More and more, the world around us is becoming entirely mobile. Not surprisingly, with these technological advances comes shifts in education as well. While technology can work in favor of delivering high-quality educational content to learners across the globe, institutions must adapt to the ever-changing advancements of technology.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at mobile learning as we discuss what it is and its larger role in education.
What is Mobile Learning?
With the introduction of the smartphone to our everyday lives, much has changed, including our capacity to learn. Now, we can access information from anywhere at any time.
A relatively new phenomenon in our lives, mobile learning allows us to learn from anywhere we can receive an internet connection via a mobile device.
Purpose of Mobile Learning
Mobile learning enables students to access materials that might not otherwise have the ability to stay in a classroom for the extended amount of hours as traditionally required. In this regard, mobile learning can aid with accessibility in eLearning in ways traditional education has not been able to even begin to scratch the surface.
Mobile Learning vs. eLearning
The terms mobile learning and eLearning are often used together when discussing technological advancements in education now and in the future. However, there is a clear distinction between these two types of learning.
High-quality content is delivered to learners effectively through mobile learning but what sets eLearning apart from this type of learning is that it has more advanced features. In eLearning courses, we can see the importance of data and learning analytics when it comes to helping students learn more effectively and have a more precise understanding of the topic of a course.
Aside from this primary difference between these two types of learning, additional nuances are dividing them.
Interactivity
Learning managers can run regular reports and fine-tune their approach since mobile learners will access their courses more frequently. Having access to regular feedback allows them to learn and adapt more regularly to what’s working and what’s not in their mobile learning courses.
While having this leaving of interactivity is an obvious advantage, it also comes with its challenge. Mobile learning content must compete with other mobile apps in terms of holding learners’ attention since mobile users have grown to have a certain level of expectations regarding user experience.
For example, consider how long you will stay engaged with one mobile app before you are prompted via a notification to another. The same goes for mobile learners.
Instructional Approach
Generally speaking, most eLearning courses follow a relatively linear journey, beginning with a specified learning objective. Until the objective has been thoroughly communicated and comprehended by the learner, the course will cover all of the necessary points to get there.
While it is effective for comprehension, in creating an eLearning course, this same approach won’t necessarily work in a mobile context because the learners will access the content sporadically.
When creating content explicitly for mobile learning, course designers must modify the approach. It should be a general assumption that over an extended period, the learner will pop in and out of the course. Therefore, there is a heightened focus on ensuring that the learning in every session is retained until they are able to begin again at a later time.
This instructional approach may demand creative thinking, depending on the topic, but it’s not an impossible feat. Thankfully, mobile learning tends to be more interactive than eLearning.
Length
The length of time it takes the learner to complete a part of learning content is another critical thing that defines mobile and eLearning.
An eLearning unit might take an average learner anywhere between 15 minutes and an hour to complete. After all, the purpose of a traditional eLearning course is to package a concept up in a single file, comprised of several slides or screens that may contain:
Multiple-choice questions
Video
Text
Other interactive elements
Because of the way mobile devices are used, typically while learners are on the go, mobile learning has to deliver the content in a more bite-sized way than traditional eLearning courses. Taking a full-length eLearning unit on a mobile device isn’t very practical for the average user.
The Larger Role of Mobile Learning in Education
Mobile learning is convenient because it can be accessed anytime, anywhere, making it perfect for use in class, at home, or on the go. Since there are no technical limitations with learning using smartphones, mobile learning is easy to use.
But, there is a larger role of mobile learning in education that reaches beyond the convenience factor and includes:
Increased Communication
Keep in touch with learners by sending notifications about courses or microlearning content. Simplify the process of maintaining communication with students through mobile learning apps. They can also be used to attract new learners by giving them a sneak peek of upcoming courses.
Gamification Features
Personalized learning and gamification help increase engagement, which ultimately aids learning. Help intrigue learners and stir their desire to earn more points or badges while unconsciously encouraging them to complete the assigned courses by adding gamification features such as rewards to your mobile learning content.
Course Discussions
Boost engagement and increase completion rates by encouraging collaboration between peers and experts, allowing them to share ideas. Mobile learning courses help to stimulate thinking through this process.
Supplement Formal Training
Mobile learning apps allow you to create simplified versions of your courses and deliver them in easy-to-digest formats, which is especially helpful if you want to reinforce your students' learning. You can also use the mobile learning app to help refresh their memory and retain knowledge by testing their knowledge through added features such as flashcard quizzes.
Outreach
Mobile learning has the ability to bring education to students around the world. Billions of people who live in other nations less fortunate than our own, do not have access to a computer or standard internet connection. However, with a mobile device, they can gain access to platforms and content they never had before. That is part of the reason why apps such as Tik Tok have gained so much popularity. Everyone has a phone, and people are finding ways to use their phones for new digital experiences.
It’s important when creating content that the mobile learner is kept in mind. Accessibility to courses via mobile devices may be the only method for a majority of users.
Final Thoughts
The larger role of mobile learning in education is that it presents us with nearly limitless opportunities to expand our reach as educators. After all, mobile learning knows no bounds as long as there is a wifi connection.
As we continue to propel forward into the future of mobile learning, ryco.io is continuously researching applications as we work to integrate this technology into our courses. Stay tuned for all of the upcoming exciting things we have in store!
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