Mobile Learning – A Vibrant Technology for the New Age Workforce

Well, who knew mobile phones one day would play key roles to initiate workplace learning besides letting people communicate with each other? Yes, it’s true that many academicians have started believing that mobile learning is the future of workplace learning since it will not be a choice anymore but rather a compulsive learning mode that will keep one stay miles ahead of others. It’s going to be a predominant learning strategy for new age learners who would find it easier to keep progressing with the passage of time.

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The so-called ‘Mobile World’ has been created for 3 vital factors:

• The exorbitant growth of mobile sharing leading to a massive web traffic in the last 2 years
• The increasing addiction to adopting mobiles at workplaces
• The soaring sales figures of the mobile devices

The Mobile world to smash records

• As per researches, mobile phones in the human history are highly predicted to outnumber the total number of human beings surviving on this planet.
• The sales figures of tablets and smart phones have exceeded those of computers. From the year 2010 with 3.81%, the sales figures went sky-high to 10.01% in 2012.
• 25% of the population in the United States have been found to access Internet on mobile devices, which will possibly rise to 50% by 2015.
• In the United Kingdom, just 22% reported for the rare use of desktop for accessing internet.
• Over 50% of the people in Asia have been found not to use internet on their PCs. In Africa, the percentage was same as that of Asia.

The Mobile scenario in today’s organisations 

Plenty of organisations are now planning to adopt mobiles to enhance their productivity rates. In the year 2007, the percentage of companies willing to initiate M-learning was 38.5% that reached 51% in 2011. Big companies falling under big industries like Finance and Healthcare will now be supporting the BYOD concept, while retail has low chances to do so, at least for now.

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Predictions are high that about 62% of the individuals would be bringing their own smartphones to their workplaces by 2014. In fact, it has been estimated that 350 million workers will be using smartphones by 2016.

At present, the mobile workforce using smartphones from a global perspective says:

• 46% use their own smartphones
• 33% use smartphones given by their employers
• 16% use 2 smartphones – one is his/her own and the other given by the employer
• 5% doesn’t own a smartphone

For tablets, the reports said:

• In 2011, 70% of the workforce aged between 22 and 34 used a tablet
• In 2012, about 64% of the mobile workers carried tablets
• The year 2013 is surely going to do well since the total tablets to be shipped at enterprises throughout the world are predicted to have shipment figures of around 96.3 million units by 2016, which was only 13.6 million in 2011

Work & Study from Home – says Mobile Learning

Mobile learning will be a splendid option for all those who are willing to work or study from home. Cisco conducted a workplace study on a global basis that said BYOD flexibility is in high demand and work from home is a new and emerging trend. Those who have plans for studying online or distance learning can do wonders with mobile devices. Studies said:

• 60% of the workforce believed that they are not required to stay in office for work

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• 66% working in the IT firms had expectations that their employers would allow them to use any device for accessing applications, networks as well as information anywhere.
• Another 66% said that they would prefer to take up jobs with more flexibility in using devices and accessing social media than getting high-paid jobs offering no such flexibilities.

So, it’s crystal clear why and how mobile learning can be a bright and brilliant learning mode for the new age workforce. Now, a time is about to come when individuals won’t be compelled to enter full-time courses after completing school. By joining work in an organisation and enrolling in an online university at the same time, they would take the opportunity to make extensive use of mobile learning to complete their respective courses with ease and flexibility.