Ringing in the changes

Mobile learning - or distance learning undertaken using devices such as smartphones, tablets, portable computers and PDAs - continues to be a hot topic in training, but the adoption to date has been somewhat unequal among different countries and industry sectors.

Organisations have been understandably hesitant to adopt a mobile learning strategy when HR and L&D teams are being asked to cut their budgets. However, some have been quick to recognise the potential of m-learning in meeting the specific learning needs of a mobile workforce.

To what extent is m-learning being used?

While m-learning is a relatively new development, it is attracting significant expenditure. Ambient Insight¹ valued the global m-learning market at $3.2bn in 2010 and noted that it expects the market to grow to $9.1bn by 2015. In comparison, the e-learning market is expected to reach $49.9bn by 2015, so m-learning expenditure is likely to equate to roughly a fifth of e-learning expenditure.

These figures are indicative of the rapid changes in m-learning. A small number of early adopters initially used short, simple, text-based training interventions and multiple-choice assessments via SMS - reflecting the available technology.

Today, employees around the globe are much more likely to own a personal or company-issue smart phone or other mobile computing device, enabling m-learning providers to deliver much richer, multi-media interventions.

Critically, m-learning providers are starting to adopt HTML5, which will enable organisations to benefit from true, seamless cross-platform delivery of multimedia learning content. This has the added benefit of helping to ensure that m-learning is seen as an integral part of the organisation's learning strategy - simply another potential platform over which employees can gain access to learning content - rather than an optional extra.

However, there are regional variations in m-learning adoption. Even though there are close to 3.5bn mobile devices among a global population of 7bn, indicating one device for every two people on earth, the truth is that people in developed nations are likely to own more than one device. This is confirmed by research from The eLearning Guild², which found that nearly a quarter of respondents used two personal mobile devices for work.

The speed and coverage of communications networks also have an impact on what it is possible to deliver in different countries. For example, a telecom company in South Africa launched an SMS-based awareness campaign on Aids, in which users answer a question by SMS and win T-shirts or additional talk time for the correct answer. The campaign has been hugely successful in raising awareness and educating consumers about HIV/Aids but, in another country where consumers are accustomed to getting access to media-rich applications via more expensive smartphones, it might not be as successful.

At the other end of the scale, one of the world's largest fashion eye-wear manufacturers is using highly interactive and multimedia-rich m-learning to teach its laboratory assistants how to use different machines to polish and finish lenses. Its use of m-learning reflects the fact that it operates in a developed country with fast, sophisticated communications networks, and demonstrates what is possible in the UK.

Where m-learning fits

As always, it is essential to consider the user and the learning need. The user tends to use mobile devices while on the go; his time may be limited and his attention may be easily distracted.

As such, m-learning is not as effective in delivering complex compliance or regulatory training that requires the learner's complete attention. The best results are achieved when it is used to reinforce learning in the form of bite-sized nuggets of information or just-in-time reference material. The learning itself has to be succinct; the optimal length of an m-learning nugget when delivered on smartphones is not more than five to eight minutes' duration, but this rises to 30 minutes if the employee is using a tablet, when he is more likely to be at home or on a longer journey.

Within Tata Interactive Systems, we see mobile learning as a critical part of our own organisational learning strategy, because we believe that most technology-based education will be delivered over mobile platforms in the near future. It suits our needs as a global, knowledge-based organisation, so we have invested in personnel and technical skills that complement and support m-learning.

However, there is a perception that something as practical as hands-on training on technical equipment cannot be delivered via m-learning.  In the very early stages of the m-learning market that would have been true but, as we can see in the example of the eye-wear manufacturer, the integration of gameplay and multimedia can break down even highly technical and complex learning into more easily digestible nuggets.

The cost benefit of introducing m-learning

Custom m-learning interventions are not a cheap option but they can represent good value for money. Like e-learning, employees may be able to repeat m-learning interventions on multiple occasions, reinforcing the learning over time.  They can be made available to help employees refresh their learning 'just in time', during their working day, when they need to execute a specific skill or remember a piece of knowledge. Used in this way, m-learning becomes a performance support tool that can enhance productivity.

In addition, a blended approach is helping organisations and vendors to take a fresh look at learning design, increasing creativity and innovation. The results can be highly attractive to employees whose traditional attitude to e-learning has been that it is computer-based, uninspiring, additional 'work'. By contrast, they may be much more comfortable with using apps and games on a mobile device and so more willing to take ownership of their own learning needs.

Cutting edge technology, like 3D and augmented reality, also enables employees to make and correct mistakes in a safe environment, before implementing their learning in the real world - potentially avoiding costly errors. There are also specific hardware tools on mobile devices that can enhance the learning experience, such as GPS (for location-based learning), a camera (to capture evidence of learning), a microphone (to record assessment answers) or accelerometer (which can track the simple-to-complex gestures that the learner needs to undertake to achieve complex tasks). Such seamless, integrated learning is not possible over any other platform. Finally, m-learning takes the traditional benefit of e-learning being available anytime, anywhere to its ultimate conclusion - which is particularly beneficial for geographically- and temporally-distributed workforces.

