In my previous blogs, I have talked in detail about the gamification of learning. So how will it look if gamification of mobile learning is done will it really prove to be a potent learning strategy. Let’s find out through this blog.
5 billion people across the world now have a mobile device. With the advancement of technology, and increased availability of devices like smartphones, tablets, iPads etc., there opened up a huge opportunity to use the mobile devices for the purpose of learning and training the learners. This came to be called M-learning or mobile learning. In other words, mobile learning is simply the use of mobile devices as a medium to deliver the learning content to the learners.
The benefits of M-learning are many:
1.Convenience
2.Performance support
3.Higher completion rates and higher retention
4.Higher engagement
5.Good use of idle time
You can refer this blog to have detailed information about each of the above mentioned points.
While Mlearning has shown up the great potential to be an efficient medium to deliver and consume learning content specially for the mobile and deskless workforce, there are other elements like gamification, simulations, animations etc which it can be combined with to create a potent learning strategy in the workplace
1 Prompts behavioral changes in learner
A recent research concludes that an average user touches the smartphone 2,617 times a day. These statistics show that users constantly engage with smartphones, tablets etc. Gamification can drive strong behavioral change with the persuasive architecture of meaningful rewards. With m-learning, you are able to drive these behavior changes more effectively since mobile becomes a personalized device and is more accessible to a user. Take for example the notifications that you receive on your mobile screen from various food delivery apps or e-commerce apps-‘Play now and collect your rewards’ or ‘daily bonus’ etc. induce you to take certain actions. These notifications can drive the users to login into the app and take an action, which create an instant reward mechanism for the users and can help in better brand recall and improved customer loyalty for the brand.
Similarly, gamification of mobile learning can create behavioral change in the learners through constant engagement leading to meaningful actions with the help of a robust rewards structure.
2 Learner enjoys the ownership of the learning process
With m-learning, learners can now learn at their convenience and comfort, as there are no pressures of learning in a formal environment defined by time. With the use of gamification of mobile learning, the learning process progresses through the action and inputs of the learners and hence becomes more learner-centric in approach, which allows the learners to gain the control of his learning experience. With more organisations supporting the policies like BYOD(Bring Your Own Device), the learner enjoys the flexibility of accessing the learning content on his/her personal device that gives a sense of ownership of learning.
3 Enhances the retention and recall of the learning topic.
The main objective of every learning topic is to ensure the attention, recall and application of the learning.
In mobile learning, you need to break the learning topics into smaller chunks. This is otherwise called as microlearning. These smaller nuggets ensure that there is no information overload, which leads to an increase in the attention span of the learners. Moreover, mobile learning allows training topics to be accessed on demand from anywhere, any devices, and they can revisit the learning content in times of their need, which further reinforces the learning. Gamification with an effective reward structure mechanism and game mechanics etc can effectively connect with the learners making the process fun and enjoyable which helps the learners to retain the learning topics and makes them want to revisit the learning content. When gamification of mobile learning is done, the context of m-learning and application of gamification elements can result in accessible, engaging and retainable learning content.
4. Creates a positive shift in the learners’ approach towards learning
A traditional classroom training imparted by an organisation usually sees lesser attendance as the employees are not very keen to attend hours of classroom lectures that are not engaging and sometimes not relevant to them.
Gamification makes the learning a fun experience with its interactive contents and effective use of game mechanics and game dynamics which helps in creating a positive approach towards the learning. With an effective gamified m-learning approach the learners take the control of the learning through their personal learning devices and enjoy the process to earn rewards and compete with their peers and colleagues all at their comfort and convenience. This has furthered the implementation of BYOD(Bring Your Own Device) policy as it enables the organisation to deliver the learning content across the mobile devices of the users itself.
5. Future proofs training
E-learning gamification and mobile learning is a future proof learning strategy that can increase the Return on Investment. With a visible shift in the preference of accessing the learning content from desktop and laptops to mobile devices. The mobile learning is definitely the way of future learning. Further, the rise in the app culture in today’s tech world helps the organization to develop mobile apps that support gamification and helps in easy delivering of the learning content. The app market already has many such mobile apps like Udemy, Khan Acaemy, Coursera etc that uses gamification techniques to engage the learners
These are the 5 reasons why gamification of mobile learning is a potent learning strategy which all organizations should implement. For more details on how gamification of mobile learning can be done, please feel free to reach us at hello@playxlpro.com.
