Trainers at Tyco Fire and Security Inc. are planning to replace a large portion of traditional classroom product instruction with just-in-time support delivered to pocket PCs and other wireless devices carried by employees. Doing so will quickly expand the skills base of technicians while also cutting costs by reducing “time off task,” figures Don McDougal, Director of Learning Technology for parent company Tyco International.
At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Training Manager Sharon Ridings is beta testing the use of BlackBerrys as a job aide and assessment tool in conjunction with instructor-led leadership training. The agency is tracking retention of course material by testing its mobile workers via the devices.
Experiences like those are becoming more commonplace today as organizations seek ways to expand the use of ubiquitous cellular phones, PDAs and other mobile devices for training purposes. It’s easy to understand why. Not only can the devices be accessed virtually anywhere, they are practically implanted as body parts of the gadget-savvy generation currently entering the workplace. And with every technological advance, it seems, the devices become more suitable for the delivery of learning applications.
As the Tyco and EPA pilot programs illustrate, the use of mobile learning has expanded beyond quick tutorials for “field” employees such as sales representatives and technicians. Indeed, university students, healthcare workers and others are accessing critical knowledge from wireless handheld devices while on the go.
“Companies are finding new ways to employ mobile learning as part of a blended learning solution,” says A.J. Ripin, director of global learning solutions for MovingKnowledge Inc. The Orlando, Fla.-based company designs, creates and executes m-learning solutions for Fortune 100 companies. In the case of Tyco and EPA, two MovingKnowledge clients, that involves the introduction of shorter web-based training curricula for m-learning delivery, and empowering field-based employees to make decisions that reflect their new capabilities.
Ripin says a prime attraction for training directors is the availability of SCORM compliant mobile authoring platforms that extend their e-learning portfolios, along with tracking and delivery systems. “These tools help make m-learning an additional arm of their training and operations solution while also saving companies money.”
He says one popular solution is provided by Hot Lava Software Inc., a Warrenton, VA – based m-learning software developer. Hot Lava’s Learning Mobile Author is a mobile authoring and publishing tool that allows the rapid design, editing and publishing of trackable mobile learning and testing content.
Ripin says the product enables quick design and deployment to all types of mobile devices. “It can be mastered very quickly with little or no previous software experience,” he claims. Hot Lava’s mobile delivery tracking system is a server product that can be “bolted” onto an LMS to deliver mobile m-learning to a mobile-enabled audience.
Hot Lava CEO Robert Sanregret says his nine-year-old company is enjoying the growth of an industry segment that is, well, on the move. With some two billion cell phones in use throughout the world today, a number expected to hit three billion within five years, continued growth is assured, he believes.
Sanregret’s definition of m-learning does not include the laptop computer. “Being truly mobile means ready accessibility 24/7, with no additional connections required,” he insists. The necessity of connecting to a local access network (LAN) – which is not always possible in remote situations – disqualifies laptops in his book, a stipulation he insists is gaining acceptance within the m-learning community.
But it does include MP3 players and the growing universe of podcasting. “Thanks to Steve Jobs, mobile learning content has taken off,” he says, especially among the Echo Boomer generation that lives with their Ipods. They are totally receptive to podcasting of learning content, he claims.
Sanregret says the principal negative on podcasting involves training managers, who must cope with the lack of “trackability” to determine who took what course. Training organizations are limited to determining who downloaded files for their IPods, he says.While he classifies the U.S. m-learning market as “robust,” he says it is exploding in the Asia-Pacific region where the use of cell phones for web and multimedia uses dwarfs that of North America. For example, he says, a large Singapore-based multilevel marketing firm employs Hot Lava’s software to showcase new products to customers on mobile devices. A Chinese language version is very popular in that country, he says.
By comparison, the U.S. and European m-learning markets have been slower to develop, in part because workforce trainers have been “burned” by e-learning and LMS implementations that over-promised, says Sanregret. “This is a reason why the training and education market is reluctant to jump onto new technologies,” he contends.
But that is about to change, he predicts. Opportunity is knocking on many fronts as trainers and educators awaken to the technology’s potential. Among examples: The University of Pennsylvania at Westchester, where sociology students are exploring the use of m-learning to augment classroom instruction and testing.
One trial program tested the knowledge of students who performed homework exercises delivered to their mobile devices, and compared it with performance of others using more traditional methods. Students who used m-learning had exceptionally better test scores, prompting the school to consider its use for everyone, according to Sanregret.
Another contented customer is the federal government’s Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, which delivers m-learning to field soldiers and physicians in a variety of medical settings. The institute has created 25 modules delivered in Palm OS and other mobile formats. In addition, its web site offers free downloads of m-learning content on health-related topics.
Such converts reinforce predictions by Ripin and Sanregret about m-learning’s secure future. “Five years from now, the use of mobile learning, testing and job aides will be more prevalent in society than books are today,” contends the Hot Lava chieftain. Ripin insists that while the march of technology might change the delivery, mobile learning is here to stay.
What’s more, he says, the beauty of the burgeoning m-learning market is that standards have not yet been identified either for operating systems or delivery. That’s great for the consumer, he figures, because it means continued development of better solutions.
What I've learned about Mobile Learning. 