You Have (Almost) Everything You Need to Start an mLearning Program Right Now

If you’re anything like the companies we referenced in last week’s mobile myth-busting post, then chances are these next seven words will apply directly to you:

Implementing an mLearning program is easier than you think.  

And then, there are these other, equally as critical six words:

You just need the right tools.

There’s often a great deal of confusion and complexity around the concept of “going mobile”, and yet, most companies underestimate their own resources and abilities to develop mLearning. Often, these misperceptions around mLearning are related to a lack of understanding as to what ‘going mobile’ means. In this post, we’ve broken it down for you, piece by piece, and highlighted what’s required (and what’s not) to successfully take your content mobile.

Understanding the “m” in mLearning

First things first: the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend is unmistakable and is here to stay (which we discussed here, among other places), and yet, companies are finding themselves unsure as to how they should meet this shift head-on.

The most common mistake companies make is to develop native mobile apps from scratch because they believe it’s the best, and only, way to deliver mLearning. Thankfully, modern platforms like Inkling provide off-the-shelf mobile distribution options, saving both money and time typically allotted to costly, time-consuming development projects. At Inkling, we believe that your team should be focused on creating effective mLearning, rather than on the logistical and technical details of getting content to the right places.

Choosing the right content

As we discussed in last week’s mobile post, mLearning doesn’t require starting from scratch, nor does it mean “shoving” your eLearning content into smaller screens. It’s a careful balance between leveraging your existing content and identifying what types of content is ideal for mobile consumption.

From your existing assets, you might choose to include videos, for example, or short summaries that users can easily digest on the go. But when it comes to instructor-led slides, we suggest you leave those for the classroom–slides may still be important for your training objectives, but they’re generally optimized for desktops, not mobile devices.

Getting your content mobile-ready

Chances are, you have the bulk of your training content created, but need a way to get this same content mobile-optimized and mobile-appropriate (translation: bite-sized). This is where platforms like Inkling come in: all it takes is a simple ingestion process to bring your content into a universally acceptable format like HTML. Inkling does this seamlessly, so you can both work off of legacy content AND create new content for mLearning contexts, across iOS, Android, and the mobile web.

What’s more, while some of your content may not yet be mobile-optimized, interactive tools, such as Inkling’s widgets, can aid the transformation process. Large, detailed images become more manageable when you add in an interactive guided tour that walks users through important aspects, or poptips that reveal bite-sized information.

The bottom line:

As your workforce grows increasingly reliant on and comfortable with using their mobile devices to consume work-related content, it’s important to take inventory of your mobile-ready resources.

 Do you have content that’s easily consumable on the go? Do you have a good sense of the types of devices most commonly used by your employees? If the answer is yes to both questions, it’s likely time to think about the best platforms to take you (and your content) across the mLearning finish line!

To learn more about how Inkling’s cloud publishing platform can jumpstart your mLearning program, request a free demo from our sales team.