WHITEPAPER VOLUME 4 | NO.1
MOBILE LEARNING Delivering Learning in a Connected World
ASTD Research: Connecting Research to Performance
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RESEARCH
Š 2012 by the American Society for Training & Development. All rights reserved.
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About This Study Advancements in technology have exponentially changed not only the ways in which we experience the world, but also completely revolutionized – in a relatively short span of time – how we work and learn. Just in the past few years, the expectation of connectivity has become ubiquitous in nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Considering that corporations are continually striving
In 2011, there were 6 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide; this is equivalent to 87 percent of the world’s population.
87%
to do more with less, including providing development opportunities for their employees while meeting business objectives, the role of technology is a key factor. Clearly, mobile learning bridges these objectives by providing additional means of learning possibilities that continue to evolve.
Mobile Learning: Delivering Content in a Connected World, (hereafter, the Study) looks at the current landscape of mobile learning in a world in which the ubiquity of mobile devices seems to have created a perfect environment for delivering learning solutions to our workforce, where or when they need it.
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Introduction
Key findings include:
The foundation of this Study is an analysis of responses
• Less than one-third of organizations deliver learning
to an ASTD/Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)
content via mobile device, despite its high correlation
survey of 567 business and learning professionals, 154 of
with both the Learning Education Index and Market
which reported that their organizations are currently using
Performance Index.
mobile learning in their organizations. The Study also includes insights gathered from interviews conducted with representatives of several organizations in February and March 2012.
• Mobile learning enhances the learning function through performance support. • Chief barriers to adopting mobile learning include budget, integration with legacy learning systems, and security.
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• Less than 10 percent of respondents who deliver
Organizations are still on the cusp of integrating emerging
mobile learning have formal metrics in place to
technologies into learning strategies. To be successful,
evaluate effectiveness.
they will need to overcome technology hurdles to meet
• Over half of respondents believe mobile technologies
learning and development.
will improve learning in their organization in the next three years.
Mobile Learning Is Off to a Slow Start Technology continues to move at lightning speed,
FIGURE 1: MOBILE ACCESS TO
LEARNING CONTENT
Does your organization make any internal learning content available via mobile device?
offering opportunities for providing the latest and greatest information to our workforce – but it’s not always easy to implement it. Respondents reported that less
4%
than a third of their organizations make learning content available via mobile devices (see Figure 1).
28%
Despite the high correlation between learning effectiveness and market performance, over two-thirds of respondents from high-performing organizations report their organizations do not provide learning via a mobile device. This suggests they are leveraging technology well enough to make an impact, but there
68%
is still a long way to go. Karl-Heinz Oehler, Vice President of Global Talent Management for the Hertz Corporation, explains his position by saying, “I absolutely think we need to give people access to material where and when they need it. It’s imperative to have a mobile learning strategy and
Yes
that’s even more important with emerging generations.
No
But I will add that when I talk to my peers who are in global companies, nobody has one.”
Don't know
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Mobile Hardware Landscape
Given the nascent state of mobile learning, it is not
Smartphones and tablets overlap in the mobile space
their organizations provide mobile devices dependent
but differ in key respects that make them likely to
on job type or level exceeds the number of respondents
complement rather than fully supplant one another.
who claim their organizations provide tablet computers
In particular, phones are more portable than tablets
dependent on job type or level by 15 and 16 percent
and are better suited to voice communication, whereas
respectively (See Figure 2). It is reasonable to expect,
tablets provide more screen real estate and superior
however, that this gap is likely to narrow over time
interactive versatility.
as the utility of tablets and policies governing the use
surprising that the number of respondents who claim
of all mobile-networked devices matures.
DEVICES AND TABLETS PROVIDED BY ORGANIZATION FIGURE 2: MOBILE Does your organization provide the following?
