If your organization hasn’t started thinking about mobile learning (or “m-learning”), you may want to start. According to 2014 research by Pew Research, Americans are more attached to their mobile devices than ever before. Globally, mobile phone use is also on the rise, as smartphones are becoming just about ubiquitous in countries around the world.
With such staggering global trends on the rise, it’s not surprising that more organizations are seeing the benefits of delivering mobile training to employees. But how do you know the time is right to invest in this technology for your company.
We spoke to RW3 CultureWizard Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Joshua Sturtevant to find out how Chief Learning Officers and other HR professionals can know when it’s time to invest in mobile learning.
Here are some of the can’t-miss signs the time is right:
- Your employees are attached to their smartphones. It’s a given that the workforce is attached to their mobile phones — just ask some of their exasperated bosses. So why not give them a chance to learn something at the same time? M-learning empowers employees to get information when and where they need it. “For learning professionals, it’s about more than just the latest place to have to make your content work, it’s a paradigm shift in the way people conceive of ‘managing their lives’ or thinking about themselves,” says Sturtevant, “so we need to make sure learning and development is a vibrant part of that context.”
- Your company has a significant mobile workforce. Some say that the era of 9-5 jobs is coming to an end. While this sounds a little far-fetched, it is partially true. More full-time employees are working remotely, and the vast majority depends on both computers and smartphones to complete projects and stay in touch with their teams. Traveling and remote employees often miss out on instructor-led sessions because they’re not present and sometimes miss online training due to lack of internet access. Mobile learning helps keep mobile employees in the loop by allowing them to access information anytime, anywhere.
- Your industry demands it. Companies that specialize in technology are the most well prepared to adopt a mobile learning solution. High-tech companies with a large number of Gen-Y and Millennial employees can expect better results when adopting mobile training technologies like smartphone applications. For any organization with a population of tech-savvy employees, mobile learning is the natural next step in their training strategy.
- You’ve had previous success with e-learning. If your organization has had success introducing online training to your employee population, it’s likely you will be successful with integrating mobile learning as well. Since your employees are already engaged in online learning, your organization should tap the potential to reach them on a new platform – particularly on devices they take already with them everywhere they go.
- You want to get the maximum ROI on and off your LMS. Introducing mobile learning is often beneficial to an organization’s bottom line. Not only does providing mobile learning save companies money by reducing the need for instructors, travel, and other possible expenditures – it also saves your employees time by creating more flexible opportunities for learning. “More and more options are becoming available to seamlessly track progress through mobile learning and give credit through an LMS. We all know the stats about how much learning happens in the informal space, outside of ILT classrooms. Mobile is the key to giving credit to learners and the learning organization when this kind of learning happens,” says Sturtevant.
Regardless of how we approach it, mobile learning is here to stay. Of course, the value of any mobile learning program will be determined by how well the content is aligned to the learning needs of your employees. Make sure your Mobile LMS directly addresses needs within your organization.
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