It’s no secret that mLearning is a revolution in eLearning, and for good reason. Forrester reports that 66 percent of people use two or more mobile devices every day, including phones and tablets. Mobile learning trends indicates that this number will rise. With that type of usage, mLearning is a no-brainer: Your learners already have the tools for training in their pockets. But there is a gap where mLearning can fall short, and that’s through a lack of instructor. Without the person-to-person connection of a live instructor, mLearning may not reach its full potential.
Mobile Limitations
The ability to push information to your learners anytime, anywhere is awesome. But mobile learners also like to throttle the flow of communication, which can mean a lack of engagement. After all, learning stops as soon as the application closes and the phone is slipped back into a pocket.
Distractions can also be an issue for mLearners. Even if an mLearning course is engaging and interesting, a text message, email, game or funny video could halt engagement while the learner stops the application to play a level of Candy Crush. Unfortunately, that distraction can lead to others, making mLearning less effective.
Instructor-Led Virtual Training
Enter the mobile learning teacher: A facilitator who helps to keep mLearners on track with a more engaging experience. By swapping the typical, learner-led version of mLearning with an instructor led virtual training model, learners get the benefit of an instructor who is invested in sending information, fielding questions and facilitating discussion.
With an ILVT model, instructors are there to help learners so you lose less to distractions and a lack of engagement. With a more traditional component to a forward-thinking method of training, ILVT bridges the gap left when making the switch to an mLearning module.
ILVT Benefits
Consider it the coffee shop method: Mobile learning with an instructional component can seem like a toned-down, casual way to train. Rather than simply looking over the material or taking a quick quiz, learners sign in at specific times and interact with each other, much like a real classroom – only on a smaller screen.
With ILVT-based mLearning, students get the benefit of real-time discussion, through scheduled chats and forums. They can receive feedback in a collaborative environment and build relationships with the instructor and other learners for a safer sharing space. What’s more, the ILVT mLearning environment allows for pre-lesson interaction and post-less discussion, which extends the instructor’s reach and further increases knowledge retention.
By adding an instructor to mobile learning, learners score all the benefits of pocket-sized lessons – portability, instant connectivity and convenience – but also reap the benefits of traditional education, an area where mLearning can sometimes fall short. In the end, instructor-led mLearning can make sure learners stay glued to the material, so you’re less likely to lose their attention in a battle against Candy Crush.
