TECHNOLOGY 5 M-learning: a model for success


From China to Brazil, more and more companies are realising the huge commercial benefits to be had by providing staff training through mobile devices. By Kim Thomas


with worldwide sales increasing at a rate of 25% a year. In emerging economies, it is a trophy brand for the new and growing middle-class, with China alone accounting for 17% of the company’s global sales. In a rapidly growing market, the


W


organisation has to make sure its 60,000 dealer staff, employed in 4,000 dealerships in 60 countries, are up-to- date with the information they need. JLR has found that the quickest, most efficient way to do this is by delivering short, bite-size training materials directly to staff’s mobile phones. Each chunk of training, which


includes videos, documents, images, and some interactive content, lasts fewer than 10 minutes. “Engaging with growing markets is pivotal to JLR’s training philosophy,” explains Adrian Birch, manager of the JLR Academy, the company’s training centre. “Our mobile-learning platform dovetails perfectly with this vision, enabling us to deliver apps and content to users whenever and wherever, so that learning becomes part of [employees’] everyday lives.” While materials have traditionally


been provided on desktop PCs and laptops, research carried out by the e-learning provider Redtray suggests that, over the next five years, more companies will follow JLR’s lead. Just 11% of people access their own company’s learning management system via a mobile device today – a figure expected to rise to 32% by 2015. Experts predict particular growth


in emerging economies, such as China and Brazil, where PCs are an expensive luxury but ownership of mobile phones is booming. “In a developed country where pretty much everyone has a PC on their desk, we see mobile learning as a supplement,” says Andre Wigley, CEO of e-learning platform provider Redware. “In emerging markets we’re seeing a totally different leap. They’ve never had the desktop, they’ve totally disregarded laptops and they’re going straight to mobile devices, so that’s a totally different demand.” Matt Turner, managing director of


LiveTime, which provides live online training to clients across a range of sectors, cites the example of BP, which has to provide training for staff as far afield as Azerbaijan and Angola. “The use of mobile phones for things like


estern economies may be languishing, but the rise of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) seems unstoppable,


Mobile devices such as the iPad are proving to be an ideal way to keep staff in fast-paced industries updated Getty


'In emerging markets they’re going straight to mobile devices – so that’s a totally different demand'


banking is bigger in those countries than it is in Europe, so this kind of access is much more relevant to people used to using that sort of technology.” Mobile learning (m-learning)


is also proving popular with the younger generation, says Vicky Jones, managing director of Redtray. “It’s that instant feedback that is potentially changing our corporate landscape,” she says, giving the example of a field sales rep who might rely on information on new prices or specifications sent to a mobile device in “real" time. But there are many challenges in designing e-learning materials for mobile devices. The small screen size means that smartphones aren’t


necessarily suitable for the more complex content available on a desktop or laptop. The wide variety of mobile operating systems, such as iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile, can also make software development complicated. Features that work well on an iPhone may be hard to replicate on an Android phone and mobile connections to the internet can often be interrupted, making it difficult for people to read online content. But this is changing. Cloud


technology, which allows users to access a learning management system, hosted by a third party over a secure internet connection, is likely to have a big impact, while a new standard for creating web pages called HTML5 is making it easier to create apps that work on different devices. And the increasing popularity of the tablet format, in particular the iPad, means that e-learning providers now have a bigger screen to work with. The ability for field workers, sales


staff or even commuting employees to access relevant, up-to-the-minute information has the potential to boost sales and productivity


and Redware’s technology allows clients to track their staff’s use of the m-learning software. “We know exactly how many interactions learners have had with a piece of learning, for what duration, how many repeats and time between repeat visits so the statistical data is there,” says Wigley. This data can then be correlated with key performance indicators such as sales figures or customer complaints, allowing companies to evaluate the return on their investment. Although challenges remain,


Wigley believes that m-learning can offer a very different user experience from traditional e-learning: “The technology we provide allows our learners to consume learning wherever they are. It can be the same variety of learning or it can be targeted on where they are and what they’re using.”


The latest in m-learning will be showcased by LiveTime and Redware at the World of Learning Exhibition and will feature as a topic of discussion at the Conference on 2-3 October. www.learnevents.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12