m-Learning can be grouped into three delivery strategies: m-learning as e-learning, performance support, and communication. Each strategy is based on a different view of the role of the learners and different beliefs regarding how to design and deliver instruction. The first strategy is the least innovative, but probably the easiest to execute and most frequently used. The last two strategies are more innovative, but less frequently used. None of these delivery strategies is designed to be a stand-alone learning solution. As you think about these strategies, consider how they might be blended into larger programs to extend learning to the work site.

m-Learning as e-Learning

The first approach is to simply use wireless devices as an extension of desktop e-learning. Expressed as a math equation, m-learning = e-learning. Given the proliferation of wireless devices and the prediction that the dominant form of Internet access will be via wireless devices, it follows that e-learning simply becomes m-learning. In this most simplistic view, e-learning and m-learning are the same; just the devices differ. An example of this would be a course that could be taken in an office by connecting to the physical local area network and that could also be taken on a PC equipped with a wireless card in a coffee shop. In either case it is the same course, taken on a the same PC notebook, and there is little need to rethink strategies because the device (the PC) remains constant; only the network connection changes.

Agreat example of m-learning = e-learning is the NETg courseware that runs on the IBM Lotus learning management systems. In this case, e-learning is available three ways, and two of the three options are mobile. The course can simply be taken at the employee’s desk using fixed lines. Or the employee can bring a laptop to the cafeteria and take the course using a wireless network. Another alternative would be to download the course and take it in disconnected mode while on a plane. Disconnected mode is the ability to take a course without being connected to the network but maintain the scoring and tracking data until the PC is next connected to a network. In this case, the NETg courseware works in concert with the IBM Lotus LMS to track the learner’s progress and uploads scores when he or she next connects to the network. The mobile options in this case rely on the same courseware and the same device as traditional e-learning.

A variation on this theme is the claim that e-learning developed for the desktop PC or laptop can simply be ported (moved from one platform to another) to PDAs and other mobile devices. Some vendors claim to have software that makes training universally available. Using their software, instructional designers are able to develop and deliver training content in multiple formats (Kossen, 2003). This strategy is often promoted as part of a learning-object vision that says “develop your content once and deliver it using multiple formats such as e-learning, CD-ROMs, and PDAs.” Clearly there are caveats to this claim. In this case, m-learning is not equal to e-learning. There are significant design considerations related to content reuse, device characteristics, connectivity limitations, and collaboration capabilities.

Wireless and Mobile Learning as Performance Support

The second approach stresses that wireless m-learning is characteristically aimed at knowledge that is location-dependent and situation-dependent. In this case, traditional e-learning and m-learning are not the same. In this strategy, m-learning is focused on performance support, reference-based learning, or PSS solutions created specifically for remote access in the context of doing a task. Unlike the first case in which e-learning and m-learning are the same, this approach requires that e-learning and m-learning have distinct qualities. The design for performance support using mobile devices requires that content be optimized for the device and the connectivity capabilities.

Epocrates DocAlert® messaging is an example of m-Learning. Through this messaging, up to three short and timely news briefs are delivered to users each time they update their Epocrates® hand-held software. Messages include important medication safety alerts from the FDA, CDC, ISMP, and AHRQ, medical and practice management news, and valuable clinical news targeted by specialty.

Users can view additional information, save it to their PDAs, or request additional information via e-mail. Depending on the alert, this may include clinical abstracts, CME or conference event notification, comprehensive clinical guidelines, and links to useful websites and electronic reports.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tested the Epocrates hand-held (or PDA) network as a method to alert frontline health care workers of bioterrorist attacks. This m-Learning solution puts information on some of the most life-threatening biological or chemical agents—such as smallpox, anthrax, and viral hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola—literally into the palm of a physician’s hand. The overall ePocrates system delivers regularly updated clinical reference information to health care workers who use hand-helds and is particularly useful in emergency rooms, clinics, and doctors’ offices.

