According to a Google Insights study, people around the world use an average of 2.5 connected devices each. That is a huge number and It justifies the popular statement -‘mobile devices are a part of our life’
From the traditional learning approach, there is a visible shift among the learners to use the mobile device. Thanks to the technology and increasing penetration of mobile devices as they have now set a revolution in the learning industry which is popularly called as mobile learning or m-learning.
Hence in this blog, there are seven essential steps to follow while developing mobile learning.
1.Need analysis
While mobile learning extends many benefits to both the organizations as well as to the learners, I recommend that an organization to conduct a need analysis to ensure that mobile learning is the right strategy or approach. There are many organizations that jumped to implement mobile learning and failed as it was not the right strategy.
Ask yourself these questions-
•Do we have a remote/mobile workforce that could benefit from mobile learning?
•Do we have a technically savvy workforce that will actually use mobile training?
•What is the learning gap that can be filled with mobile learning?
•Do we have the necessary infrastructure facilities to implement and support mobile learning?
2. Identify the target audience and analyze the learning environment
The first step is to identify who will actually be accessing the learning content. It is very important to know about the target audience, their level of knowledge, demographic details etc.
Analyze the target audience to find the existing learning gaps and plan how mobile learning can effectively fill the same. For example, the developers can interview the learner to understand what can motivate them on the job and their learning preference and style etc.
Are they able to use Mobile Learning? Do they own/use devices and a stable internet connection speed to access the e-learning modules? Ensure that an organization is able to find answers to these questions.
3.Define the role of mobile learning
How do you plan to use mobile learning ? Is mobile learning a part of a combined learning strategy or is your organization shifting to mobile learning completely?
While developing for mobile learning, the organization should have the clarity on choosing or implementing mobile learning. Hence I recommend that the organisation should define the training requirement in detail and have a clarity on how mobile learning will help address this need.
4.Chunking down of the learning content
The heavy and lengthy learning module is not recommended for the mobile device due to the smaller screen size. While developing for mobile learning, ensure that you’re chunking down the learning content. The process allows the segregation of the learning content from ‘nice to know information’ to ‘need to know and must know information’
5. Design it… No copy paste!
While developing for mobile learning, the organization shouldn’t simply copy paste the content for the mobile screen. Instead, it is recommended to ensure that the learning content is separately designed for the mobile screen space. If your learners are increasingly mobile, it is always recommended to design with a mobile-first design approach. While designing the modules, the developers should consider the mobile device of the learners. With the increasing penetration of the mobile devices with various screen size, functions and operating system, the developers need to have an understanding of the mobile device used by the learner.
6. Choose the right authoring tool
While there are numerous e-learning authoring tools available in the market, ensure that the chosen authoring tool can be used to develop a course which runs seamlessly on all mobile devices.
For example, ensure that the chosen authoring tool supports responsive design. I recommend visiting forums and websites that review these authoring tools and ensure that you make the right choice.
7.Review the Technology
While developing the mobile learning course, the developers should always keep in mind of the technology. It is recommended to test out the modules on the different device, platform, and browser combinations to ensure you’re delivering the same content and quality across.
