A gradual shift has taken place within the corporate landscape over the past few years. The mobile devices we carry for personal use, from smartphones to tablets to personal laptops, have increasingly found a place in the work environment. And while the policy expounded by security experts in the past may have been “not on my network,” today a different policy has taken hold.
With at least one study showing as many as 90% of employees using their personal devices for work purposes, businesses are starting to take notice. And since most employees are paying for their own devices and data plans, any business benefit comes at no extra expense to the organization. This shift toward not just accepting but embracing personal smartphones and other devices has led to a policy of BYOD or Bring Your Own Device.
If carrying a smartphone or tablet makes employees more productive and efficient at no extra cost to the business, that’s an obvious advantage to any organization.
How BYOD affects online training
So if employees are willing to use their personal devices for work purposes, what other benefits might we expect from this shift toward a BYOD policy? The prevalence – and in fact ubiquity – of smart devices in the workplace has meant a shift toward the use of these devices in the delivery of training. It’s fair to say that mobile learning is one of the most interesting and promising areas of training development we’ve seen in a long time.
The opportunity to provide training on demand at any time and from anywhere is a unique and exciting prospect. By allowing employees to learn and study where they want and when they want, we’re giving control of their learning environment to them. In addition, we’re delivering the training on a device they are familiar with and are comfortable using.
Security and compatibility
Of course there are challenges to delivering mobile learning to a variety of devices, platforms, screen sizes and operating systems. In addition to design and development difficulties there are security issues, software support issues, privacy issues, and the list goes on. If you are considering introducing mobile learning into your BYOD environment, here are some things you should keep in mind.
What types of training are best for a BYOD environment?
No one is suggesting that all training will be converted to mobile devices, or that m-learning is likely to take the place of more advanced online training. However, some training lends itself quite well to these devices and the fact that they’re always with us. Some of the best uses of mobile device-delivered training include:
- Right-size your lesson. Use responsive e-learning design elements with dynamic layouts to develop training that can be seen even on small screens. Not every employee will have a tablet or large-screen smartphone, so images and text should dynamically adjust to the screen size.
- Consider implementing strict security policies. According to some studies, 40% of smartphones are not password protected. That means if a device falls into the wrong hands, your companies training scenarios and potentially sensitive information can be exposed.
- Device support. With all of the various devices and platforms, support and compatibility can be a major issue. M-learning should be developed with a consideration toward video player versions, mobile-friendly viewers, Flash compatibility and HTML 5 support.
- Lesson optimization. Another consideration when developing training that will be experienced on a mobile device is the size and duration of the lesson itself. It’s best to develop m-learning lessons that are easily consumed in small chunks of time – generally between 10 and 15 minutes.
What types of training are best for a BYOD environment?
No one is suggesting that all training will be converted to mobile devices, or that m-learning is likely to take the place of more advanced online training. However, some training lends itself quite well to these devices and the fact that they’re always with us. Some of the best uses of mobile device-delivered training include:
- Just-in-time training delivery
- On-sight installation or repair training
- Video training for precision techniques
- Sales training for remote or distant sales staff
- Foundational skills training in preparation for more detailed process training
- Step-by-step procedural training on specific operations
Here at Designing Digitally, Inc., we have experts that can help to take your BYOD efforts to the next level. Developing training for mobile devices is a challenge, but one that we have successfully achieved for many of our clients. Let us know how we can help you to extend your training beyond the classroom and directly to your workforce on their own devices. Please contact us here for more information.