Mobile Learning: The Who, The Why and the What Now

Cammy Bean and Tanveer Makhani

Every day your employees are pulling out their smartphones and tablets.

You’re tasked with improving performance in your organization.

As a training professional, you’re not sure how mobile learning fits into your plan.

You want to create solutions that meet a need and not just respond to a fad.

Let’s explore how mobile learning fits into your strategy.

What is mobile learning?

Is it just learning on the go?

My brain is mobile and goes with me wherever I go.

My laptop is “mobile”, but that’s not what people are talking about…

My tablet goes with me, but it not everywhere (it doesn’t fit into my

pocket…)

It’s putting learning at the point of need – when and where I need it..

Design solutions for the devices

that your people are using.

We need to design differently for each device—it’s not one design fits all.

Key questions to ask…

Is mobile the best option for this content?

•What makes it right for mobile access?

•How will we make it more than ‘e-learning on a mobile device’?

Is mobile the best option for this audience?

What technology do they have?

Are we expecting them to use their own devices? And if so, will they?

Are we expecting them to do this on their own time?

Is mobile the best option for our budget?

How does it fit into our learning strategies?

What kind of mobile learning can we actually deliver within our IT infrastructure?

What are we prepared to spend to achieve our aims?

When should we be using it?

Go with the flow and think beyond

the event…

Use mobile as part of your strategic blend.

“Mobile as an augment to formal learning: reactivating knowledge, distributing practice, contextualizing learning, and even performance capture.”

~ Clark Quinn

Effective uses of mobile in a blend.

What about the technology?

Native Apps, Web Apps and what

about HTML5 and Flash?

Native Apps

• Download through the app stores (e.g., iTunes or Android Market)

• High end and slick• Have to build multiple versions for

multiple devices

Web Apps

• Browser apps (HTML) that run on a smartphone or tablet

• Runs across multiple devices• Limited use of device’s capabilities

And HTML5? Does this mean all of my Flash content goes away?

Questions to consider…

• Do you want the same module to run on both desktops and mobile devices?

• Does your LMS support the smartphone/tablets you are targeting?

• How are you going to get your published content to the smartphone/tablets?

Are there any mobile authoring

tools yet?

It’s starting…and some have always been here…

So what can it look like?

Use the camera and video to capture your environment/record role plays.

Make it easy to review the latest news and information.

Scan it, learn about it.

Just-in-time guides.

Performance support and checklists.

You know where I am, help me! (Augmenting Reality)

Refresher learning.

..and more refreshment…

Push reminders.

The LMS on the go.

Talk to me, interactively.

Let’s review!

Design solutions for the devices

that your people are using where they are using

them.

Go with the flow and use mobile as

part of your strategic blend.

Use mobile learning to

augment formal training efforts

and capture experiences.