Emerging Trend Of Using Mobiles At Workplace – Delivering Smart And Just Enough Learning

In today’s digital scenario, Learning & Development departments have adopted an increasing number of methods to support effective workplace learning. Training has become training & development, which is a blend of formal instruction and workforce development. Smartphones and tablets provide L&D with the flexibility to reach the globally diversified audience, with a key focus on an individual’s performances. The use of personalized mobile devices, aids the modern learners to access information when they need it, no matter where they are. Realization of the real potential of mobiles is shifting the focus of a majority of industry leaders towards a mobile-first strategy.

Imparting ‘Smart’ Learning Experience Through Mobiles

With the rising popularity of tablets and smartphones, users are inclined to use these devices to do more and this trend is continuously evolving. The new-age learners use mobile devices to access their office emails, surf the internet and undergo corporate training. Mostly, organizations are open to the idea of leveraging the benefits of the mobile usage at the workplace for e-learning content delivery. This results in increased accessibility and availability of the training content for employees – who can access mobile-enabled courses even on the go.

In addition to mobile devices, smart learning can be experienced through the Internet via cloud, enabling learners to access information anytime and from anywhere. Some of the key examples include:

● IoT: The Internet of Things is the communication between different devices. Mobile learning enables the employees to access online courses anytime and anywhere, even on the go with training content made available over mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

● Wearables: Google Glass and Head-mounted displays (HMDs) are used to gather relevant employee data from a smartphone and then impart short bursts of information, whenever needed.

The Need to Deliver “Just Enough” Learning- Rising Scope of Mobile Devices

New-age learners are in the mainstream of leveraging mobile learning technology to access information at their point of need. The key aspect of mobile content delivery is- shorter the content, easier it is to digest and retain. Employees may need to spend 30-35 minutes while undergoing an e-learning course, but they won’t spend more than 7-10 minutes on a mobile. This short-duration nugget can be repurposed by first using it for training and then using as a job aid at any point of time. Dividing content into smaller chunks fits perfectly for mobile content developers who know how crucial it is to impart the right type of information to the right learner. Modern learners understand the need to experience “just enough” learning in small and digestible chunks with the help of the latest mobile apps. Today, mobile technologies provide lucrative opportunities for learning at your own pace, enabling people to collaborate from anywhere. The role of personalized mobile devices has increased to encompass both learning and performance support. Some of the popular instances for using mobiles for workforce learning are discussed as follows:

• Mobile learning is becoming the mainstream for formal training of the modern workforce. One of the best examples is compliance training, in which training based on industry compliance and policies is imparted to employees in different ways- face to face session, e-learning programs and latest mobile apps. Through mobiles, learning gets easier with the availability of content in smaller bites which can be accessed by the learners as per their own convenience.
•  Several organizations maintain their own enterprise store which provides different kinds of mobile apps serving various purposes such as employee onboarding, workplace collaboration, employee productivity, engagement, retention and corporate knowledge sharing. Few mobile apps focus on boosting employee skills, while others aim to deliver effective learning & development.

Mobile learning has proved to be a technological storm that is transforming everything. Tablets, laptops and smartphones provide anytime access and global connectivity, along with newer ways of learning and collaborating to improve organizational behaviors and workplace activities. The mobile storm imparts a great opportunity for L&D teams, to embrace the use of latest mobile devices to extend their reach across the globe and develop a culture that fits the modern, tech-savvy and fast-changing workplace environment.

Suggested Further Reading:

Name: Harnessing the Mobile Storm
Author: The eLearning Guild