The perfect combination: eLearning & mLearning
With the great success of eLearning, offering companies the cost-effective, flexible training options they needed, came incredible innovation and growth. One of these facets of eLearning that is taking the world by storm is mobile learning (mLearning), with Learners increasingly wanting to use commuting time to access content, engage with eLearning from their mobile devices, and have 24/7 easy access to all course materials.
Why convert eLearning to mLearning?
As all portable electronic devices vary in their functionalities, so does the digital learning program developed for them. The larger screens of laptops support the more in-depth, structured, interactive, and longer sections of the content we see in eLearning, and web-based Learning Management Systems offer flexibility and mobile-friendly content. On mobile devices, however, it is all about accessibility - and a dedicated application allows you to bring the content to your Learners with incredible ease of use.
Let’s take a moment to look at an example:
Imagine your eLearning course is web-based, on a video-first LMS with gamification and other interactive features which engage your Learners and offer a great course completion rate. Things couldn’t be better!
Except… then 2020 comes along and suddenly, engagement drops. Your platform is still perfect when accessed via desktops or laptops, but as it turns out there are features which are less optimised for mobile access. Your Learners stoop engaging. As the global situation has caused a huge shift towards the use of work-from-home options, the mobile accessing of content is booming.
Your Learners will now need options allowing them to access and consume bits of information on-the-go and seamlessly make use of the course from their mobile device.
That’s when your gently need mLearning!
Convert electronic-Learning to mobile-Learning (in 4 steps):
mLearning is a sub-set of eLearning, but certainly not an equivalent. Converting an existing or a new eLearning curriculum to mLearning is easy if you manage to keep the important pointers under consideration and plan out the process carefully.
TheLearning LAB lists four primary steps that will help your business make the right progress in moving from eLearning to mLearning.
These steps are from our 15 years of experience in the eLearning industry, during which we have worked on hundreds of mLearning projects.
1. Revisit the Content
It is mandatory to revisit the existing eLearning content which you plan to convert to mobile Learning, in order to validate whether or not the smaller screens would accommodate it. This step is to be followed for all content developed – the new or the existing before it can reach the learners.
Ironically, a mobile user's attention span exceeds hours per day, whereas that of a mobile learner is somewhere near 5 minutes only.
Considering this fact, the best practice moving forward is to revisit the course outline for mLearning. The curriculum must only include the relevant details, primary objectives, and key elements that pertain to the projects. Heavy text and details, with a lot of graphics and animations in mLearning, might be a bad idea.
In fact, along with being distracting, it is not at all adaptable on small screens of hand-devices. Limited screen space and a low-key user interface can muddle a lot of text and appear perplexing to the learner.
2. Design for Easy Navigation
This step closely links to repurposing the content that we discussed in the previous point. Unlike laptops that sit on your lap, the mobile devices are far more handy and portable. Hand-held, touch-screen devices mean the users would unconsciously itch to touch, to use their fingers.
For this purpose, mLearning courses must be interactive, engaging, and trimmed. Keep content in bullets. Allow options for interactivity, such as games, quizzes, videos, and audios. It is, however, essential to add pause/back buttons to give the employees the liberty to opt-out, or pause, an ongoing video/game.
In the case of a long curriculum, it is important to provide the course in small-sized modules. Create sub-topics or chapters to a course to keep navigation simple.
In short, design your program in a way that learners would want to learn more.
At TheLearning LAB, we understand the fact that mLearning navigation needs to be designed in a different way to eLearning and make every effort to ensure that it is rightly done so.
3. Target for Multi-Device Support
A successful mobile-learning program is one that is adaptable on multiple devices, including the smallest mobiles to medium-sized tablets. The mobile workforce is ever-increasing; therefore, your mLearning course must be responsive on all devices, tuned to readjust to fit into any screen or system. It should maintain its optimum readability, aesthetics, and performance on various hand-held devices.
If possible, try to incorporate offline availability tool as well.
4. Keep Courses Updated & Track Your Data
Updated videos, images, and audios are important to make your mLearning course successful. Make sure your details are updated according to the current needs if you had a course designed several years ago.
Additionally, try including a “data tracker” to your courses. Or perhaps add a pop-up each time a learner reaches towards the end of a topic, asking for their feedback. A slide-bar to submit the percentage of their clarity. A poll inquiring ‘easy or hard’ etc.
This learner feedback (hyperlink to the learner feedback article) helps you engage your employees and significantly improve the content of the mLearning program.
Add, or Convert to mLearning, and reap its benefits!
The use of mobile devices for our daily online activities is on the rise – social interaction, entertainment, exploring, attending to emails, and whatnot. As nuggets in the pocket, mobiles are the go-to encyclopedia without requiring formal sitting or a plug-in charge.
As such, It is only sensible that corporations are fast going to utilise mobile learning programs to facilitate their workforce, improve project development strategies, and catalyse their growth outcomes. The most influential subcategory of eLearning, mLearning is going to rule over all other forms of accessing knowledge in the near future.
As such, it won’t be a good idea if you are not jumping on the bandwagon. If you think that making a shift to mLearning is a hectic task, consider hiring an eLearning agency.
TheLearning agency is the one such agency that can be of assistance. We have executed several mLearning projects over the last 15 years and can help you in making a smooth transition.
