Mobile devices with internet access have gone from being a luxury item to a necessity in a very short amount of time. For many people, the last thing they take a look at before they go to bed and the very first thing they look at when they wake up is their mobile screen.
There are currently more mobile devices on earth than humans, and that’s perhaps why these devices have become an integral part of our lives. It’s true to such an extent that learners are increasingly turning to mobile learning for knowledge sharing and skill development.
Mobile learning makes use of a variety of elements to provide a plethora of benefits. These features are often designed to provide your learners with more ease and freedom. Some of them, however, strive to boost learner engagement.
Every mobile learning solution is unique. Here are some features of a mLearning solution:
- Microlearning units
- Social features
- Online and offline synchronous learning
- Game mechanics
It seems apparent that mobile learning is here to stay. Mobile learning is becoming the dominating form of eLearning due to its flexibility and widespread acceptance. It will play an important role in the future of eLearning. As a result, businesses are scrambling to find new ways to push their mobile learning initiatives to the next level.
In light of this knowledge, it is interesting to know more about which mobile learning trends indicate that we are on the verge of a new era of learning – via mobile devices.
Top Mobile Learning Trends
Geo-Location Based Learning
Because of their small size, mobile devices are ideal for GPS use. This has enabled a new method of providing material based on the device’s geographical location. Organizations engage in location-sensitive marketing, such as when we see advertisements for nearby hotels pop up while browsing websites on our phones or laptops.
The combined power of mobile, social, real-time learning, and geo-location delivers personalized, authentic, and context-aware design and learning models. Using these technologies, learners can also have access to real-time dashboards to track their progress and access the correct content or experts depending on their geo-location—all via mobile delivery.
Mobile Courses That Are Personalized
Most L&D teams struggle to provide learners with personalized courses. Customized and personalized courses are essential for any form of training, but especially for skill development.
mLearning is intended to personalize the learners’ courses and training. Because of their short learning format, L&D teams should create personalized courses. As a result of its personalized courses, mobile learning can be utilized for on-the-job training. This is why mobile learning courses that are personalized will be popular in the future.
Virtual And Augmented Reality
You may recall the craze that engulfed the gaming world following the release of Pokémon Go in 2016. It was the start of mobile augmented reality, adapting the gaming experience based on the player’s location. However, virtual reality and augmented reality are no longer limited to the world of video games.
The purpose of learning with augmented reality on your mobile device is straightforward: the user experience (UX) is significantly more engaging and instantly gamified. An improved user experience means a tenfold commitment.
Today, this learning approach on mobile phones is still uncommon, but it will become more common in the future, particularly for “hands-on” teaching in real-life settings.
Chatbots In Mobile Learning
We’ve all come across chatbots. Remember how a personalized bot is always ready to assist you whenever you visit a website or app? L&D professionals utilize the same chatbots to address specific inquiries from learners. These AI chatbots could be made into virtual coaches who can provide particular question answers to make training easier and aid learners in developing skill sets.
AI chatbots revolutionize mobile learning by:
- Reminding learners about the training.
- Guiding learners in a mobile setting.
- Interacting with learners in the same way that an instructor would.
- Providing pertinent information based on the needs of the learner.
- Offering comments and feedback during the learning process.
Wearable Technology
It would be unfair to discuss mobile devices without mentioning wearables. There is a great deal of activity in the wearable technology market, whether it is for tracking health, finding routes on Google Glass, or engaging with people via Apple Watch or Android Wear.
Again, such devices can be utilized for context-sensitive information rendering, such as live broadcasting of a surgery operation via Google Glass. As wearables become more of a need than a luxury (as smartphones did a few years ago), we may expect to see them actively employed for learning as well.
Next-Generation Mobile Learning User Experience
One popular mobile learning trend is focusing on user experience (UX) to give superior learning experiences on mobile devices. Mobile learning course material can be delivered in the form of a microlearning course, articles, blogs, videos, or podcasts—the possibilities are endless!
In mobile learning, user experience is critical for:
- Providing learners with access to information when they need it.
- Providing continuous learning with the option of offline learning.
- Facilitating rapid knowledge sharing.
Responsive Web Design For Cross-Device Consistency
As learners often begin a course on their laptop, finish it on their tablet, and even revisit it on their mobile phone, responsive design is critical to delivering consistent learning experiences.
The current trend is to look into more ways to make information more progressive and responsive in order to promote learning practices and maintain consistency as learners transfer across devices.
Conclusion
Mobile learning is becoming a more popular mode of training and education. Hundreds of new and cutting-edge apps and tools are expected to be developed soon to augment this learning approach.
Furthermore, as technology advances, learners will have access to a plethora of smart technologies that will make their learning much easier and more pleasant.
Mobile learning will revolve around learners all across the world, with apps and tools used to share learning resources as well. Walking in tandem with change is now a requirement, not an option, in adjusting to emerging technological trends. This is the reality for the future of learning. These trends will surely gain popularity in the future since learning competency is becoming not only quick and modular but also addictive!
