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In this article, we’ll review the advantages and disadvantages of m-learning for the two primary
delivery strategies: the use of mobile devices to delivery performance support
and the use of mobile devices to teach through communication. If you have ever used
your cell phone to find a phone number, check the date and time, or calculate a tip,
you have experienced m-learning as performance support. You also may have experienced
mobile devices that teach through communication. If you have called using a
cell while driving to a customer site to ask expert advice or if you have sent your team
e-mails via your Blackberry during a client meeting asking for examples or definitions,
you have experienced mobile devices that teach through communication.
Advantages
This section focuses on the advantages from two kinds of wireless mobile learning, mlearning
as a form of performance support and m-learning as communication that
creates knowledge. These are two very different strategies for using mobile devices.
One assumes that advantages are derived from providing learners with a job aid in the
context of their work. Of course, these job aids can be greatly enhanced depending
on the device. The device can be wired so as to get the latest information, and it can
use visuals, text, and audio to deliver performance support. In contrast, m-learning
as communication takes a different approach. The advantages of this approach are based
on constructivist theories of learning. The advantages of m-learning as communication
stem from learners and experts constructing knowledge in an authentic context.
Wireless m-Learning as Performance Support
Wireless m-learning performance support systems (PSS) are similar to traditional
PSS. m-Learning solutions integrate mobile devices with the work to help the user
perform a task by providing information, guidance, and learning experiences when
and where they are needed. Advantages of this use include the following:
• Puts training and performance support where the actual work takes place. Look for
situations in which it would be helpful to have a performance support tool
available as the job is being done. It might be the case of a repair person
who has an iPAQ (hand-held computer) with documentation, job aids, and
diagrams available to refer to as he or she does the repair.
• Allows new skills or knowledge to be immediately applied. Consider the use of
these devices in a retail environment in which there are dozens of new
products to learn to sell each month. Rather than taking sales associates
away from the sales floor for new product training, think about putting
product training on mobile devices. This would allow sales associates to
learn about the products as the products become available for sale, instead
of training associates weeks in advance. The device could also be used to
look things up, such as product comparisons, warranty information, and
other information vital to answering customer questions. Why ask sales associates
to memorize information when they can reference it with accuracy?
• Enables training when it is needed. Wireless and mobile learning can empower
“teachable moments,” that is, times when those with a stake in a particular
issue are attentive, willing, and receptive to learning. Using mobile devices,
learners can access job aids, reference materials, or instruction when needed.
• Allows use of rich media when appropriate. Some of the wireless and mobile devices
support rich media such as video, photographs, images, audio, and
animation. If these media make instruction, reference material, or job aids
more effective, they should be employed.
Wireless m-Learning as Communication That Creates Knowledge
The advantages of m-learning as communication may be controversial. The advantages discussed
here are derived from collaboration with experts or collaboration among peers.
The challenge for training professionals will be to acknowledge these advantages and realize
that there is not a formal role for the trainer or instructional designer to play.
• Provides access to experts. Consider using wireless devices when there is a need
to connect to and learn from experts. An example of this is service engineers
working on a customer site. The service engineers are in the process of evaluating
the customer’s database and they need to learn more about the advanced
options for securing data. Using a PDA with instant messaging and
awareness (the ability to tell if someone is accessible via e-mail, instant messaging,
or phone), learners can access expertise. The awareness option enables
the learner to see which of the experts is available right now to dialog via
e-mail, instant message, or phone. In this case the service engineers can call the
expert and ask questions that will create knowledge and result in learning.
• Builds a community of practice. The term community of practice was coined by
Etienne Wenger (Wenger & Snyder, 2000). It describes an informal network or
group of people who exchange tips, best practices, and solutions to real problems.
Using wireless devices, a community of practice can contribute to a forum
or threaded discussion. Questions and answers posted to the discussion forum
can be accessed from the field. Wireless devices can also be used to download
tools like templates, sample letters, spreadsheets for estimating, sales scripts,
and other documents that the team has developed over time. It can also be a
tool for instant messaging, e-mail, or other communication and dialog. An example
of this is an insurance adjuster who has a question about a claim she is
working on. Using a cell phone with a camera, the adjuster sends images to a
colleague from her team. Sharing the picture of the vehicle she is processing,
the colleague can answer questions about how to process the claim.
