Can we build a case for a tranistion to more mobile forms of learning in the business world? I think the answer is "yes", but the strength of the business case for mobile learning depends upon two key factors. First, how mobile is the worker? Second, how high is the worker's demands for learning?
The business case for the highly mobile worker who has high demands for structured learning seems fairly obvious. Earlier in my career I worked for a global management consulting firm. The consultants of the firm--and firms like them--are the poster children of a mobile, learn-on-demand workforce. Each progressive consulting assignment brought on the need to develop new skills. Each step up the career ladder came with significant learning requirements. Many consulting firms have already proven the value of elearning, online learning, and blended learning to their organizations. Pushing content to mobile platforms should be the logical next step for them. As an added benefit, the mobile device is well-suited to the 24x7 communication, social networking, and knowledge management demands of these firms.
Not so obvious is the value of mobile learning to the highly mobile, but who doesn't have the need for significant amounts of structure learning that can be accomplished outside of the classroom. Take for example a flight attendant on a passenger jet. They are highly mobile, but do they have substantial, ongoing learning needs that would be satisfied with a mobile learning device? I doesn't appear to me that they do. Their first job is safety. They have to know the proper safety procedures for each type of aircraft that the fly in. And, they have to know this before they get on the plane. Procedures do change somewhat over time, but generally, the leaning content is very stable once the aircraft goes into service. So, it would pretty tough to make a business case for mobile learning for this worker and workers like them.
Finally, there is the worker who isn't mobile at all. The worker that spends their entire day in a single location. The bank teller, for example, spends the majority of their day at their teller window. Their work responsibilities rarely takes them far from their window and their work is done entirely inside of a branch. However, tellers often have a high demand for ongoing learning. They may be working to move up the career ladder in their bank or they may be simply trying to keep up the ongoing changes with the banks services. Banks have typically met this need with a combination of classroom and technology-delivered learning events. Mobile learning may offer a way to break free of some of the constraints of the learning infrastructure that has been built for these workers.
Not so obvious is the value of mobile learning to the highly mobile, but who doesn't have the need for significant amounts of structure learning that can be accomplished outside of the classroom. Take for example a flight attendant on a passenger jet. They are highly mobile, but do they have substantial, ongoing learning needs that would be satisfied with a mobile learning device? I doesn't appear to me that they do. Their first job is safety. They have to know the proper safety procedures for each type of aircraft that the fly in. And, they have to know this before they get on the plane. Procedures do change somewhat over time, but generally, the leaning content is very stable once the aircraft goes into service. So, it would pretty tough to make a business case for mobile learning for this worker and workers like them.
Finally, there is the worker who isn't mobile at all. The worker that spends their entire day in a single location. The bank teller, for example, spends the majority of their day at their teller window. Their work responsibilities rarely takes them far from their window and their work is done entirely inside of a branch. However, tellers often have a high demand for ongoing learning. They may be working to move up the career ladder in their bank or they may be simply trying to keep up the ongoing changes with the banks services. Banks have typically met this need with a combination of classroom and technology-delivered learning events. Mobile learning may offer a way to break free of some of the constraints of the learning infrastructure that has been built for these workers.
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New age platforms like Mobl21 have eased mlearning.
ReplyDeleteMobl21 is an easy to use and cost effective platform to deliver educational mobility. Mobl21 is accessible enough for individual teachers and students to adopt, and scalable enough for institutional and enterprise adoption. The unique pedagogy of Mobl21 helps create learning assets that compliment your formal courses, extending the learning opportunity beyond traditional barriers.