There is no doubt that we are currently experiencing a mobile revolution. There are already more mobile devices in the world than there are people in the United States. It is predicted that mobile devices will eventually outnumber the planet’s population if they have not already. 

Mobile technology is on its way to totally change the process of education. More and more students are using mobile devices both outside and inside the classroom to access information and learning materials. This trend isn’t going away. 

In this article, we’re going to look at three of the key components needed for a successful mobile learning environment. Read on for more. 

Provided Devices, or BYOD?

This is one of the biggest questions educators must ask themselves before investing in content or starting with mobile learning development. You must decide if you would prefer your learners to use their own devices or provide devices to them with the express purpose of being used for educational purposes. 

Both methods have proven to be successful in their own regards, but, as with most things, there are several benefits and detriments to both. For instance, a BYOD program can reduce your hardware costs since learners will use the devices they already own to do their learning.

However, providing your learners with devices can reduce the costs for ongoing development in the long term. It is ultimately up to you to decide if BYOD is the correct strategy for your mobile learning environment. 

Microlearning with Mobile Devices

It would be criminal to discuss mobile learning without touching on microlearning. By breaking down your material into manageable pieces, microlearning is ideal for a mobile learning environment.

Each module, course, or lesson ranges from about 1 to 10 minutes long, is optimized for mobile devices, and can consist of any eLearning content, from videos and simulations to animations and documents. Microlearning is proven to improve engagement, regardless if a mobile device is involved. 

Another benefit is that it allows you to check off more items on your students’ learning to-do list, which helps increase their motivation for learning as well.

Measuring Success

One of the most critical factors of any learning strategy, mobile or otherwise, is how you plan on measuring its success. You should be focussing on three main things: the input you provide as an educator, the output received from your learners, and the outcome of the learning strategy as a whole. 

It helps to think of these as large-scale objectives that can be measured with data through an LMS. A great compliment to a mobile learning strategy is an SLMS, or Social Learning Management System, like Pedagogue. 

Pedagogue combines the standard aspects from a traditional LMS with features from social media, and stream based classrooms. This supercharges learning and can also boost your learner engagement, as they are likely already very familiar with social media. 

Concluding Thoughts

There you have it—three of the essentials to a thriving mobile learning environment. Mobile learning will shape the education process for the better, which is why it’s so important to do it the right way now.