Mobile learning and micro-learning aren’t just “fads”. They’re here to stay and, in my opinion, will become increasingly important in L&D strategies going forward.
As with any new trend, (especially when talking about digital transformation), there’s a lot of information to wade through. What’s the best way for companies using mobile solutions to deliver effective learning experiences that are connected to their L&D strategies?
The first thing to consider is the purpose: after all, why choose mobile learning? Bear in mind that going mobile is about choosing a delivery format for the training/content that’s geared towards a specific objective (increased participant engagement, exposure to audiovisual content, easy access to synchronous and asynchronous activities, etc.). Without considering the underlying “why”, it makes no sense to launch mobile learning in the first place.
Once mobile learning has been identified as the best strategy for a particular training action, keep these 4 aspects in mind:
1. Keep content brief and relevant.
If the golden rule of mobile learning is understanding why to use it, the silver rule is: provide content in small doses that can be applied immediately. The average adult looks at their cell phone between 100 and 200 times a day, and tends to actively engage with it for only a few minutes (sometimes even seconds!) before putting it away again. This behavioral pattern must be taken into consideration when creating content for a mobile platform. Long videos and files with 20 pages of text can spell failure for your mobile learning program.
2. Include easily accessible, “checkable” materials.
One of the main advantages of mobile learning is that users can access the content they need on demand. This can be especially useful when needing to check something in the middle of a task. Therefore, in addition to tailoring the learning experience to the audience’s needs, make sure users can easily access what they need when they need it – reinforcing the importance of short, relevant content.
3. Not everything needs to be audiovisual.
Obviously doing training via cell phone makes it possible to offer content in various formats, especially audiovisual, but remember that trainings must be designed to be flexible for participants. In other words, it is worth betting on “mixed” content (including video, audio, texts, quizzes, infographics and more) that can be accessed, for example, without looking at the screen (while driving), without the volume on (no headphones or in a place where sound is an issue), without a good internet connection, or in any other situation.
4. Listen to what users have to say.
There’s no point in building a mobile learning experience without understanding what users think and how they are interacting with the platform. I’m not just referring to a feedback channel, but to real-time monitoring tools that will help you understand how people are accessing the content, whether they are engaged, and what other steps should be taken to guarantee that the objectives of that action will be achieved.
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