37.9%
Yes, dependent on job type
Tablets
31.4%
Yes, dependent on job level
15.9% 5.3% 1.4%
Yes, all employees
19.2%
No
51.9% 5.6%
Policy is inconsistent
Don't know
Mobile devices
22.9%
7.1% 0.5% 0.9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
04 | MOBILE LEARNING: Delivering Learning in a Connected World
40%
50%
60%
Barriers to Mobile Learning
On the costing side, variables impacting mobile learning budgets include, but are not limited to:
There are several shared reasons why such a low percentage of companies have moved beyond the pilot stages of mobile learning. The barriers to implementing a mobile strategy are considerable. Waiting for the technologies to advance to the place where they are able to be harnessed for learning needs is just the beginning of the challenges.
• cost of content development and technologies • allocation of budget to existing learning programs • expense of transitioning or migrating existing programs to new platforms • complexity of integrating new technologies into legacy systems
Budget Budget is noted as the chief barrier in this Study. Almost half of the respondents consider budget constraints to be a barrier to a high or very high extent (see Figure 3).
• difficulty or failure to measure ROI. The degree to which budgets constrain or facilitate specific initiatives generally reflect institutions’ priorities
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and their assessments of competing value propositions. But the real and perceived value of learning in general is often difficult to quantify, and the relatively new universe of mobile learning is even more so, given the ambiguity of associated costs and shallow historical record of results. This makes budget a particularly difficult constraint to mobile learning.
FIGURE 3:
BARRIERS TO MOBILE LEARNING
To what extent do you consider these barriers to adopting mobile learning technologies for the learning function in the coming years?
46%
Budget constraints Difficult to integrate into legacy learning systems
37%
Security concerns
36%
Lack of IT infrastructure to support these technologies
35% 32%
Legal or policy concerns Lack of internal skills to take advantage of these technologies for content development
27% 23%
Lack of understanding from leadership
22%
Not a priority
21%
Resistance from IT to implement
20%
Lack of support from leadership Lack of interest from learners in using these technologies
10%
Lack of trusted brands
10% 0%
10%
20%
30%
Percentage of respondents indicating high or very high extent.
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40%
50%
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Mobile Learning Has Great Potential
Mobile devices can now readily handle multimedia over
Over half of all respondents agree to a high or very high
ease across multiple platforms and devices. Security
extent that mobile technology will improve learning in
technologies and protocols allow unprecedented
their organization in the next three years. This Study
information integration and access. Together, the multiple
shows that high-performing organizations are able to
pieces of the mobile learning puzzle have matured to
leverage their use of technology to deliver learning
the point where organizations need to evolve their
content and consequently meet business and learning
thinking from “Can we have a mobile learning policy?”
needs effectively. Figure 4 shows a strong correlation
to “Should we have a mobile learning policy?” and,
across both learning functions and market performance.
if so, “What should a mobile learning policy look like?”
high-speed wireless networks. Interactive applications can be designed in HTML5 and delivered with equal
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LEARNING WITH MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES FIGURE 4: IMPROVING To what extent do you think mobile technologies will improve in your organization over the next three years?
Overall
20.7%
Very high extent
32.7%
7.7% High extent
23.1%
36.3% 34.7%
0%
53.8%
8.9% 4.1% 7.7%
2.2% Not at all 0%
Not sure 0% 0%
Low performers
31.1% 28.6%
Moderate extent Small extent
High performers
7.7% 7.0% 10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
In short, technology has reached a point of inflection
For most firms, however, now is the time to explore if not
in which effective mobile learning strategies need
capitalize on new opportunities to enhance employee skill
to be driven by intent rather than defined by the
sets and employ new methods to satisfy customers. “This
limits of circumstance.
year will mark the year of that beginning,” explains John
The reality is that mobile learning may not be for everyone; some organizations are not incorporating mobile delivery into their learning strategy due to the lack of a mobile workforce. Although mobile delivery
Polaschek, Senior Manager of Learning Technology for Qualcomm. “Because smartphone sales are overtaking PC sales, now is the time to start thinking about delivering our content for those devices.”
may be an ideal solution for those employees who can’t free up a few days to take a course.
