Transforming Your Training Experience With Mobile Learning

Today, the world is going mobile at an astounding pace and majority of internet access takes place via mobile devices. Smartphones, tablets, iPads and other handheld devices play an increasingly large role in personal and professional communication of learners. Mobile learning solutions are not merely learning via portable devices, but learning across contexts. With technology becoming smaller, powerful, more personalized and pervasive, it supports a more mobile environment.

If you are using a desktop machine, organizations support workflow learning or e-learning. But, people who are not able to meet all their learning needs tend to go mobile, as it provides a channel to bridge the gap between training content and learners’ tailored needs. 

There are several myths associated with the use of mobile devices for content delivery. Some of these are discussed as follows:

• Employees don’t have mobile devices

The world is shifting from analog to digital and modernization has a huge impact on all areas of work and businesses. It is quite common that people have their personalized mobile devices, making it easier to access e-courses anytime and anywhere.

• Small screens are limiting

Although the screen size is small, but plethora of things can be done with small amount of text, image, audio or a video.

• Always connected

Before using mobile data, devices were synched with computer systems. But, today, a lot can be done using mobile data, without any need to sync both when they are not in proximity. So, there are several things that can be preloaded, regardless of being universally connected.

• It’s about content

Content delivery on mobile devices is about content, but neither always nor completely. Sometimes, it is about collaboration and interactivity between learners as well as between learners and instructors.

• Learning through Mobile Devices

To ensure whether mobile learning helps deliver effective training solutions, you need to address the nature of learning problem. For this, Mosher and Gottfredson proposed a model to identify the five phases during which most learners require support to perform successfully:

Phases 1 and 2

The first two phases need to adopt a more structured learning approach and higher degree of teaching content. This involves in-depth information that requires greater demands on the learners’ attention span. So, if you are thinking of using a mobile device such as a tablet for learning, it is better to include it as a part of blended learning, where training is imparted via conventional classroom training, rather than a standalone module. For instance, smartphones are used to access training material, provide takeaways from the learning environment or offer information via information nuggets. If you are considering tablets for training delivery, you can customize your content delivery like the case of traditional web-based training.

Phases 3, 4 and 5

The next three phases include reinforcement of basic knowledge and skills that learners possess. Primary focus is on the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge, access just-in-time learning and get information updates. Transformation from teaching to reinforcement prepare learners for successful content delivery over a portable device.

An incredible growth of the mobile market throughout the past few years presents a new set of challenges and opportunities for learners as well as educators. Most of the organizations have started showing interest in using mobile devices for effective training content delivery.

Managing E-Learning Projects Using Employee Training Software

Organizations have started looking for ways to build strong capabilities in e-learning. They found that most enterprises have implemented the use of Learning Management Software to move their focus to online learning in the context of knowledge management. Organizations use this software to create a web-based environment for supporting effective learning and teaching activities.

From a trainer’s perspective, an LMS helps manage and support a wide group of learners. Instructors use it to design quality-driven training materials. The course is designed per the training requirements of different learners and can be delivered via traditional lectures or online learning programs. From the perspective of a learner, access to courses via online portals is more engaging and helps boost workplace productivity.

Apart from the training material, the LMS consists of a suite of collaboration tools, including synchronous messaging, forums, and interactive whiteboards. The support of powerful training software is essential to facilitate the learning process. It can also be used to embed games in learning courses and deliver quizzes, surveys, and assessments. While most of the learning platforms support these capabilities, the features in the LMSs enable learners to learn at their own pace. E-learning helps increase the chances of interaction between learners and educators.

The management of all the activities associated with your e-learning projects can be daunting. Consequently, it is essential to use an learning management software to manage and deliver content efficiently. If your company chooses a system that is not tailored to your needs, you end up wasting your organization’s money and resources. It is significant to choose LMSs after considering flexibility, scalability, and their fit in the organizational structure. The powerful learning platform works as a main repository to address personalized learning needs. The major areas addressed by efficient training software to handle e-learning projects are discussed below:

◉ Curriculum Planning:

Generally, trainers are involved in curriculum planning, which is done before starting the course work. Course planning involves the detailed structuring of courses, stating the chapter description, lecture schedules, and courses covered during a specific program.

◉ Quick Evaluation:

With the help of LMS, the performanceof learners is evaluated through tests and quizzes. When participants click the Submit button, their answers are calculated instantly, with their grades displayed on the screen. This helps learners to identify their weak areas, get time to improve, and increase efficiency at the workplace.

◉Course Management:

The management of training content is crucial for both learners and educators. At times, trainers need to teach the same course to different people. An e-learning platform is used in this case, where the course can be managed online and content can be saved for the future. Similarly, learners can access e-courseware anytime and anywhere, per their convenience.

◉Learner Engagement:

Unlike the boring, traditional, classroom-based approach, e-learning is more engaging. With the support of tools such as chat, messages, forum discussions, wikis, and group assignments, learners feel like part of a community and engage more with the course.

E-learning platforms provide easy and flexible ways for online content delivery along with the ability to monitor learners’ participation and assess their performance.