Tech barriers could hold back M-learning, believe corporates
A forum of European business leaders has expressed concern that technology and cultural barriers could slow the adoption of mobile and cross-platform learning within their organisations, despite the great potential they see for its use. This worry emerged from a roundtable discussion event organised by LINE Communications, a leading provider of learning and communications solutions, on the theme of mobile and multiplatform learning.
While most delegates could see potential uses for M-learning within their organisations, many saw considerable challenges to overcome, including:
• Investment costs of creating enterprise-ready mobile content delivery platform
• Need to ensure that the target population all have suitable smart-phones to access learning
Some also pointed to the reluctance of more traditional employees to access learning on a mobile device; however this was countered by the observation from many group members that this situation is changing rapidly as members of the so-called ‘Generation Y’ spreads through the workforce, demanding content that they can access at any time, including on the move.
Others argued that, while the present organisational IT infrastructure does tend to make M-learning difficult, the potential business benefits justify the initial investment involved. With mobile access to the internet predicted to pass desktop access worldwide by as soon as 2013, there are strong drivers for adoption acting alongside the generational shift, not least that of competitive advantage. One major global bank was prompted towards M-learning by finding out that its competitors were using it to design and develop vital compliance training, often with a quicker turn-around time.
On behalf of LINE, Ade Derbyshire-Moore, General Manager of LINE Communications Zurich, presented a number of examples of successful mobile learning including:
• Cultural Awareness for the British Army: a media-rich course for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, successfully “ported” from the desktop to the iPhone.
• Dealership Training for Ford of Europe: an example of high-quality video content optimised for mobile devices that allowed dealers to present new features to the customer without taking them away from the vehicle.
Ade Derbyshire-Moore said: ‘Like all technologies, mobile needs to be used appropriately as part of a convergent blended strategy that combines a range of different kinds of learning with communication and performance support. It is not enough to simply repurpose existing e-learning content and methodologies. This, in our experience, is the route to achieving sustainable business benefits.’