How Mobile Learning Solutions Are Changing the Game

Mobile learning, or mLearning, is a pitch-perfect solution for 21st-century businesses and learners alike. L&D departments want to harness the increasing dependence on cell phones to boost participation in their learning programs. Likewise, learners want to access training when and where it makes sense for them, not when their managers schedule it.

By 2022, mobile employees will comprise 42.5% of the total global workforce. And yet, only 31% of companies have a defined strategy for it. Worse still, many of the digital learning apps that exist today consist of a mere file repository with minimal interactive functions: think PowerPoint presentations, file viewing, and little-to-no sophisticated development for a user-friendly experience.

But the companies doing it right by making their mobile learning solutions user-friendly and collaborative are reaping massive benefits with better training ROI, effective content design, and empowered learners. The winning mobile learning solutions are the ones that make learning flexible and convenient with the help of bite-sized chunks (microlearning), interactive communities, and user-generated content.

Mobile learning solutions boost learning engagement

The social interactions and collaboration made possible by mobile are the drivers of engagement—and you can harness this in your digital learning courses. The shift to remote work has made employees hungry to connect with each other. The constant connectedness of mobile makes it easier than ever to engage with other learners, leave feedback, and ask questions within the course. When learners feel connected, they are 3.5 times more likely to contribute to their full potential, giving your training the competitive edge it needs.

Mobile learning solutions like 360Learning’s app (available for iOS and Android) are designed with human interaction in mind. It allows your team to simultaneously work on projects, communicate, and share updates in real-time. This removes the barrier of remote work, giving your team the same experience as stopping by at a coworker’s desk. With discussion forums, Reactions, and the ability to comment on courses, mobile learning solutions make your training more collaborative than ever.

Inspired by web practices that have become habits, such as liking posts and leaving comments, we’ve leveraged human behavior to generate exchanges that will ignite your learners and promote dedication to your training programs.

When training takes a collaborative form, it boosts engagement by six times, leading to higher course completion rates and a workforce that stays committed to the company and to business objectives. This is because learning together is more effective, especially when you receive immediate feedback and have the opportunity to refine your understanding.

Mobile learning solutions help organizations save time and money on L&D

Organizations can save time and money by utilizing mobile devices learners already have. With tap-and-learn material, employees don’t have to be scheduled together in a physical space for training, saving precious company hours and dollars on travel, equipment, and office space. It enables you to work around your employee schedules and locations instead of the other way round.

In business, time is money. With mobile learning, existing content can be repurposed and shipped out when needed, and learners can access it at their convenience. Millennials are already standing out for their use of technology and older generations aren’t far behind. This means they can reach out and engage in just a few minutes of learning right before bed or while waiting for the morning coffee to brew. When learners seek knowledge at their own time and pace, they are more productive and engaged, which is good for any business because it makes training that much more effective.

Mobile apps are super affordable to build and maintain. Organizations can utilize mobile learning solutions for a variety of business needs, like onboarding, compliance, soft skills, and product training, and reuse the courses as needed. Mobile apps can even bring in revenue in the long run, with in-app purchases, advertisements, and additional features. Little surprise that the estimated revenue from mobile apps is estimated to hit $935.2 billion by 2023.

Mobile learning solutions empower on-the-field employees

Mobile learning is perfect for a number of industries — like sales, retail, transport, and hospitality — where teams spend a majority of their day out on the field. An app like 360Learning, with an advanced field-training solution, does the job of bringing training into the hands of employees and gives them relevant information quickly and easily.

For example, a team of safety specialists distributed in the field may need an update on the latest information and best practices. Each team member can access content from their own devices and even interact and help each other out with additional feedback. It would be a scheduling nightmare to bring them together in a physical space for a training session. Worse, it may not be an opportune time for each member, and the chances of tuning out are higher. With an interactive mobile solution, each team member can pick their own time to learn and return to it when they feel like it.

Some industries may have employees working in spots with low internet connectivity or even no connection. Mobile learning has a ready solution for this challenge by allowing learners to download content and access it without being connected to the internet. Advanced solutions like 360Learning even record course completion or game scores and update them when the online sync has been reestablished.

Mobile learning + microlearning work together to enhance learner experience

The natural synergy of mobile and microlearning makes for a powerful combination and enhances the learning experience by providing quick answers at the point of need. Imagine an in-training sales rep on their first day in the field. They can recall elements of what they learned in a training course but not everything. They don’t have the time to dig through a 20-slide presentation. They reach for their phone, and voila, the answers are right there in the form of relevant checklists and quick videos.

Microlearning capitalizes on the fact that attention spans have diminished, but our thirst for knowledge has increased. Microlearning is ideal for the mobile learner who is on the go and short on time. Short kernels of information are easier to digest and retain than a 90-minute course or a lengthy PowerPoint presentation. With the mobility of our phones and the bite-sized delivery of microlearning, your training potential explodes and makes information relevant, timely, and useful.

Microlearning includes elements of gamification that incentivize learning. Learners receive points, badges, and trophies for achieving goals, making your training fun, competitive, and engaging. This leads to improved learning outcomes. When combined with mobile learning, the gamification features perfectly align for an on-the-go experience.

Use a pre-built mobile learning solution to quickly maximize your training

Mobile learning solutions are the answer to making learning a part of everyday work. When training can be accessed on the spot and at the point of need, employees can become everyday learners who are more engaged, productive, and successful. A number of apps provide the skeleton for your mobile learning program, so rather than building one from scratch, you can just upload your content and tailor the app to fit your preferences.