How M-Learning can change the way your Employees look at Corporate Learning
I frequently see my friends sulking on the weekends because they were asked to attend a mandatory classroom training session by their supervisors at work. Such sessions are part of workplace training programs across most sectors. And they are necessary too. Upskilling to keep pace with rapid changes in the respective industries/sectors is key to improving innovation and productivity outcomes in the workplace.
On a side note, many of my friends waste a lot of time glued to their phone/tablet screens. Be it on their commute to and from office, during their lunch/coffee breaks, while in a cab, or on a flight, or on a bus, or even at the gym!
This got me wondering.
I would be what demographers call a millennial. And so are my friends. An underlining characteristic across our demography is that we have very little patience, attention spans, etc. We are all about speed and engagement. A mobile device with interactive learning options is often more interesting and enthusing to us than a teacher who lectures us. The latter simply doesn’t resonate with us.
But neither my friends nor their supervisors have quite gotten used to seeing a mobile device as a true learning tool.
So here are my thoughts. About what a Human Resource Manager / Training Manager could do to better engage with my generation.
Give us m-learning, any day!
Engage and motivate us
You can engage with us remotely, and regularly through the mobile phone. We are hyper connected. Use mobile learning tools to assign training modules to us. Simple tools with a good user experience can make us look forward to the next module with eagerness. If the training session can be broken down into bite-sized chunks you got us — we are super engaged and we can complete those training modules faster.
Use our comfort zone, reduce the formality
Don’t you agree that there is a lot of formality involved with traditional corporate learning set ups. Most of us millennials are far more comfortable in an informal set up than a formal training room setup. Please don’t force us to show up on a Sunday morning dressed in smart casuals just to attend a video session on the company’s organizational structure, when you can roll out an m-Learning module on the same followed by a quick quiz at the end.
Give us Offline access to Learning Modules
Despite our hyper-connectedness, sometimes and in someplaces there is patchy internet or worse, no internet at all. Make it easier for us by using a Learning Tool which offers offline access to learning resources. Consider using an LMS which combines offline access with mobile-centric learning. Your fresh hires would greatly appreciate the ability to go through those new compliance modules in airplane mode while on their flight back home for a long weekend.
Minimize the hoops to reach your content
Ever notice how Instagram has an array of pics from across the globe lined up for you with just one tap? Even Facebook is designed to take you wherever you want to go with the minimum number of touches. Use a tool which has a simple app, one where there aren’t too many hoops to jump just to reach a newly assigned module or assessment. Learning Management Systems like LearnBee possess an well-designed app which uses push notifications and a simple, quick-access layout to minimize time taken by a person to reach a certain point.
Mobile Learning is not a new trend. It has been here for sometime now. But its adoption and experience are just catching up. Proof.
Of the people who experimented with mobile learning, 42% (link) reported that it has greatly contributed to improvements in organizational productivity and employee retention. These numbers are only going to increase as the ‘millennials’, who were brought up amidst screens and gadgets start entering the corporate workforce.
Piggyback your enterprise learning onto the millennials’ mobile addiction. Get us where we are.
