Mobile Learning Instead of Classroom Training: Are We There Yet?
Enterprises all over the world are realizing the rich rewards of leveraging mobility – not only to increase employee productivity and revenue but also educate and train their employees effectively. Mobile learning is maturing into a powerful tool that is enabling enterprises augment the professional skills of their workers, increase professional confidence, and boost productivity and employee loyalty.
A recent survey by Intuition reveals that:
- 37.2% of the global workforce will be mobile by 2015
- 90% organizations will allow employees to use corporate applications on their mobile devices by 2014
- 65% of information searches originate from smartphones, followed by tablets or PCs
- enterprise smartphone users will increase to 2.4 billion by 2017
- 65% workers consider their smartphone their “most critical work device” in 2012
- mobile data traffic is expected to increase by a compound annual growth rate of 78%
More specifically, the report shows how perfectly mobile learning is fitting into organizational structures. Enterprise users are highly appreciative of the flexibility of mobile learning that allows them to learn at their own pace and space. In fact, mobile learners in public sector domains have declared mobile learning to be as effective as elearning and classroom trainings.
A recent survey of mobile learners reveals the impact mobile learning has on imparting real value to users:
- 100% participants stated they would complete more trainings in mobile format
- 99% believed the mobile format and content presentation enhanced their learning
- more than 75% found the convenience and time management benefits of mobile learning appealing
- 45% participants reduced their average training time without any loss of comprehension
Clearly, mobile learning is driving positive outcomes, making learning a more meaningful activity that enables workers to apply their knowledge and new skills more effectively.
Mobile learning meets user needs
Mobile learning in the training context must be available to learners on a:
- On demand basis: Learners can search learning content and consume the training they’re interested in anytime, anywhere on their personal mobile device.
- Just in time: Learners should be able to access training content just in time – say, before a client meeting, at a particular location, etc.
- Performance support: Learners should have instant access to trainings that will help them perform their current task better. Content could be instructional videos, how-to step-by-step presentations, audio support, PDFs or images.
Mobile learning has not yet been accepted out-and-out by organizations as a replacement for classroom trainings. This may soon change, at least in certain work streams such as customer support service, onsite technicians, and field workers, as the impact of short and succinct mobile trainings starts generating ROI in the form of higher customer satisfaction, greater employee happiness, and lower attrition.
