eLearning From Classrooms To Mobile Devices
In recent years, more and more learners have discovered that eLearning has undergone a significant shift from traditional training environments, rooms, or desktops-based learning to mobile learning phones. But the question is, is this a beneficial trend? In this article, you will learn about and explore the advantages offered by mobile learning solutions and how they can bridge the skills gap within organizations.
Harnessing Mobile Technology For The Learning Journey
Life and each of its coordinates run in perpetual motion, and this holds for corporate learning as well. The flux is even more distinct when we focus our lens on corporate learning scenarios. A few significant movements are taking place, such as:
- Learners are always on the move. Corporate trainers step into the training room and find that the learners have moved; they are no longer confined to a single training room. The reason is that, instead, the learners are spread across different workplace locations, on the field, or working remotely.
- Training rooms have transformed. Learners have discovered that the training room has transformed as well. It is no longer the static classroom nor their desktop interface. It is now more accessible on mobile.
So, the question arises: who moved the chalk (a metaphor for eLearning in this article)? Should organizations consider switching to a mobile learning strategy—mobile-first or mobile-friendly?
Let's see why it is important to make custom eLearning courses mobile-phone-adaptive.
Key Touchpoint
It is of utmost importance to meet the learners where they are: on mobile devices. That's where most people spend most of their time.
According to a Statista (a global data and business intelligence platform) report, the number of active worldwide mobile internet users in 2022 was 4.97 billion. Globally, mobile internet traffic as a percentage of online traffic stood at 58.5%. [1]
According to another report, the share of mobile internet traffic (out of the total internet traffic in that region) in Africa and Asia stands higher than the global average of 56.89%. However, that of South America, Europe, North America, and Oceania is less. [2]
The common tasks for which people use mobile phones are entertainment (games, music, and videos), followed by eCommerce and eFinance.
Given that people primarily use mobile phones, it makes utmost sense for the corporate learning ecosystem to include the mobile device as a touchpoint, too.
Increased Accessibility
Mobile internet adoption will continue to grow due to the affordability and widespread availability of mobile devices. In addition, more employees will have access to training programs through mobile, as they might not be desk-bound workers.
Skedulo's 2022 State of Deskless Work Report states that about 80% of the global workforce is deskless, including retail staff, service technicians, construction workers, hospitality industry workers, delivery partners, financial product agents, and more! They could be traveling or might be on the field. Some examples of deskless workers are retail staff, service technicians, construction workers, hospitality industry workers, delivery partners, financial product agents, and so on.
Now, the question arises that the Learning Management System, or LMS, can be opened on mobile phones, so how is mobile learning, mobile-first, or mobile-friendly strategy different from that?
In mobile-first design, the website layout has small screens, which then move on to bigger screens. This makes the pages load faster, reduces white space, and enhances the User Experience.
On the other hand, in mobile-friendly design, the website layout can adapt itself to any device, optimizing content presentation effectively and allowing high-quality content presentation.
Engaging Content
Mobile learning allows for learning on the go, and content can be presented in bite-sized eLearning modules for easy knowledge comprehension.
These custom eLearning modules are standalone and can cover specific learning objectives. Several learning objectives can be derived from the eLearning courses.
Since mobile devices are used primarily for entertainment, game-based learning would be much sought after by employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
Mobile Learning Advantages For Learners
- Increased accessibility
- Learn anytime, anywhere
- Bite-sized, easy-to-assimilate content presentation
- Engaging and interactive game-based learning
- Best of both individual and collaborative or scaffolded learning
- Improved knowledge retention
Scope Of Mobile Learning
- Onboarding
- Product training
- Sales training
- Inventory management
- Visual merchandising
- Customer support
- Green skills
- Risk management
- Leadership training
- Compliance training
- Training on software or hardware
- Others
Conclusion
Adapting to change is crucial for the survival and growth of any business. It is no less true for workplace training strategies. The learners now want to gain knowledge differently. Their learning device preferences are changing, and the technology is evolving. Mobile learning is no longer a choice but a necessity. Therefore, shifting your learning strategy to increase the ROI of training costs and efforts is a wise decision.
We offer services that make eLearning mobile-first and mobile-friendly. One of the fast Learning Management Systems, KREDO, works seamlessly on mobile phones, whether it is for user management, course creation, or course perusal.
Additionally, our rapid authoring tool, Prodient.io allows you to create mobile-friendly courses easily. Not only that, but Prodient.io courses can be hosted on any platform, including the mobile phone (through a link). When you upload the Prodient.io custom eLearning courses on any LMS, they adapt themselves to mobile devices.
So, who moved eLearning from traditional classrooms to mobile devices—users or corporates? Have you enhanced the capability of your workforce by moving the chalk in your organization? Do let us know. To learn more, you can contact me or leave a comment below.
References:
[1] Mobile internet usage worldwide
[2] Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices
