Role of mLearning in the Corporate World

Today, the corporate world is synonymous with intense competition, global outreach, and agility. Organizations are striving to stay up to speed in the market and investing profusely in the latest trends of learning and development strategies. 

With more than 83% of the world population using smartphones today, it is safe to say that they exhibit the potential to revolutionalize the way we live, work, and play. One of the latest learning methodologies, thus, is mobile learning, or mLearning, which uses mobile technology for employee training and skill development.       

mLearning essentially refers to the delivery of training content to employees via mobile apps, implemented as a part of a larger learning strategy.  

Benefits of mLearning

There are a number of benefits associated with mLearning, in addition to the ability to combat the short attention span problem. mLearning is proving to be an ideal choice for fulfilling their learning needs. The various benefits of mobile learning are listed below.

1.  Competitive Advantage

mLearning enables the organization to gain competitive advantage over their competition as employees can learn and translate the learning into action. 

Furthermore, the courses are available on mobile devices, which means that the learner can go back to the course content while on the field and determine an instant solution to any problem or obstacle. 

2.           Career Progression

mLearning offers a variety of courses that learners can choose from, thereby providing them with opportunities to design their career paths. Employees can enroll in courses that suit their interests and would prepare them for their next role. 

3.           Portable and Flexible 

mLearning is available on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. This means that the learners can manage their training plan and records on the go. This also allows the learners to adopt a flexible approach to their professional development. They can undertake their training at their convenience. 

4.           Ease of Access

Mobile applications offer easy accessibility of learning materials to learners across the globe. Most mLearning platforms are user-friendly and easy to navigate. The learners can access the required training content quickly and develop multi-tasking abilities. Moreover, mLearning allows learners to undertake training from anywhere and at any time. 

5.           Global Collaboration

Technology has allowed organizations to expand beyond the confines of a single geographical location. It has given them the liberty to undertake international assignments, travel abroad, and run their business at multiple locations. 

mLearning enables employees to receive uniform training and prepare for their new assignments in collaboration with stakeholders across the globe. It also enables them to participate in discussions and workshops from their mobile devices at any time. 

6.           Personalization

mLearning offers all employees a personalized learning experience as most often, they use their smartphones or tablets to access the courses. The learners develop a sense of comfort and empowerment when the opportunity to gain desired knowledge is only a few taps away from them. 

The delivery of learning content can be customized to the specific needs and interests of each learner. 

7.           Effective Content for Maximum Knowledge Retention

mLearning courses often use multimedia and visual content, which is easier and faster to comprehend. As the focus is on the graphical representation of useful information, mLearning content portions are small, yet effective for maximum knowledge retention among learners for an extended time.    

8.           Increased Participation and Engagement

mLearning, being personal and easy to access and comprehend, ultimately becomes more engaging than traditional training methods. Mobile learning also includes highly interactive and collaborative training materials, leading to higher participation of learners. Employees can drag, drop and play around with various elements on the mLearning database, which keeps them excited and engaged in learning.

Evolution of mLearning in today’s world

mLearning is revolutionalizing the learning experience of employees. mLearning continues to advance as per the evolution of digital technology. The latest elements of mLearning are described below. 

1.           Interactive Videos

Using videos for designing training materials has always been preferred by content developers. However, they are passive and require the learner to stay attentive and watch them from start to end to grasp the concepts. The experience is similar to sitting in a lecture. It does not allow the viewer to participate in the training.

The introduction of interactive elements in the videos has improved the mLearning experience of employees.

An interactive video may have quizzes, assessments or require the learner to tap at various elements to proceed further in the course. It also enables the learners to retain new knowledge for an extended time.    

2.           Podcasts

mLearning also includes podcasts or digital audio files that learners can download or listen to online. They are an effective way to help employees add more productive hours to their schedules. Podcasts may deliver nuggets of learning or include elaborate conversations with experts on new concepts and their applications. Podcasts impart passive training. The learners can simply listen to the training content while driving to the office, walking, or at any time.

3.           Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in mLearning is a relatively new concept. It aims to provide learners with immersive, interactive, and memorable experiences. VR and AR technology enables learners participate in a round table conference or classroom training from the comfort of their homes. 

However, VR and AR technologies require additional equipment and are still in the initial stages of development.

4.           Gamification

Gamification is the most recent tool used in mLearning and is similar to playing video games. Gamified mLearning courses have successfully bought the interests of millennial professionals. It is a fun, entertaining, and immersive way to train employees. The training content is presented as a story and divided into levels. The learner needs to complete a level to progress further in the course. It usually also involves a reward or recognition for each completed level, thus keeping the learner engaged and motivated. 

5.           Simulation

In mLearning, simulation refers to training experience in a real-life setting. Simulation gives context to the learners to make learning relevant to current situations. It provides a safe space for learners to tackle abstract concepts without worrying about the outcomes or repercussions in case of errors. 

Conclusion

Mobile learning is a great way to boost employee productivity and confidence by providing a fun, personalized, and immersive platform to undertake relevant training. Organizations are using mLearning extensively in onboarding new employees, product and application simulation training, professional skills development, soft skills training, compliance training, leadership, and management training, etc. All employees who carry a smartphone or a tablet have access to all training material, and thus, mLearning can play a significant role in the growth of any organization.