mLearning: hyperconnected companies through new technology

Mobile learning will undoubtedly become a major business-management trend in the coming years. It gives companies an effective remote training tool while enabling the hyperconnectivity of a world accustomed to instant updates, constant communication with employees and ongoing training.

Smartphones are becoming mobile learning tools, taking the place long occupied by classrooms and, more recently, virtual classrooms. Before smartphones, eLearning was the great revolution in formal and informal education, and it continues to grow: **an OBS Online Business School report estimates annual eLearning growth of 7.6% through 2020.**

Currently, 77% of US organizations offer online training to develop employees' competencies. Although mobile learning is relatively new, it will undoubtedly grow. Some experiences have already demonstrated better content retention, shorter training times and increased productivity compared with traditional training models and even eLearning. Mobile learners generally study 40 minutes longer than desktop learners (MNAlearning). They also complete courses 45% faster than people learning on computers.

From isolation to hyperconnectivity in distance education

The major step from eLearning to mLearning is the move from isolation to hyperconnectivity. A smartphone “is a natural extension of how our thoughts unfold. We hold in our hands the possibility of connecting with a simple touch and entering an interconnected world,” explains Francisco Fernández, professor of Communication Technologies at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

According to the Educational Portal of the Americas, media convergence reconnects individuals. Distance learning no longer takes place alone, but as part of a larger whole whose members connect through multiple intelligences. mLearning thus removes a major cause of dropout in distance education—the feeling of isolation—and makes learning another form of hyperconnectivity.