[Employee Training] Anywhere, Anytime Learning

If someone told me years ago that we could use technology to learn “anytime, anywhere,” I may have thought, “Why would we want to do that?” How does one effectively use an anytime, anywhere learning approach?

One adult-learning principle is the tendency to learn when the subject matter is relevant to them at the time. This relevancy may occur anytime and anywhere and probably not in a classroom. Wireless technology can enhance any integrated learning experience with a “just in time/as needed” strategy. Just think of today’s Internet-based wireless mobile technology: laptop computers, PDAs, cell phones, GPSs, audio tapes/CDs and mp3 players/digital audio players.

One can use technology to enhance a desired instructional outcome by blending wireless delivery within the overall course. There are college professors posting their lectures online that students download and listen to on their iPods. There is nothing new with blended learning but what is new is the magnitude and depth of it. There are good and bad blended learning solutions in today’s training world.

MOBILE LEARNING TIPS. Here are some examples how one could use today’s technology for mobile learning:

• Use text messaging to ask a review question from a recent classroom training session. Extend the classroom learning curve with an answer/reply and short discussion via text.
• Set up a training voice mailbox to record an audio learning message of the week. One could use this technique for workplace safety tips. Have the callers respond with an answer to a question implanted within the training greeting validating they heard the message. 
• Set up a training link on your Web page for technicians (and customers) with a topic of the week or month (seasonal pest pressure related). Validate learning with a brief, fun quiz or activity at your regular training meeting.

BLENDING OLD AND NEW. However, using today’s technology for mobile learning can be much more than these three examples. Can technology improve learning? The answer is certainly, but only if it is done right (following good instructional design principles). Let’s not forget how adults learn: seeing it, hearing it and doing it. Today’s technology certainly can be used for all three learning styles. But let’s also not forget the role of fun in effective learning.

Mobile learning can be validated by incorporating quizzes and skill tests throughout the content. Quizzes can be fun, such as a Jeopardy! game approach. The power of having learners see and hear information right before doing it should not be underestimated. Providing real-life examples of applying information can refreshen a skill being re-learned. This should be brought into the overall instruction design.

According to a Bersin & Associates white paper that was published in December 2004, a single video can be used five different ways: 1) initial learning, 2) refresh learning, 3) team meetings, 4) one-on-one coaching sessions, and 5) performance support on the job. This video can be delivered on three different screens: TV, PC and handhelds. The same goes for other tools such as PowerPoint slides. Implications of mobile learning are indeed far reaching.

TIPS AND TRICKS. Here are some tips to effectively use today’s technology as a mobile learning solution:

• Without reinforcement, people forget most of what was learned in any single event (i.e., classroom training). Mobile learning can be used as a refresher or as classroom learning reinforcement.
• Adults tend to prefer lessons that address specific tasks/skills right before doing them. Assure that the lesson can be delivered anytime and anywhere for “just in time/as needed” learning.
• Shorter is better. Keep individual lessons to 5 to 10 minutes. Chop up subject matter into “learning shorts” to create an opportunity for more occurrences with short learning times. 
• Customize the lesson by using a voice, language and images of the learners themselves.
• Develop a lesson in a “create once, deploy many” approach (e.g., TV, PC, PDA, cell phone).
• Integrate mobile learning into the overall instructional design of the entire course. Set learning objectives for each “learning short” that would be a part of the overall course.
• Create a start-to-finish vision of the overall course to best mix the appropriate technology. 
• Information critical to an employee’s day to day activities would be a likely candidate for mobile learning lessons. Have an on-going, readily accessible resource available.

FINAL THOUGHTS. Mobile learning with today’s technology offers the pest management industry new opportunities to rapidly engage learners, especially the younger generation, and can make in the field learning much more flexible. Using today’s technology to extend learning beyond the traditional channels is a great “value added” opportunity. Learning is “in the air” and all around us. Happy mobile learning!

The author is a Certified Professional Instructor and a Certified Instructional Designer. He can be reached through his Web site www.qualitycenteredconsulting.com or by calling 816/436-1627.