• Knows where your expertise is located by connecting and continuously sync training
to back-end systems. Wireless devices have the ability to push and pull
data to and from learners. The ability to connect and sync means that you
can have training records that are current and easy to report on. An example
of this would be to use a wireless system to drive compliance and recertification
training. In this case, a back-end system would track when learners
need to take certification training and send the learner a reminder on the
wireless device four to six weeks in advance of the certification expiration
date. The leaner could then access the training and certification test online.
The wireless device would send the certification test scores to a computer at
headquarters and update the certification database. This means the records
on certification are always up-to-date and a good source for reports to
insurance companies and the government.
Disadvantages
The limitation of m-learning are a combination of technical and education challenges.
Some of these disadvantages may disappear as technology improves.
A Fragmented Learning Experience
Astudy done at Stanford University’s Language lab (Qingyang, 2003) provides some
insights into the fragmented experience of learning with mobile device. The lab staff
chose foreign language study as the content area, hypothesizing that mobile devices
could provide opportunities for review, listening, and speaking practice in a safe,
authentic, personalized, and on-demand environment. The prototypes developed
let users practice new words, take a quiz, access word and phrase translations, work
with a live coach, and save vocabulary to a notebook—all in an integrated
voice/data environment. The study warned that “Learning requires concentration
and reflection. However, being on-the-go (riding a train, sitting in a cafe, walking
down the street) is fraught with distractions. Students are in situations that place unpredictable
but important demands on their attention. This leaves the mobile learner
with a highly distracted, highly fragmented experience. The learning application
must be designed with this in mind.”
Lack of Well-Developed Metacognitive Skills
Metacognition refers to the ability of learners to be aware of and monitor their learning
processes. Adult education literature counsels that the more learners understand about
how they learn best, the better able they are to assess how well they are learning and
to manage their own learning. The challenge in wireless and m-learning is that learners
have little experience with this delivery mode and the related instructional strategies.
Experts (Peters, 2000) have suggested that “some employees are unsure about
evaluating their personal learning experiences. The lack of external feedback can cause
learners to question their goals and achievements.” Using m-learning delivery devices
and strategies for self-directed learning compounds this challenge. When talking about
metacognitive skills, a distinction needs to be made between the learners’ ability to
self-monitor and their ability to self-assess. Learners can easily monitor their progress
against a plan that tracks task completion, time on task, and quiz scores. The more difficult
metacognitive skill is self-assessment, the learner’s ability to judge how well he
or she has actually done learning and transferring new skill and knowledge.
Small Screens and Difficulty Accessing Information from the Web
Mobile and wireless devices have significant disadvantages relative to screen size and
ability to access information designed for traditional PC-based Web viewing. If
the mobile devices are accessing information from websites, Jacob Neilsen (2003b)
advises
Currently, the best we can hope for are websites that are basically
scaled-down and redesigned to eliminate graphics and multi-column
layouts. At worst, websites offer no mobile version, so you get crunched
images and skinny columns that are almost impossible to read.
Clearly, traditional websites are intended for a big-screen user experience.
Putting them on a small screen is like the dog that sings: the miracle
is that it does so at all. While a technical feat, usability is never going
to be good. To cater to mobile devices, websites and services should offer
much shorter articles, dramatically simplified navigation, and highly
selective features, retaining only what’s needed in a mobile setting.
High Costs
One of the biggest disadvantages and drawbacks for using a mobile wireless e-learning
solution is cost. Recommending m-learning or wireless learning means investing in
devices for each learner, paying for wireless service, budgeting for maintenance
repair and upgrades, and support from an IT group to answer users’ questions and
resolve technical problems. It takes a compelling business case to implement this
kind of technology for learning.
Challenges to the Security of the Device and Its Data
Security is a challenge in the office environment with desktop PCs, and that challenge
is magnified with mobile devices. Because of their size and portability, they
are easy to lose, subject to damage, and more likely to be stolen than desktop systems.
There are also serious considerations regarding data security. In a Computer
World article, Muir (2003) estimates that “probably fewer than 10 percent of mobile
devices used by major organizations have serious protection for stored data. This
vulnerability persists despite the annual Computer Security Institute/FBI studies
that document substantial financial losses associated with theft and exposure of confidential
data and despite federal regulations governing the security of private data
collected by financial and health care organizations.” | 
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