Research Library

Mobile Learning

August 7, 2007

What it is, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into your learning strategy
By Steve Wexler, Brent Schlenker, Judy Brown, David Metcalf, Clark Quinn, Ernie Thor, Angela van Barneveld, and Ellen Wagner

The Future of Learning is on the Move!

Mobile technologies are having a profound global impact on business, education, and culture. As an e-Learning professional you must consider the learning possibilities made available by mobile devices. Your e-Learning strategy may not require it now, or even soon, but m-Learning is quickly becoming a reality that business, government, and education cannot ignore. Mobile Learning, or m-Learning, is moving beyond the innovation stage and into full implementation among corporate, education, and government institutions.

To be clear, the e-Learning Guild defines m-Learning as any activity that allows individuals to be more productive when consuming, interacting with, or creating information, mediated through a compact digital portable device that the individual carries on a regular basis, has reliable connectivity, and fits in a pocket or purse.

Comprehensive Survey Results

This 360° Report offers 30 pages of detailed data and analysis based on survey results from 940 e-Learning professionals and includes information on stages of m-Learning, future plans for m-Learning, devices being focused on, types of m-Learning content, best practices, barriers to adopting m-Learning, opinions and beliefs, and, of course, ROI. Here are some of the key findings explained in detail in this report:

66% of respondents are actively researching m-Learning initiatives and that 9% have actually implemented m-Learning in their organizations
44.8% of respondents plan to do more m-Learning in the next 12 months
Respondents who have implemented m-Learning report a 52% improvement in user performance and an 83% increase in making learning available to users
Of respondents who have implemented m-Learning and who are able to evaluate return on investment, 88% report a positive ROI

Essays

Embracing m-Learning Judy Brown, former director of the Academic ADL Co-Lab in Madison, WI
Point-and-Shoot Learning David Metcalf, renowned learning researcher, analyst, and consultant
Don't Dream It, Do It: m-Learning by Design Clark Quinn, expert in ILS and sought-after learning consultant
Tools for m-Learning Judy Brown
The Business-Value Proposition of Mobile Learning David Metcalf
iPhone: Is your e-Learning Ready for m-Learning? Brent Schlenker, Emerging Technologies Analyst, The eLearning Guild
The Future of Mobile Learning David Metcalf

Interview

Notes From the Field: Interviews with Practitioners Angela van Barneveld, Program Manager at a global Business Intelligence and Corporate Performance Management solutions company

Case Studies

Integrating m-Learning with a Learning Management System
Tristan Evans, president of Perago Learning Solutions, Inc.
A Look at Mobility Within the Walls of Tyco International, Ltd. Don McDougal, Director of Learning Technology at Tyco International

Resources

You'll find a comprehensive resource directory that includes Web sites, organizations, books, and examples you can use to continue your exploration of m-Learning. In addition, this report includes a Glossary of Terms related to m-Learning. Finally, this report is completely indexed so you can actually use it as a reference resource.