Two new reports dial in on m-learning

Last October, dominKnow Learning Systems released the beta of our Touch Learning Center Portal, which gives learners easy mobile learning access to content ranging from full online courses to individual Learning Objects and support documentation via the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Of course, the iPhone 3-G launch two weeks ago has spun renewed buzz about mobile learning, and a pair of recent reports show that interest in mobile learning is definitely in a growth mode, at least as far as interest in its possibilities is concerned.

About two weeks ago the Brandon Hall Research team released a business brief report entitled "Mobile Learning: The Essential Information for Training Professionals", while last week the E-Learning Guild released its Guild Research 360° Report on Mobile Learning.

Both reports contain some interesting information on the current and future state of mobile learning.

The Brandon Hall business brief includes an interesting definition of mobile learning, one that goes beyond just the image of accessing information via a cell or smart phone: "True mobile learning is personalized learning that unites the learner's context with cloud computing using a mobile device."

I like this definition because it points out that smart phones can do so much more than just access e-mail and the Internet to get information. On-board Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and camera and video features open a huge range of possibilities, such as accessing information that is localized to the user's current location, or the ability to access image recognition tools to help identify an object the learner might be looking at, right at that given moment.

The E-Learning Guild report points out an interesting dichotomy – while 8% of respondents' organizations have implemented mobile learning, 17% of these same organization are using m-learning. The Guild points out that the fact that twice as many organizations are using m-learning as have officially implemented m-learning is a product of user interest and initiation. In many organizations that haven't yet explicitly created learning content for mobile devices, learners and users are still often using mobile devices to access existing learning opportunities.

Says the report: "So, it appears that many learners are turning e-Learning into m-Learning without the instructional designers, content developers, or implementers having to do a thing."

What makes this even more interesting is that more than 74% of respondents to the Guild survey "somewhat or strongly agree that m-Learning is a user choice, and not something that management should mandate".

M-learning, it seems, is already perceived as needing to be being learner-focused, which is a great starting point for a developing learning modality.

Most startling – for a Canadian at least – is the strength with which the Guild states that Canada is behind the times in terms of mobile learning use:

"Indeed, when we drill down and explore use of particular features, and plans for the next 12 months, etc., we see that Asia Pacific leads in practically every category and Canada lags in every category. This has little to do with the mind set of learners in these regions and much more to do with the wireless infrastructure, as Asia Pacific's is very robust and Canada's is relatively feeble and relatively expensive."

It reveals an interesting emphasis on the factors that impose limits on the old e-learning maxim of "anytime, anywhere".

Chris Van Wingerden is Vice President Learning Solutions at dominKnow Learning Systems.