Are you using mobile devices to bolster training programs? It’s time
As a more tech savvy crowd enters the workforce, it’s critical that employers start to use all the benefits mobile technology has to offer.
Reason: Almost everyone today has a smartphone they use to perform at least some work-related tasks on the go – answering email, making calls, conducting research, etc.
And it pays to alter training programs to take full advantage of that work style as more employees begin to adopt it.
Training upgrades:
John McCann, a digital marketing specialist for the online teaching company eCoach, said a recent survey by Brandon Hall Group found that 73% of organisations are now actively involved in mobile learning of one sort or another, and 87% planned to increase “mLearning” use within the following year.
What’s more, McCann writes, PewResearch found that 86% of smartphone owners have used their phones in the previous 30 days to find ‘just in time’ information. Eighteen-to-29 year olds are even more likely to have used a mobile device for informal JIT research or informal learning of some type, he says.
McCann offered up these tips to best implement mobile devices into your training practices:
- Use mobile training materials as supplements. A common mistake when incorporating mobile devices into training is to completely revamp the training program to accommodate them. But what’s better is using mobile-friendly training materials to complement your already established training regimens.
- Make sure materials are mobile-friendly. Check that any material you want workers to access on mobile devices actually appears on those devices as you want it to. In other words, pull the materials up on both an Apple and Android device to make sure nothing’s thrown off.
- Keep lessons short. People use mobile devices for quick, on-the-go info checks. About three to seven minutes are all it takes to make an effective point. Any longer and you risk losing people’s attention.
- Keep the content interactive. Little is retained by going through pages and pages of text, so make sure to break up lessons with infographics, videos or short quizzes.
