time and place that is convenient for them.

Mobile learning offers many advantages to workers, such as:

• Offering flexibility to workers who want to complete training programs on their terms.
• Allowing employees to feel more engaged and connected with the training program.
• Providing workers with real-time feedback on their training.

In the last decade, there has been a seismic shift in the way that professionals use technology in order to complete their tasks each day. For years, office workers spent the majority of their time on their desktop or laptop computers. However, the advent of the smartphone quickly changed that. Today, more than 70 percent of an individual's digital media time is spent on a mobile device. Most professionals, regardless of industry, use their smart phone in order to stay connected and do business.

Recognizing this, it's important that your company or organization works to implement mobile-focused and compatible learning.

How can Your Company get Mobile-Focused?

Here are five ways that you can make training easier to use on a smart phones and other devices to ultimately increase engagement amongst your workers:

Design Your Content for a Primary Mobile Platform

In the months and years that followed the release of the world's first smartphones, many companies considered their mobile platforms to be the exception to the norm. Unfortunately, mobile capabilities were thought of as an accessory, yet not a necessity.

Today, however, it is painfully obvious that mobile platforms need to be the standard rather than the option. Instead of designing a training program that is meant for a desktop device but can somewhat adapt to a mobile interface, you should focus on creating a primary mobile learning platform. This is the ideal way to future-proof your business, because you will no longer have to adapt and adjust in order to use the training program on a mobile device. In the years to come, mobile will become the primary platform of most people, so it's best to start considering it as the top priority now.

Create Bite-Sized Training Opportunities

When creating and designing e-learning programs for mobile devices, it is important to keep in mind the way that people use their smart phones and tablets. They are not likely to sit down and watch a training video that lasts for an hour or more on their smart phone. Even though people are using mobile devices more frequently, they are still only focused on those devices for short bursts of time.

With this in mind, you should consider designing bite-sized training opportunities. The key to success is creating hyper-focused training programs that can teach a skill or provide information in a short amount of time. These types of training programs can be better personalized to meet the needs of the individual employee, which often results in higher engagement levels. Workers are going to be more motivated to participate in quick-hit training programs that they can complete from the convenience of their preferred mobile device.

Choose Mobile-Ready Platforms to Host Your Training Content

Once you have created the training content that you want to implement at your company, the next best step is to partner with an organization that can offer you a mobile-ready platform to host your program. Rather than selecting a platform that primarily focuses on desktop devices, you should invest in a platform that recognizes that mobile is the way of the future.

When you use a mobile-ready platform for your training programs, your content will be displayed in a way that allows users to easily digest the information and engage with the interface. It will allow for a more cohesive experience, both for you and for your employees who will be completing the mobile learning program.

Cater Learning Opportunities to the Demographics of Your Workforce

Your learning opportunities need to challenge and inspire your workers, which is why you need to cater your training programs to the demographics of your workforce. Currently, Millennials make up the largest segment of the work force. In fact, within the next two years, 50 percent of all working professionals will be members of the Millennial generation. Not far behind the Millennials are the Xenials, which are quickly reaching adulthood and entering the workforce.

These two generations have been raised on technology, and they quickly adapt to the latest products that are on the market. Not only are they going to prefer mobile learning opportunities, but they also are going to expect them to be the norm. When you create a cultural that is inviting and interesting to most of your workforce, you will find that your employee engagement levels will increase organically and your employee retention rates will remain steady.

Research Year-over-Year Trends about Mobile Learning

The numbers show that mobile learning is quickly becoming the most powerful player in the training game. As recently as just a few years ago, mobile learning was considered an optional add-on, as most people focused their training on desktop platforms. Today, however, mobile learning is leading as the most reliable option for training and development.

Some important statistics that prove that mobile learning is the best option for your organization include:

• 42 percent of mobile learners felt that their training helped them increase their productivity.
• 70 percent of mobile learners were more motivated to complete their training program because it was hosted on a mobile device.
• 72 percent of mobile learners felt more engaged with the training program when it was hosted on a mobile device.

Final Thoughts

In a time when everyone is focused on remote learning and working, now is the perfect moment to begin investing in your mobile training programs.

Positive Results can re-envision your training space and help you create e-learning programs that will take advantage of powerful mobile platforms.

 

Positive Results™ Custom Business Solutions

440.499.4944

https://PositiveResults.com

 

Sources:

• https://www.easy-lms.com/knowledge-center/lms-knowledge-center/mobile-learning/item10388
• https://www.talentlms.com/blog/7-awesome-mlearning-benefits/
• https://citrusbits.com/50-mobile-statistics-facts-and-trends/
• https://dynamicsignal.com/2018/10/09/key-statistics-millennials-in-the-workplace/
• https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/11/millennials-largest-generation-us-labor-force/
• https://elearningindustry.com/mobile-learning-trends-2020-for-employee-performance-and-behavioral-change