Mobile learning platforms are becoming popular these days because of multiple reasons. The first thing is that it is portable and extremely handy. Smartphones are easily available in this digital era as gone are the days when the smartphone was a mark of affluence. A smartphone is pretty affordable and the price is as low as INR 4000. Thus, the number of smartphone learners is increasing on a daily basis, and hence, people are loving this small screen format of learning.
Because of these e-learners and virtual educators are putting a great deal of emphasis on developing a mobile learning strategy. Consequently, online virtual online teaching courses are stealing the limelight every now and then. The concept of e-learning was literally a bit topsy-turvy in the initial days due to the drastic transition from traditional classroom structure to online learning, owing to covid.
Availability of the internet and gadgets were not in abundance in the rural or remote section of the country but now, mobile learning apps are creating learning solutions that are apt for virtual learning in any type of mobile device. Though the problem with the connectivity i.e., the internet still persists, developers are cracking this trouble by designing software that requires less space and can function smoothly in a moderate internet connection.
Let's see why e-learning systems are the favorites of students as well teachers.
There is no need to commute to the educational institution.
- Affordable.
- Less time-consuming.
- Can be accessed from mobile as well as gadgets.
- Flexible, i.e., one can learn online from anywhere having a stable internet connection and a smartphone.
- Self-assessment and evaluation are hassle-free.
- Students have the access to resuming back to the chapter they were studying.
- Microlearning has helped students to learn in a better format.
- Online assignments are easy to attend.
Having said so, we would like to suggest certain tips so that this mobile learning becomes more effective and efficient so that students can perform better.
Just like they say content is the king, the entire learning content should be absolutely attractive having all the important facts that will encourage students to learn better. Moreover, content should be updated and any presence of the old syllabus is not at all sporty. Online teachers believe in staying updated every time and hence, they push hard to make virtual online teaching (VOLT) more flexible and fresh.
Admit or not, social media is all that we are attracted to and our morning begins with scrolling our newsfeed or checking notifications on Facebook or Instagram. Therefore, if developers can incorporate the idea of social learning with learning platforms then it will be a massive blockbuster in the field of virtual learning. Connecting learning apps to social media will be a great step.
Another vital approach will be tracking how students are active on the learning steps will be of absolute help. A student must have the access to the learning portal and they should be able to use the platform without any difficulty. The online course must be designed in a simple manner so that students can learn any chapter they want to at any time. Teachers, on the other hand, must be able to track the performance of the learners in this learning design and can provide valuable feedback based on their activities.
Microlearning is the new hot cake and hence, instructional designers should design the chapters by breaking those into small modules. Each module should be followed by a small assignment so that after getting done with that module students can attempt the assignment to evaluate their progress themselves. Besides, there should be a condition that unless the assignment is finished with the passing score a student will not be able to move to the next module. This particular feature must be made a mandatory and significant part of the learning management system.
The popularity of e-learning will drop down to zero if student engagement is poor. Thus, to assure a complete engagement student developers are creating crazy learning apps having features just like that of an online game. Gamification is the center of attraction and students are going ga-ga!
Hence, using these approaches mobile learning can be improved to a great extent. Virtual online teaching courses can be given a better and more efficient structure so that those can be accessed anywhere even on mobile devices.
Written By : Sudeshna Guha Thakurta
