What is mobile Learning?

For training professionals in a corporate or non-profit environment, there are essentially two types of mobile learning and two different ways to deploy it.
The types:

1. eLearning courses adapted to mobile platforms.
2. Performance support content that provides training resources at the “point of need.”

Two ways to deploy it:

1. Mobile optimized website: Mobile access to training resources, typically through a web-browser using HTML5.
2. Native mobile app: Training courses and resources designed specifically for a mobile platform, often as an app (though sometimes as an ePub manual).

Why should (or shouldn’t) you implement mobile learning?

There are many reasons why mLearning might be a strong choice for your company. To determine if mobile is the way to go for your learners, consider what you’re trying to get out of the program as well as what how different types of learning have made an impact on your learners in the past.
Signs that mLearning is a good choice for you:

1. Instant Access to Material: Mobile learning gives your learners access to training resources at the “point of need” (especially if they work in the field, for instance, repairing machinery). If an issue comes up, your staff can pull up an answer on their phones, saving valuable time that would have otherwise been wasted flipping through a paper manual.
2. Retain More Material: Mobile learning allows for easy, instant, repeatable use of training material to counteract the Forgetting Curve. Some mLearning platforms also combat skill atrophy with periodic, gamified updates and microlearning boosts. SkillPill is one mobile LMS that specializes in this.
3. Increase Total Quantity of Learning: Mobile learning lets employees learn anywhere, anytime (stuck in traffic, waiting for an airplane, 3 a.m. Tuesday after accidentally being served non-decaf coffee at dinner) so they will (in theory) learn more.

Of course, mobile learning isn’t going to be right for every organization. You know your learners and your company’s outlook on eLearning better than anyone, so think carefully and consider if mobile is the best option before you make a switch.
Look for these red flags in particular:

1. It won’t get used: Maybe your employees aren’t technically savvy enough to navigate a mobile environment, maybe spotty 4G coverage means they can’t connect, maybe they don’t want to do training when they’re away from the office, or maybe they don’t have time to. Whatever the reason, if your learners won’t use the system, don’t bother installing it.
2. It will cost a lot: It can be expensive in both time and money to implement. Development across multiple devices adds to this cost, as does the purchase of mobile devices to support it, and the creation of mobile-exclusive content will take even more time and money. Look for an open source LMS instead.
3. It will breach your security: It is easier to lose a mobile device with sensitive training information on it than it is to lose a laptop. If your business is heavily security-conscience, it might be safer to skip the mobile options.