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Conclusion & Policy Recommendations
• Partner with internal units. Integrating mobile technology into the workforce is no small endeavor, especially within large corporations. Once a
Mobile technology is changing the world and our
compelling strategy and convincing arguments for
experience of it. From an organizational perspective,
its implementation are in place, barriers like security
mobile learning allows for a spectrum of possibilities that
and budget will still need to be addressed. Partnering
were not present before, and they continue to evolve
with the appropriate internal units will speed the
before us.
process and increase success factors.
Based on the results of this study and interviews with
• Take advantage of the mobile web. Remain device
professionals, we offer the following recommendations
and platform agnostic and utilize HTML5 as a starting
as you investigate the fit of mobile learning for your
point for your mobile learning strategy.
organization: • Reassess your learning strategy and determine your organization’s objectives. Organizations must have a clear strategy capable of proving effectiveness and contributing to the bottom line. It is important to remember that mobile devices are an option within a suite of options and might prove an effective component within a broader learning strategy. To jump on the mobile learning bandwagon just because it’s an emerging area does not ensure effectiveness. An understanding of the technologies as well as learning will be necessary to ensure learning strategies and solutions are aligned with business needs.
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ABOUT THE
AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS
Lorrie Lykins is i4cp’s managing editor and director of
Erin DeSandro is a senior research specialist with ASTD
research services. She has worked in the field of human
and served as an editor and data analyst for this report.
capital research since 2002, beginning with Human
Contact information: (703) 683-9593 or edesandro@astd.org.
Resource Institute, and has published numerous articles and whitepapers on topics ranging from corporate volunteerism to talent management. She is a contributing author to The ASTD Leadership Handbook (2010), and her work has been featured in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Lorrie is an adjunct professor in
Lon Levy is a senior designer for ASTD and served as the designer for this report. She conceptualized the ASTD research report, and has previously worked on conference materials, program guides, brochures, and membership mailings.
the adult education program at Eckerd College in St.
Ashley McDonald is the senior associate editor for
Petersburg, Florida. Contact information: (727) 345-2226
ASTD Press and served as an editor for this report. She
or lorrie.lykins@i4cp.com.
edits and manages the production process for all ASTD research reports. Contact information: (703) 683-9202 or
T. Cricket Powell is a research analyst for the Institute for
amcdonald@astd.org.
Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and served as the primary author of this report. She has 19 years’ experience in
Laurie Miller is the director of ASTD research services. In
the field of learning and development and served as
that capacity, she serves as ASTD’s senior research program
the Director of Organizational Learning & Development
strategist and designer. She provides oversight and
for the first healthcare system ever to earn the Malcolm
direction for all of ASTD’s internal and external, industry
Baldridge National Quality Award (2002).
specific, and market research services. Contact information: (703) 838-5846 or lmiller@astd.org.
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ABOUT THE
CONTRIBUTING ORGANIZATIONS
The American Society for Training & Development
The Institute for Corporate Productivity
The American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) is
The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) improves
the world’s largest professional association dedicated to the
corporate productivity through a combination of research,
training and development field. In more than 100 countries,
community, tools, and technology, focused on the
ASTD’s members work in organizations of all sizes, in the
management of human capital. With more than 100
private and public sectors, as independent consultants, and
leading organizations as members, including many of the
as suppliers. Members connect locally in 128 U.S. chapters
best known companies in the world, i4cp draws upon one
and with 20 international partners. ASTD started in 1943
of the industry’s largest and most experienced research
and in recent years has widened the profession’s focus to
teams and executives in-residence to produce more than
align learning and performance to organizational results,
10,000 pages of rapid, reliable, and respected research
and is a sought-after voice on critical public policy issues.
annually, surrounding all facets of the management of
For more information, visit www.astd.org.
people in organizations. Additionally, i4cp identifies and analyzes the upcoming major issues and future trends that are expected to influence workforce productivity and provides member clients with tools and technology to execute leading-edge strategies and “next practices” on these issues and trends. For more information, visit www.i4cp.com.
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2012 ASTD Research Topics
• ASTD Research tracks trends, informs decisions,
• Mobile Learning
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