Today, in the fast-paced business environment, mobile learning has become a strong tool for corporate training. More and more people are working on-site or on the go, therefore requiring truly essential m-learning solutions to ensure an uninterrupted flow of continuous learning and development.
Emergence of the Mobile Workforce
Mobile employees are the new order in the corporate landscape. The fact is that mobile devices have become an indispensable tool for most professionals today. Employees are now largely dependent on their smartphones and tabs for ease of working out of their homes, traveling, or just out of the office. It is a call to open up corporate training programs that can be accessed from any location at any time and on any device.
Why M-Learning is the Future of Corporate Training
M-learning offers flexibility that no other method can provide. Employees can study the training material at their own pace and convenience, free from all distractions. The on-the-go nature of training ensures that learning and productivity become an integral part of an employee’s workday instead of a burden to it. It also becomes more efficient and effective as it enables the learner to drive the process of learning, thereby increasing engagement and knowledge retention.
For instance, in-classroom training usually requires a fixed amount of time and space and is, therefore, limited in reach. This is not so with m-learning since there are no constraints related to the above.
Critical Success Factors of Successful M-Learning Solutions
The success of an m-learning solution is determined by the solid framework established for the needs of the mobile worker. Specifically, one should seek, amongst others, the following critical success factors:
Responsive Design: The learning material should be such that it works perfect without any glitch on different devices and sizes in their screens.
Interactive Content: Make the learning content interactively engaging, whether it is quizzes, video, or simulations, so that learners don’t get bored with the content.
Microlearning: Along with short-length content for easy mobile consumption, this ensures that whatever information is provided can be digested in those short sessions.
Offline Access: The training content should be readily accessible to employees even in times of no internet connectivity so that this doesn’t disrupt their learning process.
Push notifications: Reminders and updates will keep learners on track and engaged with the training.
M-Learning Programs for Diverse Workforces
In planning m-learning programs, the organization must consider the needs of its workforce because every employee has varying levels of digital literacy; their availability can also differ. In this regard, organizations must create user-friendly platforms available for use with provisions for support based on need.
This makes the employees feel included and understood across different regions due to multi-lingual content and localized learning material.
To learn more about an adapted mobile learning program, read our blog post on Mobile Learning for Corporate Training: Trends and Best Practices .
Advantages of M-Learning for Corporate Training
The benefits of M-learning are much more than just convenience. M-learning promotes just-in-time learning, providing the employees with information at exactly the time when it is required. Just-in-time learning has also increasingly become useful for sales and customer services representatives, who at some point require knowledge in real time to implement. Technical positions also need timely access to relevant information.
It also enables continuous professional development, which, in fast-moving industries where up-to-date knowledge is important for employees, creates the need for all employees to keep abreast of the latest trends and practices. Employees can learn and develop skills at their own pace.
Challenges of Implementing M-Learning Solutions
Of course, the advantages of m-learning are obvious, but its implementation itself is a headache. One of the serious obstacles here is optimizing material for a mobile device. Not optimized enough will create frustrations in the learning process and loses learners’ motivation to work over the material.
Another challenge relates to data privacy and security: as staff access learning content on personal devices, companies must ensure that sensitive information will not be compromised. Organizations need to take strict cybersecurity measures for training platforms and their employees’ personal data.
How to Maximize ROI from M-Learning Solutions
While developing the m-learning solution, scalability to meet future needs is maximized. This will be in the form of selection of an appropriate LMS which can support mobile delivery and give analytics to measure the effectiveness of training. Through monitoring learner engagement, performance, and completion rates, the learning experience will be developed and improved in time.
Role of Gamification in M-Learning
The use of gamification to make the m-learning program more attractive and presentable is rising. Gamification involves rewards and points while sharing leaderboards so employees feel motivated enough to take the training modules and have a proper grasp of the content. It not only makes learning enjoyable but helps in creating competition with collaborative support.
Conclusion: M-Learning is Here to Stay
M-learning solutions are not a trend but a necessity in today’s corporate training. A mobile workforce, by its very nature, requires access, flexibility, and engagement with training. Investing in m-learning today sets an organization up to much better respond to changing employee needs and remain competitive in the global marketplace in the future.
To always get ahead of the curve, bring mobile learning into your training programs and prepare your employees for what it takes to be successful. For more current trends and best practices in mobile learning, check out our related blog on Mobile Learning for Corporate Training: Trends and Best Practices.
