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How to Implement Mobile Learning in Global Organizations English as a Business Communication Tool
Online Business English Training via Mobile Delivery: The Perfect Storm The ROI of Mobile Learning Mobile Learning in Action: Applications and Examples Getting Started With Mobile Learning Mobile Hardware Considerations for Mobile Learning Success
MAY 2012
How to Implement Mobile Learning in Global Organizations
Mobile Learning’s Time has Come The rapid development of technology has propelled us into a new mobile era. Today an astounding 87 percent of the world’s population has a mobile subscription! Mobility has rapidly changed our way of communicating: the reliance on mobile devices of all shapes and sizes has now surpassed the use of familiar stationary technologies such as radio, television and PCs. Today we expect information to be available instantaneously, at any time and everywhere, and we turn to mobile devices to provide for this increasingly unavoidable demand. IDC estimates that more than 35 percent of the global workforce will be considered mobile workers by 2013 — some 1.3 billion. In addition, the market for mobile devices is growing exponentially. Numerous studies demonstrate the rapid mobile device adoption. In a survey conducted on 10,000 consumers in 10 countries on 4 continents, Smartphone owners increased from 28% to 53% over the last 12 months (Accenture). In 2011 PC sales have dropped 1 percent internationally, while tablets grew 213 percent (BusinessNewsDaily). Notably 41% of tablets purchased for personal use are being used professionally in a number of sectors: education, government, health, insurance and business, and are used mainly for the purposes of web browsing (73%), mail (69%), distance work (67%), business support (46%) and client presentations (45%) (Tablets at Work study, North America). Combine those statistics with the fact that the growing millennial workforce prefers mobile phones over any other personal technology and the opportunities to deliver learning are limitless. No longer is it a question of “if” an organization should deploy mobile learning but “when” and “how” does an organization deliver mobile learning.
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English as a Business Communication Tool
Another Growing Technology: Online Business English Training As organizations are looking to expand their global footprint and reduce costs, they seek a common business language. Online Business English Training can improve your business communications and expand your opportunities globally. Over 750 million people worldwide speak English as a foreign language (Crystal, The Future of English). And 1 billion people are learning English right now. By uniting your workforce with the most commonly spoken language in the world you can improve your employees’ confidence and improve your bottom line. Business English Training delivered by a vendor partner offering eLearning and mobile learning can help you deliver the English training that your employees need, when they need it for a fraction of the cost of classroom training therefore significantly reducing your investment.
Online Business English Training via Mobile Delivery: The Perfect Storm Documenting the skyrocketing use of smartphones, in January 2012 Google released research concluding that smartphone usage is on the rise. In a study featuring 5 countries (France, Germany, Japan, UK and USA) smartphone usage was growing at staggering numbers in all countries, as much as 283% in Japan from January- December 2011.
Country France Germany Japan United Kingdom United States
Jan-Feb 2011 Sept-Oct 2011 % Increase over Smartphone Usage Smartphone Usage 10 months
27% 18%
38% 23%
40% 29%
6% 30%
17% 45%
283% 50%
31%
38%
22%
goFLUENT International Inc. 101 Jefferson Avenue, Endicott, NY 13760 Tel: +1 515 528 8164 / Email: international@gofluent.com
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How to Implement Mobile Learning in Global Organizations
The statistics above demonstrate that mobile devices are a familiar and universal communication tool. Offering the convenience of anytime, anywhere access, mobile learning combines the convenience of learner comfort with their device with the immediate distribution of knowledge. “With more smartphones be-
Mobile delivery facilitates on-demand contextual learning, whether it’s in the office, at the airport or prior to the next client meeting. The speed of communication facilitated by mobile delivery makes learning immediate, just-in-time and especially relevant.
ing sold every three months than computers, mobile learning is not only growing in popularity but it’s beginning to overtake other forms of eLearning as the most popular technology-delivered learning mechanism.” Christophe Ferrandou, CEO of goFLUENT
The ROI of Mobile LearninG Putting aside all of the excitement and statistics surrounding mobile device usage for a moment, mobile learning is not the end all eLearning solution. It should not be considered a standalone eLearning solution. Mobile learning is, however, an emerging delivery model for a global distance learning solution, where learners can get the service and information they need to accomplish their learning goals. ROI for mobile learning can be measured in the same ways that eLearning is traditionally evaluated by measuring speed to market, speed to competency, automation efficiencies, course completions, compliance and other organization specific analyses.
The question becomes then, is there more ROI difference between an eLearning program with or without a mobile delivery component? To answer this question we look to global workforces and how they are using mobile learning.
