Leveraging Mobile Devices For Asynchronous Learning: Best Practices

With the rise of mobile computing, many organizations have taken the opportunity to leverage mobile devices for personnel training. The public sector, private sector, and Armed Forces have all deployed forms of mobile asynchronous training to ensure compliance, conformity, and competency within their organizations. Unfortunately, much of this training is susceptible to trainees speed clicking their way through the modules until the learning management system recognizes that they have completed the course. The result is a low absorption rate and a superficial understanding of the material. This scenario provides little added value to either the organization or the individual. After a comprehensive review of the literature, the present paper lists best practices for designing and developing learning material in the unique asynchronous mobile environment. Effective training should first clarify expected performance up front, provide sustained and constructive feedback throughout, implement and incorporate active learning techniques, vary presentation styles and the representation of content, and finally emphasize time-on-task. Through the inclusion and adherence to these instructional design principles, organizations will be able to provide mobile, easily deployable, effective, and engaging training courses to their personnel without the reliance on instructors, or when face-to-face instruction is not feasible