In the vast world of online education, there is often a fine line between beneficial components and unnecessary complications.

Most associations want an eLearning system that provides the most effective educational experience for their users: one that includes advanced tools and up-to-date, efficient features–but one that is also straightforward and easy to use.

So, where does mobile learning fall in this framework? Is it a valuable addition? Is it unnecessarily complex?

Mobile learning is a simply a form of eLearning that uses personal electronic devices (like your phone!).

Smartphone ownership and internet usage are only on the rise, and the convenience of pocket learning is too appealing to pass up. After all, if you can learn on the go–like during your morning commute, or while waiting in a particularly line–why wouldn’t you?

With this incredible growth and upward trending for smartphones, many associations are trying to figure out if and when they should incorporate mobile learning into their eLearning platform.

So, let’s take a look today at 5 of the great advantages mobile learning offers:

1. It Incorporates Modern Learning Tools  

Adhering to the contemporary trends and tools of eLearning is important for online courses to stay ahead of the curve–assuming that they’ve demonstrated that they actually work!

Some of the best modern learning tools (like multimedia and gamification) have been shown to work extremely well on mobile devices. As smartphone users typically already use their mobile devices for various types of online multimedia and handheld games, these methods lend themselves perfectly to mobile learning and are quickly adopted.

Not only does mobile learning position itself to perform on par with desktop learning, there are even some studies that suggest mobile eLearning may actually outperform its desktop counterpart, particularly in areas that incorporate the aforementioned online multimedia and gamification.

Students in online courses have demonstrated a willingness to adopt mobile learning as the primary vehicle for their courses, and the completion and achievement results have been positive as well. As more research goes into finding different ways to reach modern students more effectively, expect to see a rise in eLearning done on handheld devices!

2. It Offers Improved Continuous Learning

One of the most import advances that mobile learning offers eLearning students is the ability to work on the go.

Not only are the devices smaller and more portable, but online networks are often easier to access when on-the-go compared to laptops (and worse, desktops!). After all, you may have to make your cell phone a mobile hotspot to use your laptop when away from your home network–so, isn’t it simpler to access things straight from your handheld device?

Mobile-friendly online courses also advance what is already a much more flexible method of learning than in-person courses offer. The added freedom to study whenever and wherever gives participants a less structured and isolated environment, meaning users can build the educational environment and routine that works best for them.

Because of this, mobile learning has the potential to feel less like “learning” than more traditional models do–even eLearning on a desktop. It doesn’t necessarily require a dedicated time or place to learn, giving students more choice and flexibility in their studies. Compared with its potential for additional gamification, your courses will soon feel more like “fun” and less like “homework for adults”.

The ability to continue your learning from anywhere on your mobile device also encourages lessons to be completed in bite-sized chunks, a strategy that is being employed more and more in contemporary learning models (Millward, 2005). This “microlearning” can also aid in “just-in-time learning”, where participants pick up necessary skills as they need them–an increasingly common practice that, if catered to, could greatly increase the value of your association’s courses!

3. It’s a Familiar Medium for Younger Generations

This may be surprising, but young adults are not nearly as familiar with desktop computers as you might think.

Only 77% of adults under the age of 49 own computers, whereas 99% of those same adults own smartphones, and 58% own tablets. Not just this–approximately 28% of people aged 18-29 use their smartphones for internet almost exclusively.

With the ever-growing capabilities of smartphones, they are quickly becoming the only device needed for the Internet, meaning that the device familiarity gap for younger generations is likely going to continue to get worse before it gets better.

Additionally, most of the major LMS platforms now include mobile learning capability, which allows them to convert old legacy online courses into more modern, mobile-friendly formats, so compatibility will continue to become even less of an issue than it is today. Mobile learning is only on the rise!

4. It Integrates Courses with Daily Life

In today’s connected world, learners want online courses that provide quick (even real time!) results and instant access–and what better way than with a few clicks on their portable devices? With fully integrated and smartphone-compatible courses, users can multitask to the max by completing their lessons while they wait in line, commute, or even while relaxing at home.

Similarly, course administrators want the ability to connect with their students as easily and quickly as possible, establishing a fluid and highly accessible line of communication.

With mobile learning, courses are can be fully integrated with a student’s smartphone, meaning resources are at a student’s fingertips at all times. This ease of access can help increase both student participation and course visibility; course administrators can send updates, notifications, test results, forum postings, and anything else directly to a participants’ smartphones, making unread notes and unengaged students a thing of the past.

5. It Creates a Collaborative Learning Environment

Another positive for the mobile learning movement is a benefit for both the association and the student: because most smartphone users exist in a world of social media and visible online networks, eLearning (and particularly mobile learning) has the potential to become a more collaborative and shared experience.

Online learning, especially in the early days, suffered somewhat due to its isolated nature, but today’s easier access online networks encourages more visibility and a greater sense of community for online learners.

Furthermore, the simplicity of connecting online courses to social networks (like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter) is a massive marketing opportunity for course administrators. The ability to instantly share and promote your programs online is an absolute boon from a marketing standpoint!

You may also like: How Requirements Documents Help Your Association Obtain the Perfect LMS

Conclusion

For associations looking to enhance their online education, mobile learning shouldn’t be overlooked. By incorporating modern tools, allowing for flexible learning, providing a familiar medium, integrating with daily life, and creating a collaborative learning environment, mobile learning can help maximize the educational experience and enhance the overall success of a program.

