mLearning: The Futuristic Combination of Mobility and Learning

Mobiles and our modern lives 

Mobile devices have become an integral part of our day to day living. To such an extent that some even report to suffer from the “phantom limb” syndrome in its absence. Right from entertainment to schedule management, from reading to GPS, it has become the gadget we turn to at every nook and corner of our day to day lives. Learning too has not remained unaffected from its pervading nature. The mobile version of learning or mobile learning is called mLearning in short. It enables learners learn and get performance support through mobiles. Now we will have an overview of the unique features of mLearning and what it can be used for.

Mobility: Shaping the future of the learning landscape 

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Mobile devices have become a part and parcel of our daily lives in such a pervasive way that we cannot imagine a day when we do not use Google Apps to find our way, play Angry Birds while returning home from office. Thus, it is no surprise that learning has gone mobile to address the 21st Century challenges of an increasingly global, mobile and technologically savvy workforce and is touted to be the future of workplace learning.

mLearning, is that eLearning on a smartphone? 

The word mobile learning probably conjures up visions of eLearning on a mobile screen. For the discerning thinker the disparity behind the two concepts should be more than obvious. We access our phones on the go - during our commute, in between meetings or during lunch - and with all the potential distractions, we can only spare a short period of time to browse through content. This means the attention span is short and that mLearning needs to be concise and to the point. The simple transfer of eLearning content into mobiles will simply not work. Mobile learning is a much more dynamic and exciting concept than even eLearning.

The Key Features of mLearning 

The primary features of mLearning are laid out in the paragraphs that follow:

Short bite-sized micro-lessons 

Good mLearning content is ideally chunked up into a series of short 3-10 minutes micro lessons given the learners’ short attention span on mobile and the small screen size. When mixed up with good typography, images, charts and videos of 2 to 3 minutes these micro lessons perform the best and are most memorable and easily absorbed. It must be kept in mind while designing such materials that even factors like file size matter as long videos or high resolution graphics mean a longer loading time and the data charges can prove to be expensive too.

Brings structured learning into an informal learning space 

mLearning empowers learners to take charge of their learning in an informal learning space. mLearning platforms include social elements so that learners feel free to share their experiences and learn from one another.

A Form of Performance Support 

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mLearning allows consumption of content anytime, anywhere, when in need, empowering learners to take better decisions and thus acts as form of performance support. Materials like flashcards, guides and checklists are oft used as reference for mLearning.

mLearning: Challenges and Opportunities 

mLearning comes with its share of challenges starting right from the preparation of the course and study materials itself. However the opportunities that it offers and the rewards that are in store for us should we overcome those challenges successfully are even greater. The whole form of formal education can receive a paradigm shift as it evolves into even informal ways of learning. 

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