Mobile learning is essentially a form of both distance learning and online learning. While the name implies mobile phones, the term actually extends to learning on any portable device that supports a learner’s freedom of movement. So basically, it’s about people learning wherever they are on whatever device they have available.  
 
Being able to use any device in education lends itself to instant knowledge sharing and feedback. The former is important for internal transparency and improving decision-making. The latter is important for recognition and getting ahead of detrimental behaviours or beliefs.   
 
Mobile learning has seen a sharp rise in popularity and it’s easy to understand why when you look at the benefits: 

• Accessibility: Anytime, anywhere, any device. Mobile learning encourages greater engagement by allowing learners to do so from wherever is most convenient or comfortable. There are no travel costs or need to actively carve out time in your schedule.
• Microlearning: In today’s world – short, sharp and concise content is the most enticing. Trimming large amounts of content into digestible, bite-sized chunks is one of the biggest drivers behind mobile learning.
• Dynamism: No two learners are the same. Some prefer to study a little every day, while others want to knock it all out at once. Some are visual, others prefer listening and others are still tactile. Mobile learning makes it easier to reflect all learning styles.
• Real-time feedback: Mobile learning speeds up the delivery of feedback in learning and assessments. This seeks to reinforce newly attained knowledge by correcting mistakes, affirming capability and validating a learner’s thought process.
• Cost-effective: Within mobile learning environments, you can host guest instructors with no cost for travel. This allows more employees to access training at a much lower cost without inhibiting productivity and profitability in the process.
• Immediacy of technology: Mobile learning software can quickly, efficiently and often autonomously reflect new content, technology or information to thousands of users.

 
While mobile learning has many benefits, it’s not without its challenges as well: 

• Lack of focus: It can be quite easy to get distracted on a mobile device compared to a restricted work computer or laptop. It does, however, provide incentive to learn self-discipline and builds trust.
• Reliance on internet: Mobile learning does tend to be reliant on having an internet connection, a problem in remote areas with patchy service. A good eLearning vendor will often offer the ability to download and complete content offline, syncing up again once reconnected.
• Scope: Learners may become acclimatised to an online environment, closing off their interest for in-person training. Some content might not be easily viewable or accessible on mobile devices. Good mobile learning blends with experiential learning. Responsive design means content adapts to the device it’s presented on.

 
Even with the groundwork being laid to make the mobile learning experience an enticing one, there are still ways it can be further optimised: 

• Amplify discussion: Discussion plays an important role in eLearning, not least because it brings a little humanity into a technological environment. Mobile learning apps can enable real-time communication and feedback.
• Gamification: This encourages learners to engage better with content and view it through a new lens by imbuing an element of competition into coursework. Adding things like points and a leaderboard make course completion a race to the finish line.
• Supplement formal training: Not every kind of training is suitable for mobile delivery. Sometimes supplementary and experiential training is needed to reinforce learned skills in a contextual way.

 
For a more in-depth look at mobile learning, have a read of the full article.