Don’t sleep on this fast-growing industry; look into mobilizing your association’s training today!

To learn more about Vocalmeet’s Learning Management System and its mobile features, click here!

Sources:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212003020

https://www.ericsson.com/mobility-report

Millward, Lynne. Understanding Occupational & Organizational Psychology. Sage, 2005.

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Over the last decade, the growth of hybrid events (in-person + virtual) has changed the event landscape. While many already benefit from adding online options to their events, there is still some resistance–usually based on the fear that hybrid events might reduce in-person attendance.

Today, we’ll help you put some of that hesitance at bay; let’s look at some of the major benefits that hybrid events offer!

1. Increased Revenue

It’s no secret that advertising and brand awareness are the core of every event.

Adding a relatively low-cost online component to your event will broaden the advertising space available to the participants and sponsors involved. Additionally, by opening the event up to a wider customer base, many organizers see a substantial increase in registration numbers. This increase is also due to a lower overall cost for registrants, and it’s easy to see why: less travel and less time means fewer restrictions for registrants (Frost & Sullivan, Inc. 2008)!

Try encouraging both your virtual and in-person audiences to engage with your major social media outlets during the event–this can drive both event participation and brand marketing simultaneously!

2. Expanded Member Base

Perhaps the greatest advantage to a virtual event space is that it is essentially borderless. Participants from different countries and time zones can join in from the comfort of their own homes or offices.

While it may seem obvious that throwing a larger net will catch more fish, your fear might instead be that an online event might reduce in person attendance: “If I offer an online option, people may choose it over in-person event!”

However, the available data suggests that these fears are unfounded. In fact, the truth is that hybrid events don’t appear to detract from in-person attendance at all!

According to research from MPI Foundation, 67% of event organizers saw no change in the in-person attendance when offering hybrid events in the first year. Additionally, 23% of the participants saw growth in their hybrid events in the following year, totalling a very compelling 90% of participants who saw static or increasing attendance numbers in year-after-year hybrid events (MPI 2011).

3. Extended Event

Like the expansion of the customer base, virtual event platforms provide a wider reach for the event. Geographically, your event can take place in any city or country and in front of any audience anywhere in the world, opening the door for expanded advertising, greater brand awareness, and new market infiltration.

Temporally, virtual events do not have a beginning or an end, as viewers can watch and rewatch at any time. For advertisers, this loop allows for an ongoing relationship with the customer base.

Another important point is the recording of virtual events means that they can be available on-demand for as long as you want. Further, they can be turned into courses with little additional costs.

Virtual events also expand the event and the advertising mediums available. While social media is a large part of all events today, hybrid events allow for a far greater online presence, which can increase organizational exposure and real-time audience promotion through social media channels (Pearlman & Gates 2010).

4. Increased Engagement from Online Attendees

Today, participants are expecting more personalized and participatory events from their hosts (Talwar & Hancock 2010). By adding a virtual component that utilizes rapid-response communication tools (such as social media and smart phones apps for both live and virtual participants), honest and non-disruptive discussions can take place concurrently with the events.

Furthermore, without any geographical, temporal, financial, and/or accessibility restrictions, the diversity of responses can be greatly improved upon as well. Virtual events are great for maximizing your audience!

5. Know Your Audience

Finally, incorporating a virtual event space can help organizers track and understand their audience better. There’s the clear benefit of having a visual and textual record of your event and the discussion it generated, but online events also allow organizers to see accurate and analytical representations of their audience’s interests and participation. This can provide sponsors with opportunities to create more effective, personalized, and direct advertising.

Today’s audiences are comfortable communicating online, and creating a space where discussion can spill out endlessly can benefit associations; you want your organization to stay part of the industry “conversation”, after all! Hybrid events also provide a much more immediate way for associations to engage with attendees online, which can expand their immediate and future networks.

Meanwhile, today’s organizers are developing creative ways of blending live and online environments by using QR codes, phone apps, and social media to create more immersive and engaging event for participants of all kinds.

You may also like: We’re All Watching: Why Video is the Most Engaging Medium

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, hybrid events are an innovative way to bring people together and provide an exciting, engaging experience. They offer a variety of benefits (such as increased engagement, increased reach, cost-efficiency, more flexibility, and more interactivity) and have the potential to revolutionize the event industry.

So, when planning your next event, consider this: why not try going hybrid?

Frost & Sullivan, Inc. Webcasting: The New Essential Ingredient of B2B Success. Palo Alto, CA: A Frost & Sullivan White Paper, 2008.

MPI Foundation. “Meeting Pros are from Mars, Attendees are from Venus; Techniques for Creating a Remarkable Hybrid Event,” 2012. Accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.mpiweb.org/events/wec2012/hybridevent.

Pearlman, D.M & Gates, N.A. “Hosting Business Meetings and Special Events in Virtual Worlds: A Fad or the Future?” Journal of Convention and Event Tourism, 11 (4) 247-265, 2010.

Talwar, R. and Hancock, T. “The Shape of Jobs to Come.” Possible New Careers Emerging from Advances in Science and Technology (2010 – 2030), 2010.

The post Top Five Reasons to Make Your Event Hybrid appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.