The mobile learning method is becoming a popular learning method for people across the globe. It's a fantastic method for instructors to connect with new people and interact with students at the places they're spending their time on mobile technology.

The average Canadian checks their phone 144 times each day, while the average American checks their phone an insane 344 times per day.

In the process of integrating technology into their everyday lives It's not surprising that people are turning to smartphones tablet computers, laptops, and phones to learn. Learning via mobile gives students the flexibility that they've never experienced as they explore new skills and hobbies, trades, and careers.

Let's take a look at mobile learning's pros and cons and discover how mobile learning can benefit your learners.

Skip ahead:

•         What exactly is the definition of mobile learning (M-learning)?
•         What are some benefits of mobile learning?
•         Which are some negatives to Mobile education?
•         Find the balance in mobile learning

What is Mobile Learning (M-learning)?

What are the positives of learning on mobile devices?

There are plenty of advantages for mobile learning, however we've listed 6. The benefits include flexibility, accessibility, motivation, current content engaging, affordability, and accessibility. We'll look into each one in more detail in the following paragraphs:

    Accessibility    

One of the significant advantages of mobile learning is its the accessibility. The courses that are online can be accessed which means that students have access to their lessons from any location in the world. Mobile learning is extremely versatile and can help creators reach a much wider market.

    Flexibility    

Similar to accessibility , however different, mobile learning gives students the freedom that synchronous or in-person courses can't. Students are able to finish the class at the time that they prefer, whether they like to work at 12 noon or midnight.

In addition, if the program permits, the students are able to learn at their own pace. This gives them more flexibility as they can take the course in as little as an hour or as long as a several months.

    Motivation    

Both eLearning as well as mobile learning use technology-savvy teaching methods and evaluation. Interactive quizzes, for instance, and tests are a great way to be gamified to encourage learners to improve their performance, engage with the material and remember important information.

An engaged and motivated student will be more likely to retain what they've learned and leave happy.

    Current Content    

Since mobile learning courses are on the internet, they offer an unique benefit of revision. Authors aren't able to modify physical textbooks, live coursesor webinars once they've been released. Online courses can.

Online course creators can take advantage of this, and can update courses frequently whenever they are required. This can help keep classes relevant and useful for learners.

    Engagement    

Duolingo has become the world's most popular app to learn new languages through fun methods, such as microlearning. Students can take small-sized classes that are easy to complete regularly.

    Affordability    

Most mobile learning courses do not need in-person or synchronous training, and they aim to impart a specific skill or achieve one outcome. The scale of a mobile course can be much less expensive than courses that require the use of more personnel or maintenance, schedules, and even research.

What are the drawbacks of mobile learning?

As with anything it is true that there are drawbacks to mobile learning to consider in addition. Learning via mobile can leave students exposed to distractions, do not provide social interaction, rely on technology to much, not provide the ability to personalize, and even exclude students who do not have access to high-quality technologies. Let's explore each reason more in the following sections:

    Distractions    

One of the numerous advantages of mobile learning in the field of education is the fact that it demands students to connect to the content via an smartphone. However, this also means learners are more likely to become disengaged.

Students are likely to be receiving text messages, emails or social media messages throughout their classes. These distractions can cause engagement and completion to drop.

    Insufficient social interaction    

M-learning may help students make important connections on the internet, but it doesn't provide to have meaningful interaction in person.

Some students can prefer a more private and self-paced setting, others might rely on relationships with others to motivate them. This is especially noticeable when students enroll in a course that requires an ongoing commitment.

    Reliance on technology    

Like eLearning, M-learning depends entirely on technology. Creators must think about compatibility with operating systems and the best way to optimize for mobile devices or they risk making awkward or difficult to use courses.

Relying on technology can exclude skills that rely on experience. As an example, for instance, artists or mechanics might have difficulty developing real-world skills, without direct feedback or in-person training.

    Poor personalization    

Feedback that is personalized usually comes from one-on-one mentors, an in-class teacher, or co-leader. Despite engaging assessments like exams and interactive tests but students are unable to miss out on individual feedback when they're in learning programs that are mobile, which makes it harder to learn and acquire new abilities.

    Poor technology    

Though the majority of students have access modern technologies and reliable internet connections, not everyone does. Students may be working with older tech or have unreliable electricity and internet access.

The mobile learning model can provide access to education for some, however it could restrict access to students who do not have the tools for online learning. It is important to think about the target market and make sure that you create a program that's accessible to the students.

Find the balance on mobile-based learning

What is an advantage for some could be detrimental to others. In particular, the extreme degree of flexibility offered by a self-paced class may be unmotivating to some viewers. It's ultimately up to you to find the right balance for the audience you're targeting and design accordingly.

However, the creators have the ability to outweigh mobile learning disadvantages and make higher-quality, accessible educational and accessible courses than ever before. When you've got the right content mobile technology allows you to expand your reach, engage students, and create a sense of community.

If you're thinking of making an online course, take a test for free! It will provide the course design as well as the marketing and selling instruments you'll need to make your course into a mobile learning business.