How To Quickly Create Effective Mobile Training Courses
Mobile device usage is on the rise, as is mobile training courses. This means that eLearning professionals in the corporate sector are transitioning to mobile training course design and development. So, the question is: how can you quickly create effective mobile training courses that give your learners the chance to develop their skills and expand their knowledge base anywhere, anytime? And how can you achieve this in the most cost-effective way?
- Create a detailed mobile learning course outline.
Before you even begin to design your mobile training course, you'll need to develop a detailed outline that covers every aspect of your mobile training course from start to finish. While this may seem like a time consuming step, it will actually save you a great deal of time in the long run, as it will serve as a guide as you move forward. Create a storyboard that highlights every page of your mobile training course, where each multimedia element and image fits in, and which key pieces of content will be included in each lesson. This mobile training course outline should also mention your primary learning goals and/or performance goals, as all of your learning materials must be centered around them. If you haven't already analyzed your target audience, you will want to do this, as well. This will give you a clear idea of what learning objectives your learners are hoping to achieve and which skill sets or information they need to acquire via your mobile training course. - Repurpose existing content.
If you are creating a mobile training course that is based upon an existing eLearning course, bear in mind that not all content will fit into your new mobile learning course. While you can repurpose your eLearning content for mobile learning and use some of the elements that you already have on-hand, such as graphics or text, this does not mean that every page of your current eLearning course should be moved, verbatim, to the new mobile training course. Instead, pick and choose the key ideas and pieces of content that best serve the learning goals or objectives. - Create a standard template or use one from a library.
Many eLearning authoring tools give you the ability to use their pre-made templates, which can significantly reduce the development time for your mobile training course. Also, some of them have customizable template features, which allow you to design a template that you can use time and again, giving you the opportunity to simply change the content without having to change the layout or design of the entire mobile learning course. - Make learning “bite sized”.
Bite sized learning is a nice approach, even in traditional eLearning courses. However, it is an absolute necessity when designing mobile training courses. This is due to the fact that your learners will typically only have a few minutes to acquire the information within your mobile training course. In addition, they may be dealing with a number of distractions while they are trying to access the modules, especially if they are on-the-go. As such, you'll need to keep the text short and sweet, the images relevant, and break everything down into bullet points. If you have key points that you need to highlight, then use custom fonts or bold them, so that the learners know exactly what information they need to absorb and retain without sifting through lengthy pages of text. - Opt for visually striking design over rich multimedia.
Chances are that your learners are going to be on-the-go when they are accessing your mobile training course. So, it's important to opt for a design that is attention-grabbing and aesthetically pleasing, such as bold colors and emotionally-centered imagery, instead of rich multimedia elements that learners may not be able to access anywhere, anytime. For example, if you include a video that features a ten minute lecture about the subject matter or a clickable interactive scenario, this limits your mobile training course accessibility, given that some devices don't have touch screens and/or the learners may not be able to have the volume on, while they are out in public. - Test your mobile training course periodically.
Testing regularly may seem like a waste of time, but it is just the opposite. In fact, you should test your mobile training course periodically during the design and development process, by viewing it on several different devices and platforms. Doing so, will help you realize any dysfunction as early as possible and can save yourself a significant amount of time. This gives you the opportunity to work out any glitches or bugs as you move along, and to ensure that your mobile training course will run smoothly on all of your delivery platforms. Otherwise, you may spend countless hours on your mobile training course, only to realize that it won't run on certain mobile devices when all is said and done. - Be aware of technical limitations.
It's important to know the limitations of your supported devices while you are developing your mobile training course, and to test various activities and learning materials on devices that may be more simplistic than others. For example, if you are creating a mobile training course that includes a Flash presentation, you should be aware of the fact that not all mobile platforms support Flash. As such, you may have to switch to HMTL5 eLearning authoring tools in order to boost its accessibility. - Use an online project management platform for quick collaboration.
This is a great tip for any eLearning project, but it can make a world of difference in terms of mobile learning course design and development. If you are working with eLearning freelancers or an eLearning team, an online project management platform, such as Asana or Basecamp, allows you to collaborate and communicate quickly, keep track of deadlines, and address any issues that you may have along the way.
By using these straightforward tips, you can quickly create effective mobile training courses that meet their learning goals and give your audience the opportunity to access invaluable information when and where they need it the most.
Do you want to develop your mobile training strategy and you don’t know where to start from? In the article 8 Steps To Create and Develop an Effective Mobile Training Strategy I'll walk you through the mobile training creation and implementation process, so that you can tap into the learning power that mobile devices can offer to your learners.
If you need additional help to successfully repurpose you eLearning course’s content for your mobile learning course, I highly encourage to read the article 7 Tips To Repurpose eLearning Content for Mobile Learning where you will find 7 top tips that will help you to develop a mobile learning strategy that requires minimal resources and offers maximum benefit to your learners.
