Mobile Devices, SCORM and Mobile Learning BY SCHOLARIX ON NOVEMBER 24, 2011 IN UNCATEGORIZED
Mobile Devices and Scorm SCORMis great and carries many benefits for building an online course. If you are not familiar with SCORMyou may want to read more here. So while traditional applications of SCORMcompliance have their benefits, the benefits of having SCORMcompliant courses on mobile devices is potentially even greater. While SCORMcompliant content works well on traditional desktop computer learning environments, with the demand for mobile learning and wide spread use of these devices, we can encounter several issueswhen attempting to view SCORMcontent on mobile technologies. With this in mind there are many considerations we must take when creating SCORMcontent if we intend on it being able to be used with mobile devices. As an example, one such consideration deals with determining which devices will be used with the SCORMcourse we are building and ensuring that these mobile devices have support for flash, pop-up windows, frames etc. Theseare all components commonly used in SCORMcompliant courses. In many casesthere are workarounds for increasing or gaining compatibility on various devices. For example, if your device does not support flash like an iPad, you can use tools like this to display flash content. This tool is a complete browser for iOScapable playing flash.
Similarly workarounds for adding frame and iframe support may have to be researched for various other devices. Sometimes these workarounds can come in the form of third-party browsers such as Opera Mini or Opera Mobile and at other times be commercially produced add-ons available from the various device market places or app stores. In fact, sometimes solutions are programmed by hobbyist coders or independent entrepreneurs. But generally speaking we want a solution that will work without any extra apps or modifications. Easier solutions create happier clients. Thankfully these technological barriers soon will be resolved as SCORMauthoring tools make the shift to HTML5 compatibility. HTML5 is stated to be widely supported by most modern mobile devices within the coming months. But technology is not the only barrier to creating SCORMcompliant courses on mobile devices. When creating a SCORMcourse we must also define the following important variables: •
The time frame the course must be deployed. Most SCORMcoursesare considered rapid E-learning and can be changed and deployed quickly.
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Whether the content would require frequent updates
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If the content is being imported from different documents like PPT, PDF,DOCXetc.
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The course or program budget
Another important consideration is when creating content that will be displayed on mobile devices we must understand the mobile learners behavior and lifestyle. This is a concept, I did not even think off until my businesspartner mentioned it to me in a brainstorming session. Most of the time with a mobile device, we are on the move or on the go and subsequently have more shorter, more frequent gaps than longer less frequent gaps. What I mean is we might have 5 minutes before our next meeting or class, 7 minutes before the train arrives, or 10
minutes while waiting in line for something. Therefore, mobile learning content should be designed in “bite-sized� learning chunks with small pieces of content that can be digested within 5-15 minutes. Industry terms for this type of content include Learning Nuggets or Snack Learning. This whole concept of lifestyle based learning opens up a new paradigm in learning. Learners now have a way to define their own (PLE) Personal Learning Environment. And when learners define their learning environment they will absorb the information better in comparison to a situation where the PLEwould be defined for them (for example in a classroom or training room). My personal opinion is that mobile learning is more important than ever and will only become more in demand as mobile device prices drop and users adopt more towards internet enabled mobile devices. And with the impact of globalization having a workforce on the go is fast becoming an crossindustrial standard. Companies that recognize this changing working dynamic can gain a competitive advantage over their peers by having a mobile workforce that is ready to pounce on any opportunity and one that is always educated on a minute to minute basis. For more information on how you can create a mobile learning strategy for your businessdrop us a line at consulting@scholarix.ca or visit our contact page and fill in our brief contact form