| The following is an excerpt from the just released – and free to download – mobile learning report “Learning on the Go – tips and trends in m-learning” |
As presented elsewhere in this report, mobile devices have taken the world by storm. The ready availability of high- powered computing in your pocket opens a new world of possibilities for learning. With this massive rise in accessibility comes many new challenges that will be required for the design team to overcome prior to launching your m-learning course.
There are many strategies for integrating m-learning into your corporate learning structure and there are many pitfalls as well. In this post we will discuss the things to avoid or to be aware of and, then, some best practices that you can use within your learning environment.
Common Challenges when developing a mobile learning strategy:
Desktop Learning is not the same as Mobile Learning
This is a common challenge that many learning departments initially assume when considering the addition of m-learning to their organizational learning strategy. The types of e-learning delivered by different media are different. The way users interact with a desktop/laptop is different from the ways users interact with a tablet (I still haven’t figured out “right click” on my tablet) or smartphone. Building out your learning needs to take into account not only the technology capabilities and limitations but also the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) affordances of each type of technology. You also need a specific strategy for how you want to deliver the learning being created, based on the delivery technology itself.
BYOD – Bring your Own Device – This is a term or concept often associated with mobile learning. Basically it means that you design content once and that, no matter how your learners access it, the content will transform to their particular delivery platform. While this is frequently used as one of the main selling points for including a mobile learning strategy into your overall organizational learning strategy, it is a mistake to think that you can design once and have it applicable to all devices.
This concept goes against the very soul of instructional design as each learning experience should be crafted based upon a studied and analyzed methodology. Knowing how your end user will interact with the learning material is almost as critical as the learning material itself. Understanding how your users will be interacting with your learning content is part of the design methodology employed in building high quality and successful learning. While you can build a multi-platform delivery model, you have to design to the least common denominator (typically mobile). This means that you are doing a disservice to the learners. Different physical settings allow for different levels of concentration and engagement. Different technological capabilities require different learning design and interaction strategies. To implement a best practices approach, design your learning based upon a well-thought-out learning strategy and build an instructional strategy around the device(s) you wish your learners to use, based upon this strategy.
The digital divide still exists – Understanding the end user is paramount to building a successful learning strategy. In many parts of the world, e-learning has always (since the late 1990s at least) been a part of many workers’ professional development plans. Different learners respond differently to digital learning, based upon how they prefer to learn and the content that is being presented to them. As we are presented with an (overall) aging workforce while new generations are entering the workforce, we are still faced with digital divide issues that began to plague our industry in the mid-1990s. With the emergence of Mobile Smart devices as a common feature of the workplace it makes perfect sense to include a mobile learning component as a core or supplemental part of your organization’s learning strategy.
Revisiting the full digital divide challenge from a Learning and Development standpoint is essential. There needs to be a comprehensive strategy around how your learning is approached for tech-savvy learners and how to incorporate your less tech-savvy learners into the fold. This approach is paramount as there are significant differences in how different generations interact and use technology. This has to be taken into account for your m-learning strategy. Generational and tech familiarity gaps exist and the comfort levels of your learners need to be addressed within your m-learning strategy.
Revisit your Learning Strategy
Now that we have taken into account some common challenges when coming up with our m-learning action plan we can begin to strategize methods for integrating m-learning into our overall learning strategy in a well thought out and strategic manner.
Building a learning strategy is hard work, time consuming, underappreciated by most departments outside of L&D/ Training, and often times take years to show ROI. That is the easy part! The hard part is to convince your entire company that the strategy that your team has worked on for years can be enhanced to make their lives easier by adding a mobile element to it. Many learners may have some hesitation to jumping on board the m-learning bandwagon. This is the opportunity to integrate some great knowledge management strategies into your learning strategy.
Integrate your mobile learning strategy into your organizational learning plan
Working for months – sometimes years – around building Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Performance Objectives, Terminal and Enabling Objectives, and organizing all of these into learning paths and plans can be painful. But, doing all this gives you have a perfect opportunity to revisit these key competencies and objectives and see which ones would be a good fit for an m-learning refresh.
There has been lots of great e-learning over the years – from Serious Games and interactive branching scenarios to highly interactive courses built with rapid authoring tools. So it’s sometimes hard to understand how to jump into an m-learning path.
After all, there are differences between the capabilities of different devices as well as how different users interact with them.
Nonetheless, this is opportunity time. Implementing an m-learning strategy is an excellent chance to reduce time spent on lengthy, time-consuming courses. It’s a chance to take some key competencies and rework them to be delivered either in a just-in-time manner (think “job aids”) or to develop a series of bite-sized Learning Pills that allow quick and easy access to consumable content.
The other great option with mobile devices is that most users of smart devices are familiar with messaging capabilities. Integration of some of the new learning standards such as xAPI/TinCan allows your learning management system to capture this data and add it back to your learners’ learning records.
Take your existing organizational competencies, skills, objectives and so on and evaluate what can be broken down into short extremely concise learning chunks (I like the term “Learning Pills”) and then build it in a medium that works best for the greatest number of mobile devices (and remember you need to design for the least common denominator). Ideally, small videos or short and not very complex interactive packages work great. Follow them up with a quick knowledge check and you have an excellent standard Learning Pill.
If you’ve mastered the more basic model of m-Learning Design and have the capability to offer and support some real time interactions, build in a messaging component to your Learning Pills that allows for just-in-time communications with and between your learners to enable a true collaborative learning environment.
If you have the ability to unify the mobile learning environment through standardization of smart phones or tablets, think about taking greater advantage of the features contained within the device. Location tracking or delivering content based upon location, integration of cameras or videos recording best practices uploaded via the phone are great methods of supporting m-learning.
The main design goals of your Learning Pills should be that the direct instruction should never be longer than three to five minutes. It should include some form of quick knowledge check and it should align directly to your overall learning plan. Using other features within the device are great but this has to be well planned and have specific goals.
Wrapping it all together
Use m-learning in conjunction with classroom (live or web based) delivered learning and your traditional e-learning courses. There is nothing stopping you from creating a great blended learning strategy that encompasses a wide variety of delivery methodologies. In doing so, you should be keenly aware of your audience. You should also remember that the learning is designed for specific media and should be aligned to your organizational competencies.
The bottom line is that building m-learning programs is all about better enabling learning. Think it through. Get creative – and know your audience.
Josh Squires is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Docebo EMEA. Josh has spent the past 15 years researching and implementing creative learning solutions within corporate and higher education environments. With clients ranging from Motorola to Disney, he has been on the designing and implementing stage of a wide range of learning scenarios with customers spanning the globe. Josh has also taught Instructional Technology theory and tools as a consultant and faculty member for over 8 years in both Corporate and Higher Education environments.
You can contact him directly at josh.squires@docebo.com or connect with him via LinkedIn