What Is Mobile Learning and How Can It Help in Professional Training?

In August 2015, an agency called “We Are Social” published a report from a survey conducted on 240 countries around the world. They found that the share of internet traffic coming from mobile users has increased by 39%. Also, a third of web pages were accessed through mobile phones.

Internet connection through tablets increased by 17%, while connection through computers dropped by 13%. The high diffusion of tablets and cell phones in the population, as well as the increased access to high speed internet, has scaled up the use of digital tools in the creation of training modules.

Because of this, organizations are now leveraging mobile learning to boost professional development of their employees, discourage talent drain and promote employee retention.

Understanding Mobile Learning

What is mobile learning you may ask ? Simply put, it is a new type of professional training tool that can be used for developing talent and skills of employees. Entirely online and digitized, you can access different types of mobile learning anywhere, any time through mobile learning apps. And this, from any support (computer, tablet, smartphones etc.).

With mobile learning, the development of professional skills as part of talent acquisition as well as employer branding strategy becomes easily accessible to the largest number of participants. To put it another way, mobile learning makes it possible for attendants to learn on the move, thanks to brief and entertaining educational formats.

Learning Practices in Full Mutation

Since the digital revolution in the mid-90s, trainers have been studying the use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to improve professional training process and give adequate support to attendants. E-learning, as a result, became an important learning tool. Then, the concept of distance learning started to make its way.

And for justifiable reasons, the expectations of learners have evolved. If the internet allows access to any information at any time, why not to continuous education? It would allow for greater flexibility and accessibility of the learning environment as opposed to the classroom.

It is in this context of professional mobility and nomadism that blended learning and mobile learning emerged. In fact, the introduction of mobile devices has made it possible to learn anywhere and anytime. The digitalization of learning is always ongoing, making connectivity and career mobility important to employees.

Even though the use of digital tools in France is still marginalized, the practice of digital learning continues to take shape and is gradually becoming more widespread. Therefore, organizations are leveraging this educational solution for the professional development of their employees, starting at onboarding.

Benefits of Mobile Learning For The Future

Accessibility

According to a study report published by Brandon Hall Group, 100% of the most successful companies in the United States use mobile learning. And even though a handful firms practice mobile learning in France, this type of digital learning is also perceived beneficial for French organizations, as it makes training accessible to the highest number of individuals, allowing them to learn new skills. As such, mobile learning has a bright future in France.

Immersion with Interactive Training

In addition to its low development cost, mobile learning is convenient for short session training. For one, it allows learning to be structured in “just in time learning” while customizing and measuring the training with the help of rapid evaluation units.

Furthermore, mobile learning solutions can be inspired by the applications known to tablets and smartphone users. This will allow trainers to design and run courses remotely through serious-gamification mode. In this manner, quizzes, games and puzzles are part of the online learning process and offer a playful and immersive dimension to experiential learning.

If we encourage the application of the serious-game further in innovative training on smartphones and tablets, one of the key stakes in the near future of mobile learning is immersive 3D training. This digital approach is perfectly suited for experiential learning in a corporate university.

Digital Nomadism

Because of its availability on smartphones and tablets, mobile learning breaks down geographical and temporal constraints. This is particularly interesting in the corporate universe where remote working is becoming more and more popular. This is also true for jobs where professional mobility is important. We are thinking in particular of sales people in the field or international companies.

Always available, and within reach, e-learning finally allows the community of attendants to always be operational. Checking information before a customer meeting, reviewing a procedure before execution, consulting best practices when taking up a new role in an organization – this accessibility guarantees a better learning experience and talent management.

Customized Methods for Faster Learning

The move towards microlearning and developing learning modules that can be digested in small amounts has been influenced by the use of mobile devices as a mode of learning. And because the real estate is small, the material shared is crisp and concise. Attendants can readily access content when required for on-job corporate training. This helps to increase learning and reduce cognitive overload.

Improves Information Recall and Knowledge Retention

Mobile learning results in improved knowledge retention due to the fact that learners are likely to remember brief information at the moment of need, which they find relatable and relevant. Therefore, they can recall learning content such as videos, while working and do their job to the best of their ability as long as they are committed to the topic or theme to their long-term memory.

Affordability

Trying to bring together employees from different areas to attend the same training session hosted by a teacher or few educators can be costly, ineffective, and time-consuming. Mobile learning reduces these expenses because you do not need to move to give a lesson. Also, training can be done on the learner’s time on their work or personal device.

Change One-time Learning into Continuous Development

There are many rumors surrounding training – that employees see it as something to be endured and want to get it over with as soon as they can. However, this could not be further from the truth.

A recent survey conducted on 400 full time employees discovered that 66 % of respondents argued that the joy of developing new skills and learning fresh information is their main reason for upskilling. In a separate study on 1000 remote workers, 72 % of the respondents would work in the same enterprise in the long run if they are given training.

With the above insights, it is vivid that continuous training and disc vs mbti assessments has numerous benefits to high potential employees. It is critical to keeping your team motivated. Mobile application is one of the best approaches to fulfilling this need and ensuring employees remain productive, happy and loyal to your organization.

Benefits to Remote Workers

Global Workplace Analytics, in a recent study, reported that millennial employees are always on the go. The new generation of professionals has witnessed a rise in remote work and flexible schedules.

Therefore, it is not always easy to get all your high potential employees together for face-to-face training. Moreover, training is more effective when it’s received at the moment of need. For instance, when a remote sales representative is at the customer site and wants information to tell the customer, they may not remember anything that was taught during the sales orientation coaching.

But with micro learning, they can access information quickly and brush up their facts and knowledge prior to the meeting. There is a great recall value for the information, when the sales specialist applies the knowledge in this context.

Performance support involves offering support to the employees when they need it the most. This way, work is never obstructed. A mobile platform makes things possible at a different notch altogether. Technological development only makes the learner experience better. The future for digital learning opportunities looks extremely bright. Much of the growth will be influenced by our acceptance of the role of mobile devices in our lives.

Mobile Learning at CoachHub

At CoachHub, we are dedicated to providing our clients with a simple, pragmatic, accessible and highly effective coaching experience. For this to be possible, we have opted for a fully digitalized coaching available in mobile learning. Professional, flexible, customized and in line with the nomadic nature of learning, our coaching offers can be adapted to your needs and schedule.

Additionally, while you benefit from a great deal of autonomy in carrying out your distance learning courses, you are also supported at every stage of the process (videoconferencing, instant messaging, technical support, etc.). And all this in complete security. And for good reason: the CoachHub online learning platform is fully compliant with the RGPD, is SSL certified and stores your data in data centers certified to ISO 27001 industry standards.

The Train & Coach formula for the manager and leader? Well, you get to set your educational and employer brand objectives with your dedicated instructor. Together, we solve your operational challenges through customized support and online tools. Last but not least, our specialist will evaluate your progress to verify the effectiveness of our educational solutions and resources.