N Deviney and C Von Koschembahr, Learning goes mobile

Deviney and von Koschembahr begin their presentation with some applications for the pharmaceutical industry:

Imagine a pharmaceutical sales representative preparing to meet with a client.

While he waits for his meeting to start, he uses his personal digital assistant for

communications and e-learning. With the information accessible to him, not only does he stay up-to-date on the market issues essential to his position, but he also receives regular notification from message boards, news portals and his employer.

The PDA buzzes in his pocket. This time, the notification tells him his competitor just released a new pain medicine that will compete with the drug he is selling. He accesses the press release and news coverage and reviews key differentiators between the products that his company posted for his review. Based on a personalized profile -created by him - this sales representative learns while he waits for a client, on his lunch break and during down time. He can receive "just in time" information, such as a notification the moment his company gets governmental approval for one of the new

drugs he is trying to sell. His favorite news organizations also notify him when breaking news happens. His employer regularly updates material on the competitive landscape for the sales staff.

This is the future of learning. It demonstrates the role that mobile learning can play for both organizations and individuals using technology that many Americans already carry with them today. The situation outlined above is based on a capability called "profiled notification." We receive profiled information everyday from Yahoo, CNN and other portals that allow us to pick and choose what information we want to receive on a regular basis, and have the information delivered to our e-mail boxes as it becomes available.

Profiled notification, as used by the pharmaceutical sales representative, takes information delivery to the next level by teaching and informing on a more urgent basis.

He is already proactively enrolled in learning events and information sharing portals, but without profiled notification, he does not know when his learning events have changed.

As a mobile employee, profiled notification allows him to stay in touch with information most valuable to him. By notifying him via his mobile device, we reach the sales representative with the information he wants, when and where he wants it. For many professionals - whether in sales, retail, banking, government or health care - having information on demand, at their fingertips, changes the way they work.

Deviney and von Koschembahr continue their presentation with an overview of the market:

Many employees are equipped. More than 150 million Americans carry a mobile phone.

According to IDC, that number will grow to more than 180 million by 2007. Four percent of Americans are trading in their landline phones in for cost-effective wireless deals.

And many carry smart phones that are alternatives to hand-held computers and PDAs.

Overall, mobile devices are coming equipped with more advanced features - such as streaming video, color-touch screens, Internet browsers and compatibility with desktop applications - that make profiled notification and mobile learning not only possible, but practical.

Given such advances, Stamford, Conn.-based research firm Gartner reported in November 2003 that enterprises will increase the use of mobile applications by 80 percent during 2004. Market trends indicate a significant number of employees are already using their mobile devices to access e-mail, search the Web, organize calendars, read the news or access documents during down time. Although manufacturers are building PDAs, cell phones and hand-held computers that deliver applications and content, the burden lies on employers to deliver the information and materials that keep employees engaged and competitive. Companies have the opportunity to rethink how employees can use their hand-held devices to enhance productivity.

They give their view of the role of mobile learning:

The intention with mobile learning is not to take the place of the classroom or hands-on experience, but to enhance its value. Mobile learning offers another way to deliver content and to embed learning into everyday work flow. Employers can develop learning materials once and deliver it in many ways, such as creating small, consumable bytes of content that can be delivered to their traveling employees or sales teams. Companies can improve the quality and productivity of the time spent in the classroom by offering material for advanced review; or they can reach mobile employees through interactive Web lectures; or they can push "just-in-time" information to enable staff to stay competitive.

In the pharmaceutical scenario, the information is urgent and critical for the sales team.

However, in other cases, mobile learning is also a way to keep employees engaged. For example, an employee waiting for 20 minutes to catch a flight or a train might access her company's best practices database. She learns how her co-worker grew a small, regional account into a multinational million-dollar client. She decides to request a meeting with her colleague to brainstorm ways she may grow her latest customer win.

Even though the information was not urgent, it was delivered in smaller portions to a device this employee had in her briefcase or purse, and she was able to stay engaged and relate the material directly to her work activity.

Consider this: A significant number of workers with poor training opportunities look for a new job within one year. In retail, training new staff can cost several thousand dollars, and having well-trained and satisfied employees is critical to the profitability of an organization. In the electronics retail industry turnover is a huge challenge. Many former electronics retail employees complain they felt ill-prepared to help customers or answer questions on the retail floor. To address these training issues, a major electronics retailer may opt to use a mobile learning program to train new sales associates.

Traditionally, new employees spend several hours in a back office reading a binder or accessing a learning portal to study various products. The products are not in front of the employee, and for electronics retail associates, there are often hundreds of products to understand. This retailer takes a different approach and equips its associates with a hand-held PDA and bar-code scanner. Employees start and finish their training on the sales floor. During down time, they find a product, scan a bar code and take a five-to-10-minute training module in front of the product. Or, when servicing a customer, the associate can do "ad hoc" learning.

Transitioning to Mobile Learning. Imagine the implications of mobile learning for other industries. For the military, it means soldiers receive mission-critical information and briefings in the field. For a finance manager, it means unobtrusively providing mortgage rate updates during a client meeting. For a new bank manager, it means coaching simulations and management training are available anytime, in advance of in-person meetings with employees. The bottom line is that mobile learning offers organizations

the ability to keep their employees engaged in ongoing learning activities that will enhance their productivity and effectiveness while they work. It enables client-facing teams to be better informed and more responsive to client needs, giving them a competitive edge.

Organizations need to align their targeted mobile learning initiatives to support their business priorities, as well as understand job roles and employee needs. With the right foundation in place, a new world of delivery and communication will empower organizations to create a competitive workforce for the 21st century.

17. J Taylor et al, Guidelines for learning/teaching/tutoring in a mobile