Top 5 benefits of mobile learning for corporations

By Ehsan Memari

Let’s face it: if you’re looking for a powerful way to promote learning in the workplace, you just can’t ignore mobile. After all, humans are increasingly adding mobile devices into their everyday lives.

Nearly two-thirds of humans all over the world — that’s over five billion — now carry a mobile device with at least some computational power!

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that mobile devices, along with linking us to the worldwide network, also act as enablers of social collaboration and mobile learning. Not to forget that smartphones have already overtaken desktops, notebooks, and netbooks.

Mobile technology is drastically altering the way we live. As a corporate professional, why not leverage it to modify the way our employees learn?

Before we discuss how mobile technology can be a game-changer for your business, let’s take a look at what mobile learning is.

What is Mobile Learning?

Mobile learning, also known as mLearning, is a quickly developing tool for training and development in companies belonging to all industries. It offers businesses the prospect to reach and involve workforces in novel and remarkable ways.

According to a new international research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), there’s a determinate connection between a mobile-first work setting and an upsurge in worker commitment. It also discovered that companies that are mobile forerunners witness a sixteen percent improvement in efficiency, in addition to enhancements in originality and devotion.

Why should you opt for Mobile Learning?

If you haven’t taken your training programs mobile yet, now is the right time to do so. Here’s why you should make mobile learning a part of your employee development program:

1. Empowers Learners

mLearning is a trainee-centric solution that empowers learners to be in-charge of their learning needs. It delivers an instructive experience that is adequate, just in time and personalized for the learners.

Your employees might be working round-the-clock or have other responsibilities that could inhibit their learning process. With mobile learning, you can enable them to continue learning uninterruptedly by placing knowledge in their hands (pockets).

2. Provides Easy Knowledge Access

In the workplace, learning on a desktop machine occurs in a cubicle. Your employee is seated at one place and accesses knowledge. But, what if your employees are always on the move? How do you train your staff on site or in remote locations?

mlearning makes learning possible on the go by means of a mobile device. It simplifies the process of retrieving information at any time and from any place.

One of the most significant advantages of using mobile learning is the capability to reach workers operating from distant locations. For instance, workers functioning in distant regions can access online training material such as eLearning courses, product updates, consumer information, compliance updates, sales pitches and more.

3. Engages by Informal Learning

The main advantage of mlearning is that it offers your employees learning prospects anytime and anyplace. A vast majority of adults today prefer informal ways of learning over formal, classroom based trainings.

Online training platform based on mobile technology offers an effective method of training via gamification, even if there’s inadequate internet access. One of the deep-down persuaders for trainees to continue learning is the control over their knowledge objectives. By offering an informal learning environment, mobile learning gives learners full control over their individual objectives and the liberty to select the undertakings they want to take on.

4. Improves Teamwork and Commitment with Social Learning

Here’s a quick fact: by 2022, it’s anticipated that nearly 1.9 billion individuals will be mobile workers, accounting for 42.5 percent of the entire worldwide labor force.

What does it mean?

It means that most people today are more inclined to share ideas online than doing so in person. Workers are no longer fastened to their desk and choose to accomplish chores on the move. They expect to access information whenever they want, wherever they are, and by simply clicking on their smartphone.

You can take advantage of this ‘social’ characteristic of mLearning to instigate discussions about learning, extending the training experience and snowballing enthusiasm and commitment.

5. Decreases Training Costs and Interval

With mobile technologies, learners are empowered to “carry” knowledge with them 24/7. Mobile devices allow your employees to continue learning even during holidays, downtimes or hours that are considered ‘dead’, such as during conveyance or waiting at the airport. All this considerably reduces the overall training duration. Also, bite-sized learning content allows important messages to be remembered and integrated much more effectively than lengthier, stretched-out discourses do.

Now you don’t need to invest in huge workstations or expensive learning platforms. Your employees already have smartphones. Why not use these smartphones to deliver information? This way, you’ll save the cost of hiring trainers and setting up infrastructure every time your employees need training.

Key Takeaway

The majority of individuals today carry a mobile device in their pocket that is capable of acting as a catalyst and facilitator for training material and applications. So, it’s high time for corporations to embrace mobile learning if they wish to train employees on the job and keep them engaged.

What are you waiting for? Bring your eLearning into the mobile world!

About the Author

Ehsan Memari is a blogger for SkyPrep, a provider of leading online training software for organizations to train employees partners and customers. Ehsan is a regular contributor to blog posts related to knowledge sharing, L&D and eLearning. Follow him on Twitter @ehsanmemari.