In this article, we’ll review the advantages and disadvantages of m-learning for the two primary delivery strategies: the use of mobile devices to delivery performance support and the use of mobile devices to teach through communication. If you have ever used your cell phone to find a phone number, check the date and time, or calculate a tip, you have experienced m-learning as performance support. You also may have experienced mobile devices that teach through communication. If you have called using a cell while driving to a customer site to ask expert advice or if you have sent your team e-mails via your Blackberry during a client meeting asking for examples or definitions, you have experienced mobile devices that teach through communication.

Advantages

This section focuses on the advantages from two kinds of wireless mobile learning, mlearning as a form of performance support and m-learning as communication that creates knowledge. These are two very different strategies for using mobile devices. One assumes that advantages are derived from providing learners with a job aid in the context of their work. Of course, these job aids can be greatly enhanced depending on the device. The device can be wired so as to get the latest information, and it can use visuals, text, and audio to deliver performance support. In contrast, m-learning as communication takes a different approach. The advantages of this approach are based on constructivist theories of learning. The advantages of m-learning as communication stem from learners and experts constructing knowledge in an authentic context.

Wireless m-Learning as Performance Support

Wireless m-learning performance support systems (PSS) are similar to traditional PSS. m-Learning solutions integrate mobile devices with the work to help the user perform a task by providing information, guidance, and learning experiences when and where they are needed. Advantages of this use include the following:

• Puts training and performance support where the actual work takes place. Look for situations in which it would be helpful to have a performance support tool available as the job is being done. It might be the case of a repair person who has an iPAQ (hand-held computer) with documentation, job aids, and diagrams available to refer to as he or she does the repair.

• Allows new skills or knowledge to be immediately applied. Consider the use of these devices in a retail environment in which there are dozens of new products to learn to sell each month. Rather than taking sales associates away from the sales floor for new product training, think about putting product training on mobile devices. This would allow sales associates to learn about the products as the products become available for sale, instead of training associates weeks in advance. The device could also be used to look things up, such as product comparisons, warranty information, and other information vital to answering customer questions. Why ask sales associates to memorize information when they can reference it with accuracy?

• Enables training when it is needed. Wireless and mobile learning can empower “teachable moments,” that is, times when those with a stake in a particular issue are attentive, willing, and receptive to learning. Using mobile devices, learners can access job aids, reference materials, or instruction when needed.

• Allows use of rich media when appropriate. Some of the wireless and mobile devices support rich media such as video, photographs, images, audio, and animation. If these media make instruction, reference material, or job aids more effective, they should be employed.

Wireless m-Learning as Communication That Creates Knowledge

The advantages of m-learning as communication may be controversial. The advantages discussed here are derived from collaboration with experts or collaboration among peers. The challenge for training professionals will be to acknowledge these advantages and realize that there is not a formal role for the trainer or instructional designer to play.

• Provides access to experts. Consider using wireless devices when there is a need to connect to and learn from experts. An example of this is service engineers working on a customer site. The service engineers are in the process of evaluating the customer’s database and they need to learn more about the advanced options for securing data. Using a PDA with instant messaging and awareness (the ability to tell if someone is accessible via e-mail, instant messaging, or phone), learners can access expertise. The awareness option enables the learner to see which of the experts is available right now to dialog via e-mail, instant message, or phone. In this case the service engineers can call the expert and ask questions that will create knowledge and result in learning.

• Builds a community of practice. The term community of practice was coined by Etienne Wenger (Wenger & Snyder, 2000). It describes an informal network or group of people who exchange tips, best practices, and solutions to real problems. Using wireless devices, a community of practice can contribute to a forum or threaded discussion. Questions and answers posted to the discussion forum can be accessed from the field. Wireless devices can also be used to download tools like templates, sample letters, spreadsheets for estimating, sales scripts, and other documents that the team has developed over time. It can also be a tool for instant messaging, e-mail, or other communication and dialog. An example of this is an insurance adjuster who has a question about a claim she is working on. Using a cell phone with a camera, the adjuster sends images to a colleague from her team. Sharing the picture of the vehicle she is processing, the colleague can answer questions about how to process the claim.