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Mobile Learning in Action: Applications and Examples English as a Business Communication Tool
With the popularity of mobile devices already defined, which employee groups can reap the benefits of mobile learning immediately? Your primary audiences are first going to be those whose learning needs are not already being met through online learning via a computer or classroom instruction. Those that can benefit first may include: Mobile workers: Those that are rarely in front of a traditional desktop computer. International business professionals: Those with nontraditional work schedules due to frequent travel. Field workers: Those who seek access to just-in-time learning prior to entering a meeting or accessing learning information while engaged with a client face to face. Users comfortable with technology: Professionals who already know how to use their phones and don’t have to learn to use new hardware. What employee groups in organizations today have some or all of the above characteristics? Executives: Travel often, desire succinct communications and were early adopters of mobile gadgets and technology. Sales Representatives: Very busy and mobile, often require instant information to support customer queries, can benefit from easy access to information and customer support. Field engineers and repair technicians: Like sales personnel, such “in the field” employees are inherently mobile and can use mobile learning to catch up on training and be best prepared to meet with a customer or partner onsite.
goFLUENT International Inc. 101 Jefferson Avenue, Endicott, NY 13760 Tel: +1 515 528 8164 / Email: international@gofluent.com
www.gofluent.com
How to Implement Mobile Learning in Global Organizations
Getting Started With Mobile Learning As an organization is considering mobile delivery for learning you should consider the content that will be delivered to learners. Video is what is consumed the most on smartphones. In addition, there is a very strong link between videos and smartphones/tablets. Not putting videos in a mobile learning app is missing the big picture and the benefits of the emerging trend. Learners are expecting a clear and immediate benefit from their mobile learning. 70% of what employees learn is from real life and on-the-job experiences, tasks and problem solving. Delivering content using a just-in-time mobile delivery model combines content with context.
Selecting an eLearning solution that offers mobile delivery in addition to a computer delivered application puts the choice of accessing the training in the hands of the learner. Learners are then empowered to decide how they will learn, which delivery model best fits their learning styles and perhaps overcomes any learning constraints (geographical, technology, etc.) that they are dealing with.
Once you have selected an eLearning solution with mobile delivery, it’s important to create and execute internal communications and marketing plan for your solution. In order to decide if your organization is truly ready for mobile learning, start by answering these questions:
Step 1: Identify business challenges and define strategy. For any learning initiative to be effective, leaders first need to identify what problem that initiative is going to solve. A mobile learning initiative is no different. To review, common business challenges that are addressed by mobile learning can include:
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Enabling access to Business English Training content and services across a global workforce. English as a Business Communication Tool
Offering learning to a workforce that is already mobile. Delivering just-in-time learning when it is needed most.
Step 2: Define the solution. When defining a solution to address business challenges and fulfill strategic vision, it is important that learning leaders consider specific areas within the organization related to the elements of an eLearning ecosystem.
Technology or infrastructure: If you make a decision to implement mobile learning, it doesn’t mean that you have to provide smartphones for all of your employees. As smartphone usage is on the rise, more than likely, your employees already have the tools, you just need to deliver the content. Culture: Consider different workforce groups. Millennial prefer mobile phones over any other technology, social learning and just-in-time learning. Content: What is your need to deliver video and which mobile device delivers it most effectively?
Step 3: Pilot the mobile learning solution. Limiting risk and cost, piloting a mobile learning program is becoming an industry best practice. There is much to be learned from taking a sample group and running them through the entire program before rolling the program out to your entire learner population.
Step 4: Measure, analyze and refine. Measure effectiveness in order to gauge success. Evaluating a mobile eLearning solution shouldn’t be any different. If you are just getting started with eLearning measurement, a few good indicators to measure are performance improvement, course completion and skill mastery results.
goFLUENT International Inc. 101 Jefferson Avenue, Endicott, NY 13760 Tel: +1 515 528 8164 / Email: international@gofluent.com
www.gofluent.com
How to Implement Mobile Learning in Global Organizations
Mobile Hardware Considerations for Mobile Learning Success When it comes to the hardware side of mobile learning, evaluating the possibilities is challenging. Your strategy about the hardware technology is equally as important as the content that you deliver on it. Furthering the challenge is the well known fact that Flash is not supported by Apple products. Therefore while most eLearning content worldwide is built with Flash this innately creates a strong demand for an iPhone, iPad and iPhone apps in the learning space. On the other hand, Android technology does support Flash, and in general terms any eLearning website works well with Android smartphones. Therefore, where should an organization focus first?
To narrow the hardware options, start by looking at usability. While your employees may have smartphones, taking learning from a small device such as a smartphone can be challenging. It’s much easier to learn from a tablet. Samsung has addressed this challenge and modified their product development by producing larger smartphones. When you do your hardware research you will find that there are hardware solutions available with a larger visual field that can meet your needs and be deployed in combination with smaller mobile learning devices.
To learn more about mobile learning and Business English Training, contact goFLUENT at sales@gofluent.com or to download the goFLUENTiPhone app visit Apple’s App Store: http://www.gofluent.com/web/us/iphone-app
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English as a Business Communication Tool
About goFLUENT goFLUENT offers distance Business English training combing eLearning, telephone lessons and written practice solutions. Each year, goFLUENT assists more than 100,000 employees in over 2,000 companies across the word to enable them to perform better in their international relations. goFLUENT is present in ten countries and has 560 employees - of which 400 are trainers. NTT Communications (NTT Group) holds 30% of shares in the company. For more information, visit goFLUENT online at www.gofluent.com.
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goFLUENT International Inc 101 Jefferson Avenue, Endicott, NY 13760 Tel: +1 515 528 8164 Email: international@gofluent.com
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goFLUENT International Inc. 101 Jefferson Avenue, Endicott, NY 13760 Tel: +1 515 528 8164/ Email: international@gofluent.com
www.gofluent.com