Mobile Learning Best Practices

May 10, 2012

Hi all,

I've never done any mobile learning and would like to play around with the idea and maybe create a sample course. I'm thinking Mobile Learning as in more of on a smartphone than tablet/ipad type device. Does anyone have any best practices they could share or even examples of mobile learning they've created? One thing I'm wondering in particular is what size do you create courses in so that they're viewable across multiple devices? I know in Storyline you can customize the size of the player.

I've signed up for the Mobile Learning Strategies webinar tomorrow through Easel Learning, but I would love to hear anything others could share in the meantime!

Thanks

10 Replies
Eric Nalian

Hi Christina,

This excel doc. was given out during the Beta test for Storyline (I do not know where it is at now), it lists what features work/do not work in Flash, HTML5 across different browsers and the Articulate Mobile Player.

This is a good start so you know what features you can/can't include.  Another thing is that with iPhones, the screen size is the same regardless of the generation of the phone, but with Android/Windows, there seems to be an almost different screen size with every device that comes out every 3.14 minutes.

I hope this helps!

-Eric

Steve Flowers

The best advice I can give is consider how people will actually use the solution on the phone. Do most phone users read long form for extended periods of time on their phones (not me personally, nor anyone I know)? Watch long videos (I have but would prefer not to)? Listen to audio (all of the time)?

Your audience may vary a bit, but I think the one constant is that a phone e-learning experience that tries to be like a desktop experience won't be a great experience. From our surveys and the research I've seen:

  • Quick (in and out)
  • Easy to discover and navigate
  • Not requiring long periods of watching the screen

Task support and reference hybrid types of solutions fit this model. I think folks are used to listening to audio programs. I also think folks would tolerate brief exercises, challenges, videos, and assessments. Keyword is brief. The typical long form eLearning course (the one that sucks sitting at a regular sized PC or laptop) will suck to the tenth power on a phone.

As user interface goes, there are some rules of thumb for sizing of UI elements to make them easier to navigate with fat fingers. For older displays I think it works out to minimum 44px high/wide. Larger for Retina displays. The platform characteristics listed in the Apple guidelines are great.

Christina Stephenson

Thanks Steve,

I appreciate your advice and the links as well! I've heard so much about mobile learning but have never really seen any true examples of it, but when I imagine it in my head I picture almost more of an interactive job-aid type of learning material - something that's referenced as needed.

I also like your idea of brief exercises, challenges, videos, assessments, etc. I envision maybe an app-looking course with different tabs across the screen: "How-To's," "Exercises," Assessments." Everything is all in one place to reference when needed. I'm getting excited thinking about it!

Now the challenge is...finding the extra time to create a sample...

Ingrid Johnston

Hi Christina,

The link below is to a page from a company that makes insulin.  Not sure if this is the sort of thing you were thinking of but I think it's a pretty cool app, particularly as it is the sort of information that people (for example patients/care staff/doctors) may need to refer to "on the run" so to speak, rather than when they are sitting in front of a computer terminal.

http://itunes.apple.com/th/app/novomedlink-mobileapp/id415646097?mt=8

There are really a lot of "apps" out there that are quite instructional - NPS medicines list ( http://www.nps.org.au/consumers/tools_and_tips/iphone_medicines_list ), learn how to meditate, lots of cooking apps which include instructional videos etc.

Maybe it would be helpful to do some "app-trawling" for inspiration!

Cheers

Ingrid

kh hasib

Christina Stephenson said:

Hi all,

I've never done any mobile learning and would like to play around with the idea and maybe create a sample course. I'm thinking Mobile Learning as in more of on a smartphone than tablet/ipad type device. Does anyone have any best practices they could share or even examples of mobile learning they've created? One thing I'm wondering in particular is what size do you create courses in so that they're viewable across multiple devices? I know in Storyline you can customize the size of the player.

I've signed up for the Mobile Learning Strategies webinar tomorrow through Easel Learning, but I would love to hear anything others could share in the meantime!

Thanks

Margharita Nehme

Guys,

What are some size considerations when it comes to developing content for multi platforms?

A course created in a 800 x 600 (4:3 ratio) is storyline published to LMS with mobile and tablet enabled.

Plays beautifully on an iPad and computer screen. However, is too big for a mobile device.

When publishing to Skillport LMS, settings were enabled for mobile devices and tablets, also enabled scrolling and resizing, w800 and h600, though this seems too big for iphone, I figured if it can be resized, then users will just pinch the screen and make it fit their phone, but that doesn't seem to work. When launched in mobile friendly LMS, it plays, audio is clear and graphics too, but parts of the course on either side and bottom are cut-off and not possible to resize to make it fit the screen.

Any tips or best practices out there? Much appreciated!

Thanks!

Tim Clark

Hey guys !

I'm currently creating a corporate induction workshop and there are some sections where we ask users to write a short statement about a topic. 

Naturally, I've been asked to make the course mobile friendly.

My question is; Do written/essay style questions function very well for mobile learning? or should it be avoided like the proverbial plague? 

(I personally don't like having to type anything longer than a phone number on my mobile but I wanted to hear your opinion)

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