Mobile Learning Trends You Need To Know About

Chances are your employees already use their smartphones or tablets for work purposes. Did you know that using these devices for training can increase learner engagement?

Mobile learning apps have also made it much easier for employees to access training anywhere they need to. Even learners who travel to remote locations with little Internet connectivity can still benefit from them.

But, if you want your employees to get the most out of their learning sessions, you need to provide them with updated learning methods. Let’s look at some of the most effective mobile learning trends you should take advantage of.

Related: How To Create Diversity And Inclusion Training That Works

Augmented & Virtual Reality

Augmented and virtual reality are similar yet distinctive experiences. In augmented reality (AR), digital elements are added to your live view. In virtual reality (VR), the entire experience is digital.

You can use either or both of these technologies to create an immersive learning experience. Instead of setting up an interactive training set, you can use a learning app with AR capabilities to simulate one. For example, an employee can simulate repairing a machine and gather additional information about the process using the app. If you want to build even more engagement into the experience, you could turn it into a game.

Surgeons already use this technology to practice and assess surgical skills. But you can use it in almost any circumstance.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is an effective way to make a learner’s journey more customized while including the insights that, traditionally, only an instructor would be able to provide. Some learning management systems and mobile learning apps now use machine learning.

For example, an LMS can use adaptive learning to analyze a learner’s performance on a skills assessment. It can create a study plan that focuses on areas that need improvement. This can be especially helpful for industries that require certification via exams.

If your employees need to update and refine their skills, they’ll need access to training even after their initial onboarding training. It can be hard to ensure there’s always a co-worker around to guide other employees.

You could have them search Google or Youtube to find out how to do a task. Unfortunately, this doesn’t provide customized learning. Plus, many employees prefer to ask a co-worker for help.

You can harness on-the-job training from other employees by having them create training material for their co-workers. These are the people that use their knowledge on the job every day. They know how to complete a task in the best way for their setting and organization because they have a lot of experience in doing so. Why not take advantage of their knowledge?

Employees can make different kinds of content in various formats. Just make sure to tell employees that their content doesn’t have to be fantastic, just good enough. The goal is to get the information across, not wow others with video editing skills.

Related: E-Learning: 7 Tips For Employee Development

Benefits of Mobile Learning

Mobile learning has the potential to completely change the way your employees learn. It comes with a range of benefits that give it an advantage over traditional learning structures. Some of these are simply because of the way mobile learning works, others are because traditional learning has a variety of downsides.

Interested in seeing a mobile learning game in action? Schedule a demo with Emeraude Escape!

Increased Engagement
One of these downsides comes from engagement. Traditional training programs were instructor-driven and provided little room for learner engagement. In this way, traditional programs are rigid and uncomfortable.

However, mobile learning programs have the ability to keep learners hooked on what they are doing. This is particularly true when you use digital games as an avenue of learning. The games are far more interesting and create additional incentives for learners to do well.

In addition, learners using mobile learning programs feel a sense of ownership, which directly correlates to learner achievement. As a result, you can see up to a 72% increase in engagement through mobile learning.

Faster Learning & Increase Retention
In addition, mobile learning programs, such as games used for training, help people learn faster and retain what they are learning for longer. This is because learners need to use their skills and knowledge as they are learning them, which further cements the content into their long-term memory. Having this information further cemented means that it is both easier to access and that it will stay around for longer.

Flexibility
Mobile learning also allows flexibility. Traditional programs require set lessons without much wiggle room. If a learner needs more time on a specific lesson or needs less time on another, traditional learning requires the whole program to be altered in order to respond to these changes.

However, with mobile learning, learners are able to move at their own pace. If a lesson is easy, they can speed through it and start the next one; if a lesson is hard, they can spend as much time perfecting it as they need. You can even use programs that adapt to their learning progress and allows for the creation of individual learning plans.

Related: Improving Virtual Onboarding for New Employees

Save Money & Increase ROI
Finally, mobile learning can help your company save money while increasing the ROI of your training program. Mobile learning requires fewer resources, wastes less time, and can be replicated with ease. All of this reduces the amount of money your company spends on learning while still taking advantage of the benefits of learning. In fact, for every dollar that you invest into e-learning, you can expect to see about $30 in increased productivity.

So, mobile learning is more engaging, more effective, and more flexible, and ends up saving money. Each of these positive features is helpful on its own. Together, they make mobile learning a powerful tool for any business to take advantage of.

Mobile learning is an effective way to allow employees to learn on any device from any location. In addition to its accessibility, it also provides the opportunity to utilize newer technologies that have recently caught on.

By keeping up to date with mobile learning trends such as micro assessments and augmented reality, you can help your learners gain the skills and knowledge they need to thrive.

Want to learn more about how we can help you build an engaging mobile learning system? Get in contact with us today!