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Mobile learning for companies

 
Woman sitting outside on her smartphone: mobile learning

You definitely won’t need us to tell you that the use of mobile devices is increasing, nor, most likely, do we need to tell you that learning has long since ceased to take place only in the office or on a PC at home, and that here, too, the focus is increasingly shifting to mobile devices. Mobile learning, and thus utmost flexibility for learners, is becoming ever more important. As a company, you need to take this usage behavior into account in your own employee training in order to ensure the greatest possible learning success.

In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at what mobile learning is all about, the advantages it offers, and what new requirements it entails. Using a demo course, you can also test on your smartphone what mobile learning can look like with the right software.

 

Mobile learning: What’s that?

Mobile learning means learning anytime, anywhere, using mobile devices. In short: learning on the move. eLearning no longer has to take place on a desktop PC or laptop; it can now be done from the comfort of a smartphone or tablet. Time spent on the morning train journey, in the doctor’s waiting room or with your feet up on the couch at home can be used to pursue further education. Small intervals of time during the day can be put to good use, with learners not having to work around fixed learning times, instead planning the timing of their own training according to their needs and without being stuck in front of their computer.

 

Benefits and opportunities presented by mobile learning

The difference to classical eLearning thus lies primarily in the flexibility, mobility and independence that learners gain in terms of time and place. Learners decide for themselves when they want to learn and where they want to do it. These two factors chosen by the learners themselves have a considerable influence on their well-being in the learning process and thus also on their learning success. Mobile learning does not replace classical eLearning. Rather, mobile learning can be viewed far more as an extension of the familiar eLearning process. As a company, you open up new paths and new dimensions for your employees, you create freedom and flexibility, and you allow self-determined and self-directed learning. In doing so, you are setting a clear signal and moving with the times: an expert study by the MMB Institute recently addressed the question of which eLearning applications would be most successful over the next three years. 85% of the participants ranked mobile learning as the most important form of eLearning in the future!

 

The benefits of mobile learning at a glance

  • Mobile learning makes learning as flexible as possible, as there are no ties in terms of location or time.
  • Learning progress can be achieved more quickly through effective time management in an environment selected by the individual.
  • Mobile learning creates long-term learning results. 
  • Mobile learning reinforces knowledge in targeted use at selected locations such as in labs or on field trips.
  • Mobile learning can be combined with classical eLearning, blended learning or, for example, face-to-face events.
  • Mobile learning is excellently suited for microlearning.
 

Use Case

Banner use case mobile learning in adult education
Banner use case mobile learning in adult education

Mobile learning in adult education

How an educational institution digitalized, modernized, and revolutionized its training.

How can education and training processes be maintained and modernized in exceptional circumstances? We identified a long-term, sustainable solution that could become an integral part of their training strategy going forwards. Read in the use case about the challenges involved, how we solved them, and how we put the solution in place.

 

Optimizing learning content for mobile learning

All content that can be displayed on a desktop can, of course, also be displayed on tablets and smartphones. Nevertheless, the way these devices are used differs immensely from the use of a desktop PC at the workplace, which is why learning content needs to be adapted both in terms of content and technology. But don’t worry: with the right software, making these adjustments is as easy as pie!

 

Technical requirements

The be-all and end-all of mobile learning is, of course, a functioning responsive design and an intuitive user interface. This means that both your Learning Content Management System and the courses you have created should be fully responsive. This way, you guarantee that your learners have access to your learning content in the first place and that the individual learning content can then also be played back on their mobile devices. Speaking of mobile devices: before creating content, you should clarify internally within your organization whether employees’ private devices can be used for this purpose or whether you need to provide your employees with appropriate devices. As an employer, you can purchase the device yourself

  1. and make it available to your employees (including for private use) or
  2. reimburse employees who use their private device for the costs incurred for business use – tax-free. 

Whatever the case, make sure you comply with the GDPR - especially if private devices are used. In this case, you have to ensure that no sensitive company data is transferred to the device and that no third-party applications gain access to it.

 

Content requirements

Since the attention span on a smartphone is much shorter than on a desktop, mobile learning requires smaller learning units (microlearning) with a maximum length of 10 minutes. Topics that you previously packed into one learning unit for eLearning may now have to be divided into two or more units. Also bear in mind that learners may be on public transport or in a café, where distractions need to be blocked out. This makes clear, concise presentations and well-structured content all the more important to avoid learners being overwhelmed by arduous passages and excessively long texts. It may also be helpful to place links that were previously integrated in texts in additional buttons instead, making it easier for learners to click the link. Spare a thought, too, for your learners’ data volume: photos and graphics should always be kept as small as possible and as large as necessary; remember that videos and audio files can also be compressed.

Incidentally, gamification apps are excellently suited to being integrated into your mobile learning. These little applications impart knowledge in a playful way, boost learners’ motivation and are ideally suited to learning on the go.

 

The right software for mobile learning

Knowledgeworker gives you an eLearning software that meets all the requirements of mobile learning. With the Learning Content Management System Knowledgeworker Create, you can put together fully responsive eTraining courses for all end devices using a drag & drop editor. Knowledgeworker Share, the learning management system, enables you to share your eLearning content with specific target groups and easily evaluate learning success. Gamification apps are also available to round off your mobile learning concept. The interactive app Knowledgeworker Cards supports your learning process. The modules can easily be used individually, but can also be combined with one other for excellent results. And alongside all that, the server location in Germany means that Knowledgeworker offers you the highest standards of data protection and GDPR compliance. 

 
Knowledgeworker Create Logo

The smart authoring tool

Knowledgeworker Share Logo

Learning management system

Knowledgeworker Coach Logo

The digital coach

Knowledgeworker Cards Logo

The flashcard app

 
Magda Lehnert | Blogger
Magda Lehnert
Copywriter
 

Your mobile eLearning course could look like this:

Knowledgeworker is fully responsive

preview online course
  • Once created, the courses can be used on any device.
  • Interactive apps like Knowledgeworker Cards support the learning process.
  • All modules can be used as stand-alone software, but can also be combined.
  • Server location in Germany with the highest level of data protection compliance
 
 

Image source: Aruta Images/shutterstock.com