Benefits And Challenges Of Mobile Learning In Corporate Training
So, what are the challenges of mobile learning organizations need to address in order to implement this kind of training successfully?
Workplace education delivers impressive returns on investment for companies that want to thrive in the modern economy. Employees who have the skills and knowledge needed to do their job well feel more satisfied that those who have little or no formal training. Even better, well-trained workers serve customers with excellence and produce high-quality deliverables.
As the number of employees who use their mobile devices in the workplace grows, the opportunity for empowering them by providing them with mobile learning opportunities emerges.
By 2020, Millennials will form 50% of the global workforce and they have grown up with technology at their fingertips and in their hands. Since technology has always been part of their lives, using mobile devices for work feels completely natural. Furthermore, four out of five workers access their corporate documents on the move using their mobile devices.
Mobile learning makes corporate training accessible to everyone, regardless of time or location. It allows employees to complete training as they travel, even when they don’t have an internet connection. In addition, mobile learners are more engaged and complete training courses at higher rates.
Mobile learning has numerous benefits, but it also has its challenges. However, because of its convenience and effectiveness, it is easy to include this type of learning as part of your corporate training program.
The Benefits Of Mobile Learning
Modern workers expect to have instant access to the solutions they face in every part of their life. Whenever they have a question, they search for the answer on their mobile devices. Your employees understand the power of mobile applications and expect to find apps that help them live and work efficiently. As workers become increasingly dependent on their mobile devices, they abandon the traditional desktop and laptop computers that used to power the business world.
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies have fueled employee dependence on smartphones and tablets and transformed the way people work. This trend toward mobile allows you to create a mobile training program that fits the lifestyles and habits of your staff. Such a program can provide scheduled bursts of learning through small texts, tests, and other course material.
Your decision to embrace mobile learning will eliminate the frustrating attendance problems that reduce the effectiveness of classroom training. In addition, small snippets of mobile learning material allow employees to build knowledge and learn skills by dedicating just a few minutes at a time. Workers can participate in training during a bus or train ride on the way to or from work. They can also squeeze learning into a few minutes at home without disrupting their schedule.
The Challenges Of Mobile Learning
Despite the numerous benefits mobile learning can bring to your company, there are certain challenges companies are faced with. This kind of training can give your company a competitive edge, but only when you overcome these challenges:
1. Data Security
As more and more businesses depend on BYOD policies, mobile connections increase their exposure to security threats. The risk of potential breaches of corporate networks is holding many business owners from implementing mobile learning.
Before starting a mobile training course, your organization needs to address the security challenges associated with all mobile traffic. With proper controls implemented, your employees can use their mobile devices safely to access business and training resources. Developing a security plan to keep your documents and data safe promises to alleviate any lingering concerns about mobile access to corporate networks.
2. Content Issues
Training materials created for the classroom rarely work well for mobile learning. File sizes and formats that computers and laptops easily manage often lead to performance problems for mobile devices. The challenge of creating and adapting content for mobile consumption can delay or disrupt your mobile learning program.
Maintaining multiple training formats might require multiple versions of your content, causing confusion for everyone involved. Also, developing content that is specifically suited for mobile will require a financial investment which is the next challenge on the list.
3. Budget Constraints
As mentioned above, to implement a successful mobile learning strategy, you will need to invest in the creation of learning material suitable for mobile devices. Your company might not have enough money to acquire needed resources and migrate your old training programs. Also, integrating mobile training into your current business model can result in unanticipated expenses and a loss of productivity.
Despite the cost, mobile learning can improve employee retention and engagement, resulting in substantial returns on your company’s investment. Nevertheless, you should evaluate whether your company has a high need for implementing mobile learning before you make any decisions.
4. No Evidence Of Impact
Justifying the expense of your mobile learning program can prove difficult. Effectively integrating the new tactics and technology associated with mobile learning can challenge the capabilities of your organization and offset immediate returns on investment. Furthermore, many of the organizations that use mobile learning have no formal system for measuring results.
However, in the future, experience, widespread adoption, and time will lead to the development of the metrics and analytical tools needed to track the profitability of mobile learning programs.
Final Word
Mobile learning promises to increase the effectiveness of corporate training programs, despite its associated challenges. If you want to give your employees training options that fit their lifestyle and give your company a competitive edge, mobile learning should work well for you. However, you need to stay aware of the security risks and financial costs associated with mobile learning and prepare to invest substantial effort to produce mobile content for training and measure the results of your new training system.
