GP Strategies Corporation (NYSE: GPX) is a global performance improvement solutions provider of salesand technical training, eLearning solutions, management consulting and engineering services. As the world moves increasingly to the mobile application market, GP Strategies has posted a number of interesting mobile articles on their website. The most recent two are listed below:
Leveraging Mobile Apps to Enhance Employee Learning
There seems to be a mobile application for everything these days, from banking processes to home security systems and credit card payments. Smartphones and tablet computers have become so much more than devices to talk and text with, and many companies are harnessing their popularity for employee training and development initiatives.
Early adopters of mobile learning programs have found great success, explains Chief Learning Officer, and other companies would be smart to follow the trend as "we may be set to enter the golden age," mobile developer Chad Udell tells the source.
According to the publication, companies should consider mobile learning as a way to augment formal and other training methods, rather than replacing them. Mobile learning allows for each employee to personalize the educational experience and have materials on hand whenever they need them.
"This augmentation is available wherever and whenever we need. That's the promise of mobile apps - one employee can have the augmentation how he or she wants it, and another can have it differently," writes the source. "Even if employees have the same role, work for the same company and own the same phone, it's a safe bet that one employee would have a different suite of apps on his or her phone than another."
Avoiding Mobile Learning Connectivity Issues Through Synchronization
Mobile learning has been rapidly gaining steam as one of the most convenient training methods at companies all over the world, but according to Klick Health, there is one "Achilles heel" to the process.
Connectivity, despite the leaps and bounds made by the mobile industry to improve it, is still a common problem. When using a mobile device to make a call or check the internet, connectivity issues can be irritating, but when mobile learning processes are involved, this pitfall can be downright devastating.
For example, if an employee has spent a great deal of time on a mobile learning project, only to lose all of his or her progress when a connection is lost, they may not only be discouraged or frustrated, but they may also lose faith in the mobile learning process altogether.
To avoid connectivity concerns, or to best prepare a company's mobile learning strategy when connections are lost or slow, Klick Health offers some solutions. First, store-and-forward synchronization can prevent many headaches because data is synced and stored regularly on a server and can be retrieved quickly if connectivity fails. However, this increased level of data sharing during use and the complexity of the data can lead to higher price tags.
A hybrid solution is also an option, as this allows for employees to access educational material offline and only requires mobile web connectivity when assessments or other data must be sent. While the functionality is not quite as dynamic as a store-and-forward solution, the lower dependence on connectivity lowers the risk of losing information and lets users access learning initiatives from a subway, airplane or another place with limited mobile web access.
Regardless of the data synchronization method a company chooses for its mobile learning program, there will likely need to be offline capabilities included. In this case, Klick Health explains that all content should be built to stand alone without an internet connection.
"This means the app download will be much larger or the materials will need to be downloaded when the mobile device has connectivity for use later," says the site.
According to ZDNet, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the U.S. Department of Education recently highlighted the importance of connectivity and reliability in the digital learning space at a March summit in Washington, D.C.
"Reliable connectivity and affordable data access is critical to the success of these mobile learning programs," said Frank Sickinger, vice president, MNC and federal government sales at T-Mobile USA, as cited by the news source.
About GPX: GP Strategies' solutions improve the effectiveness of organizations by delivering innovative and superior training, consulting and business improvement services, customized to meet the specific needs of its clients. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, manufacturing, process and energy industries, and other commercial and government customers. GP Strategies Corporation is the new name of General Physics Corporation, which merged with its parent company (also called GP Strategies) on December 31, 2011 and changed its name. Additional information may be found at www.gpstrategies.com.
