Brenda J. Enders published Manager’s Guide to Mobile Learning some three years ago and it is still a relevant read today. Brenda will be presenting a webinar on creating practical strategy for mobile learning as part of our monthly eLearning Thought Leaders Series. In preparation for this event on March 28th, I gave her book a re-read and would like to share some of the highlights here:
Benefits of Mobile Learning;
- Provide performance support, especially for millennials
- Improve overall performance
- Increase impact of traditional training programs
Harnessing the true power of mobile learning means rethinking what mobile means. Ms. Enders makes a strong argument against just putting the same eLearning course in a mobile template. Instead, she challenges the reader to leverage features of the mobile device like QR scanning, GPS, camera, microphone, touch screen and other features. Web Courseworks’ instructional designer, Jenny Saucerman, explains the importance of adapting eLearning content for mobile platforms in further detail in her blog post, “The Medium is the Message.”
At a minimum, mobile learning can be used to augment the formal training process. This includes using spaced learning—or distribution of small pieces of content. It can provide learners with the opportunity to practice and reinforce what they learned in the formal classroom. I have seen gamification work in this context, especially making memorization of guidelines fun.
Chapter four provides a nice summary of the types of uses for mobile learning:
- Create videos, podcasts, ebooks, job aids, reminders or alerts
- Collect data through surveys, quizzes, knowledge checks and polling
- Encourage participation on your social media platform
In Chapter five Ms. Enders provides tips on writing the Mobile Learning Vision Statement. This not only includes visioning the future but understanding the present state of the learner’s readiness. Most importantly she prompts you to ask: “What problem are you solving?”
I found the section on Mobile Application Management Software to be very interesting. This software gives an administrator control over the apps that reside on learner’s mobile devices. It allows a company to have it’s own application store, track usage, and provide security and upgrades. I also appreciated the comparisons between Android apps and Apple apps.
Overall I recommend this book to managers who want practical advice on many levels.
Register to attend Brenda Enders’ webinar!
