Technology has irrevocably changed the landscape of learning and training, not only in schools but also in the business world as well. Today everyone has at least one mobile device, to which they are usually attached to at the hip--just take a look in any public space, or whenever people have downtime while commuting or waiting, and you will see hordes of people checking their phones, responding to emails, or playing a quick game of Tetris.
So why not take advantage of people's attachments to their iPads and smartphones, and utilize mobile learning as the most effective employee training and learning method? Here are the top three reasons why mobile learning is a trend you need to incorporate into employee training:
Gamification
One reason why people are so addicted to their handheld devices is because of the intrinsic reward of answering each soft "ping" alerting them to a new text message or email. It's almost like a video game.
People like games, they like winning prizes and points, even virtual ones, and incorporating an element of gamification into your training will make employees more likely to pay attention and learn what they need to learn.
Manageable lesson lengths
Presenting lessons must be presented in smaller modules can help improve employees' ability to remember and retain information through content chunking, the concept of breaking content into bite-sized pieces that are more manageable for the human brain. People's attention spans are shorter than ever, with multiple demands clamoring for their attention. Microlearning is the perfect strategy to counter human distraction. Microlearning consists of content provided in small, specific bursts allowing learners to control what and when they are learning. It is effective for helping learners focus when they are learning and better remember and retain information.
Customized learning
Making content mobile gives you a lot of room for individualization. Instead of putting all employees through the same exact training modules at the same pace, utilizing mobile devices allows people to take the training at a pace that works for them, repeating modules or ideas that they need extra reinforcement on and breezing through the information they already know. Not only does this address different employees different learning styles, it's simply a more efficient way to get information across.
Flexible lesson times
Everyone has a different learning style. Some people learn better at night, while others prefer studying in the morning. Some people retain information better when they couple studying with a brisk jog, while others need to be in a totally quiet, climate-controlled environment to absorb the material they need to learn.
With mobile learning, employees are able to learn wherever and whenever they want. Instead of sitting through a yawn-inducing two-hour-long training session, mobile learners are able to learn in the way and at the time when it is most effective and convenient for them, increasing their ability to retain interest and recall the information they need to remember.
Active learning
Lectures are passive, and not terribly effective, but continuously having access to information provides endless opportunities for learners to interact with the material and make it their own. Push notifications can remind learners to review their lessons even when they aren't actively on the learning platform, and different hand gestures include a kinetic and kinesthetic element to the learning process that helps reinforce the material.
Employees can learn on the job, in real time, while they are completing the task at hand. Sometimes known as "just-in-time learning," mobile learning gives employees to ability to access necessary information exactly when and where they need it, reinforcing the lesson in their mind as they immediately put into practice the information they receive.
Mobile training is here to stay, and those who want to be at the forefront of their industry would be wise to take advantage of this versatile and powerful platform. For more information about how to use mobile learning to improve your restaurant, be sure to download our most recent guide, How Restaurants are Using Modern Learning to Drive Innovation.
