I have been intrigued by the buzz of late surrounding mobile learning, or m-learning. My intention with this regular column is to focus on selling learning throughout the organization, and what better way to do that than to make learning available in the palm of your hand, right at the moment of need?
If you’ve read my rants during the past seven years, you know there are a few fundamental principles pivotal to the successful introduction of new learning modalities into an organization, and often they have little to do with potential alone. I recently was showing an m-learning solution to a senior decision maker who simply said, “This is very exciting and I see the potential, but the last thing we need right now is one more tool in the mix.” For m-learning to survive, there are a few issues we need to consider.
First, take a closer look at emerging trends in this area. There appear to be two disciplines emerging: m-learning analogous to e-learning on a mobile device, and m-support, which is more in line with performance support.
M-learning often is designed to meet two moments of need: when someone is learning something for the first time or when they are attempting to learn more. When it comes to handheld devices, the jury is still out on how much content a learner will tolerate on a 2.5-inch screen, but the early returns are promising. What’s yet be determined is whether or not tolerance will decrease once the novelty wears off. Some areas to watch are:
• How many e-learning design principles can and should transfer to the handheld environment?
• How will the smaller footprint impact the type and level of content we put on these devices?
• How will compatibility issues in both software and mobile platform play out?
M-support, on the other hand, seems best-suited when a learner is trying to remember or apply something, when things change and when something goes wrong. The need being met is not new information, but rather, having access to the most immediate and current information. This is a perfect application for a mobile device.
The mobile workforce seems predisposed to look to these devices for this type of information, which will reduce the adoption time and learning curve. For example, most of these individuals already use BlackBerrys to read e-mail, to look up a contact or to surf the Web for information. Extending that experience to include m-support is a natural next step.
The aspect that ultimately will make this discipline work will be the degree to which you’ve considered your entire learning ecosystem before you attempt integration. An ecosystem implies that learning is a dynamic and interdependent environment. Our industry needs to see learning from every angle, and as an ongoing process.
The danger in overly focusing on m-learning/support is that we create a myopic approach in how we support our learners. It becomes just another add-on to a crowded learning environment. For mobile to work, it needs to be seen as an integral part of the entire learning journey or ecosystem. If it’s not brought back into the classroom, supported by the help desk, reinforced by line managers and even maintained to some degree by the learners themselves, the chances of m-learning/support reaching its full potential are in jeopardy.
When considering introducing a mobile strategy, not just a device, consider some of the following issues:
• How can adding m-learning/support complement your existing learning approaches and assets?
• Is there a single-source strategy or tool you can adopt that will make the reusability and consistency across your learning assets, from classroom to mobile, a reality?
• Are you teaching the most effective use of mobile learning in the context of your other offerings?
• What doesn’t mobile learning provide? Are you overlooking other options or some of the shortcomings of this modality?
• Have you involved other stakeholders in your strategy, such as trainers, content developers, help-desk professionals and the line managers of the learners themselves?
Mobile learning/support is becoming a powerful new learning asset, but it will only reach its full potential if we each carefully embrace all of the areas it can impact.