However, a major barrier to more widespread use of m-learning is the huge amount of legacy learning content in many organisations - particularly traditional ones with big training departments in which a large volume of learning may still be delivered in the classroom or is custom-made PC-based (rather than HTML-based) e-learning. There is a cost associated with porting that content online but the adoption of HTML5 is likely to lower this barrier and increase the adoption of m-learning, as organisations come to realise that learning content can be developed once and then simply delivered to any device.

Another driver for change has come from the recent announcement by Adobe that it will not support Flash Player for all mobile devices in the future. Most organisations have developed their legacy learning content in Flash to be delivered via PC. This is at once a barrier and an opportunity; it means that content has to be repurposed from Flash in order to run on mobile devices, increasing the effort required to port existing content into m-learning. However, Adobe has said it is focusing its development efforts towards HTML5-based solutions, meaning that content redeveloped in HTML5 will be future-proof for the foreseeable future.

In anticipation of these changes, some organisations have decided to invest heavily in developing m-learning content and in buying mobile devices/tablets for their target audiences. And they are seeing a return on such investment: The eLearning Guild found that half of all organisations are seeing a modest to very good ROI in m-learning; a further 43 per cent said it was too early to say whether there had been a return on their investment.

Even in the current economic environment, competitive advantage is dependent upon having a workforce that is properly trained and competent, with the right knowledge and skills at the right time. Technological developments mean that m-learning is the right solution at the right time to meet this need, across an ever more complex range of learning requirements.

Over the coming year, m-learning will gain more widespread adoption both for delivering self-contained pieces of learning and as a mechanism for re-engaging learners with content already available in their organisations.

In short, tomorrow's most effective organisations are likely to be those integrating m-learning into their learning strategies today.

Check list for developing an effective m-learning strategy

The biggest potential mistake is to adopt mobile learning 'because everyone' s doing it'. Instead, learning needs to be considered in the context of a holistic learning programme.

The organisation needs to start by mapping the key business drivers and skills required at an organisational and individual level. It is unlikely that it will want to port all its existing learning content to mobile platforms; instead, training managers - possibly with the assistance of experts and consultants - need to consider which platform best suits their target audience and the type of learning content. Only then can they identify what should be delivered as m-learning.

Key questions will include:

• how urgent is the training?

• which existing or planned training interventions need to be delivered via m-learning?

• how is the target group geographically distributed?

• how critical is cost?

• how will change management be addressed to effectively roll out updates?

• which methods of evaluation will be adopted to evaluate the effectiveness?

• what will be the ROI and how will it be measured?

• how can stakeholders be engaged and their expectations managed to ensure a successful outcome?

The content, rather than the technology, should be the primary consideration for mobile learning. No one mobile platform is better than another - they tend to offer similar features and functionality. Geographical factors like communications networks and end-user familiarity tend to be the next most influential in deciding which of four types of app should be adopted:

• native apps The app and content reside on the user's device. This enables content to be tailored to the capabilities of that platform, giving a better user experience. However, these apps can be costly and difficult to port to a different platform

• hybrid apps The app resides on the device but the content is downloaded from an LMS when needed. This approach is more cost effective as the native app can be developed for multiple platforms, with the content shared across those platforms as needed, at no additional cost or effort

• mobile web apps The app is developed as a basic mobile web app, to resemble a particular platform. This provides for a good user experience but the app and content need to be accessed online; the app would need to be redeveloped to be ported to a different platform

• generic mobile website The app is developed as a platform-agnostic, web-hosted solution that can be delivered to any smartphone or tablet. It can only be accessed online via a mobile browser.

Organisations need to pay particular attention to global m-learning solutions. To overcome geographical differences, they must develop and maintain two sets of learning programmes - one feature-rich for employees with access to ample bandwidth and a more basic version for everyone else. Alternatively, hybrid learning material should be developed, which enables users to download sections or parts of a learning programme on demand. This approach helps to optimise bandwidth utilisation and offers a good user experience.

References

1 Ambient Research The Worlwide Market for Mobile Learning Products and Services: 2010-2015 Forecast and Analysis 22 September 2011 http://www.ambientinsight.com/Reports/MobileLearning.aspx#section3

2 The eLearning Guild Mobile Learning: Landscape and Trends 18 May 2011 http://www.elearningguild.com/research/archives/index.cfm?id=148&action=viewonly

Will Chadwick is vice president of Tata Interactive Systems. He can be contacted on +44 (0)20 7235 8281 or via www.tatainteractive.com

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