• Knows where your expertise is located by connecting and continuously sync training to back-end systems. Wireless devices have the ability to push and pull data to and from learners. The ability to connect and sync means that you can have training records that are current and easy to report on. An example of this would be to use a wireless system to drive compliance and recertification training. In this case, a back-end system would track when learners need to take certification training and send the learner a reminder on the wireless device four to six weeks in advance of the certification expiration date. The leaner could then access the training and certification test online. The wireless device would send the certification test scores to a computer at headquarters and update the certification database. This means the records on certification are always up-to-date and a good source for reports to insurance companies and the government.

Disadvantages

The limitation of m-learning are a combination of technical and education challenges. Some of these disadvantages may disappear as technology improves.

A Fragmented Learning Experience

Astudy done at Stanford University’s Language lab (Qingyang, 2003) provides some insights into the fragmented experience of learning with mobile device. The lab staff chose foreign language study as the content area, hypothesizing that mobile devices could provide opportunities for review, listening, and speaking practice in a safe, authentic, personalized, and on-demand environment. The prototypes developed let users practice new words, take a quiz, access word and phrase translations, work with a live coach, and save vocabulary to a notebook—all in an integrated voice/data environment. The study warned that “Learning requires concentration and reflection. However, being on-the-go (riding a train, sitting in a cafe, walking down the street) is fraught with distractions. Students are in situations that place unpredictable but important demands on their attention. This leaves the mobile learner with a highly distracted, highly fragmented experience. The learning application must be designed with this in mind.”

Lack of Well-Developed Metacognitive Skills

Metacognition refers to the ability of learners to be aware of and monitor their learning processes. Adult education literature counsels that the more learners understand about how they learn best, the better able they are to assess how well they are learning and to manage their own learning. The challenge in wireless and m-learning is that learners have little experience with this delivery mode and the related instructional strategies. Experts (Peters, 2000) have suggested that “some employees are unsure about evaluating their personal learning experiences. The lack of external feedback can cause learners to question their goals and achievements.” Using m-learning delivery devices and strategies for self-directed learning compounds this challenge. When talking about metacognitive skills, a distinction needs to be made between the learners’ ability to self-monitor and their ability to self-assess. Learners can easily monitor their progress against a plan that tracks task completion, time on task, and quiz scores. The more difficult metacognitive skill is self-assessment, the learner’s ability to judge how well he or she has actually done learning and transferring new skill and knowledge.

Small Screens and Difficulty Accessing Information from the Web

Mobile and wireless devices have significant disadvantages relative to screen size and ability to access information designed for traditional PC-based Web viewing. If the mobile devices are accessing information from websites, Jacob Neilsen (2003b) advises

Currently, the best we can hope for are websites that are basically scaled-down and redesigned to eliminate graphics and multi-column layouts. At worst, websites offer no mobile version, so you get crunched images and skinny columns that are almost impossible to read. Clearly, traditional websites are intended for a big-screen user experience. Putting them on a small screen is like the dog that sings: the miracle is that it does so at all. While a technical feat, usability is never going to be good. To cater to mobile devices, websites and services should offer much shorter articles, dramatically simplified navigation, and highly selective features, retaining only what’s needed in a mobile setting.

High Costs

One of the biggest disadvantages and drawbacks for using a mobile wireless e-learning solution is cost. Recommending m-learning or wireless learning means investing in devices for each learner, paying for wireless service, budgeting for maintenance repair and upgrades, and support from an IT group to answer users’ questions and resolve technical problems. It takes a compelling business case to implement this kind of technology for learning.

Challenges to the Security of the Device and Its Data

Security is a challenge in the office environment with desktop PCs, and that challenge is magnified with mobile devices. Because of their size and portability, they are easy to lose, subject to damage, and more likely to be stolen than desktop systems. There are also serious considerations regarding data security. In a Computer World article, Muir (2003) estimates that “probably fewer than 10 percent of mobile devices used by major organizations have serious protection for stored data. This vulnerability persists despite the annual Computer Security Institute/FBI studies that document substantial financial losses associated with theft and exposure of confidential data and despite federal regulations governing the security of private data collected by financial and health care organizations.”