Communication as Learning in Context

The third approach stresses that m-learning is grounded in person-to-person communication. In m-learning, the learning arises through dialog (questions and answers) that takes place in context. Nyíri (2002), who has developed a philosophy of m-learning, argues that information and knowledge are not identical, but that there is a relationship between information and knowledge. He points out that questions arising in the course of mobile communication seek location-specific and situationspecific answers. These questions create a context, and thus the answers can give rise to knowledge. Knowledge and information are enriched in this case because mobile communication can combine voice, text, and live pictures. Today this kind of learning is taking place with the IBM Lotus Instant Messaging Everyplace® solution. This solution allows mobile users to see who is available to collaborate via phone, instant messaging, and e-mail. The ability to see who is available is called presence awareness. Using presence awareness, employees are able to locate experts and see, in advance, whether a person is available to collaborate, share information, or chat. This technology enables learning in context and helps create knowledge.

Slightly Beyond the Scope of e-Learning

There are a number of educational uses of mobile and wireless devices that are not really “e-learning,” but they are worthy of a short discussion. There is a significant amount of work being done to develop applications for the traditional classroom that use mobile devices because they are less expensive than laptops. Most of this work is limited to K–12 and higher education, where pilots are actively underway.

Traditional Classroom Assessment

Using PDAs and hand-held devices, a teacher beams a test or quiz to learners using a wireless network. The learners respond to the quiz and beam their responses back. The advantage of this process over passing out a paper-and-pencil test is that the data regarding elapsed test completion time, time to respond to a given item, detailed item analysis data, and other information is tracked in a database. Having data online enables teachers to do things like compare scores among classes, conduct item analysis, and look for trends. This is not an e-learning strategy but is talked about as something that would be possible if PDAs or hand-helds were available as a result of a larger e-learning initiative.

Administrative Tools

There are tools for making classroom administration easier for teachers. Examples of this are applications for tracking attendance, keeping seating charts, managing a grade book, storing lesson plans, providing references and notes for bus routes, birthdays, emergency contact information, and other important information. These tools can be used in connected or disconnected mode. The ability to synchronize information as it is uploaded and downloaded means that the information on a server/desktop PC and the information on the PDA are coordinated to ensure that the latest information is available to teachers and administrators. This is not a learning application, but it is often discussed in the popular trade magazines, so instructional designers should be aware of the possibilities.

Student and Tutor Notifications

A gray area in the use of mobile and wireless for e-learning is the use of hand-held devices for notification. This is the use of the notifications or messaging features that are part of learning content management systems (LMS). Many LMS systems send text messages, post items to online calendars, or send e-mail to wireless devices to notify students that they need to renew a certification, alert them to the offering a new class they might be interested in taking, or confirm they have been moved from a wait-list to an enrolled seat in a coveted course. There is even the possibility of having the system notify the learner when there are new postings to a threaded discussion. These uses are less about learning and more about tracking and managing learners.

The notification functions can also be used for instructors. In some cases a tutor or mentor can be notified that a student is seeking assistance. Using wireless notification devices such as a PDA or beeper, the tutor can receive a message without being seated in front of his or her PC.

Content “to Go”

Mobile devices also make it possible for learners to take materials with them. Materials designed for reading or listening to during short free periods like taking the train, having a coffee, or waiting to make a customer call can be turned into learning opportunities. This is slightly different than downloading an e-learning course that tracks date of download, scores of quizzes, the learner’s progress, and other data. If you need to report on learner progress, comprehension, or mastery of materials content “to go” is not a good solution.

The content-to-go strategy encourages users to download reference materials, news, journal articles, speakers, interviews, maps, and more. While this is not learning in the traditional sense, it may be possible to ask learners to download a relevant newspaper story or journal article for discussion in class. For example, the American Medical Association (2003) offers its members PDA content for download on topics such as clinical practice, health care policy, and ethics.

Data-Gathering Tools for Project-Based Learning

In K–12 and higher education, hand-held devices are being used for project-based learning. In this context, the devices are used to allow students to go into the field and record observations, gather data, and make records (audio or visual). The data gathered in the field is then brought back into the classroom as the foundation of project-based learning An example of this is a grant-funded program at Manatee High School and Sea Breeze Elementary School (PalmOne, n.d.). Using pH meters attached to PalmPilots®, students gathered data in the field and then returned to the classroom to do advanced analysis. The pH meter enabled students to collect pH values, dissolved oxygen, and temperatures values for the water. The students could press buttons on their hand-helds to change the data into graphs or bar graphs. Then they were able to draw their own conclusions about the ecosystems they were studying.