McGraw-Hill Research Foundation Policy Paper Urges Organizations to Deliver Mobile Training To Employees

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Global workforce demographics, advancements in mobile device accessibility and capabilities, the emergence of effective mobile learning tools, and best practices from early adopters make this an opportune time for any organization to test mobile learning (mLearning) without assuming too much risk.

mLearning: A Practical Approach to Mobile Technology for Workforce Training, a policy paper released today by The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation, outlines the unique benefits of mobile learning. Written by Alex Heiphetz, Ph.D., founder and president of AHG, Inc., a software solution company specializing in business services to training companies and educational institutions, the paper offers a series of recommendations about how mLearning can effectively be used in employee training and development.

"We believe that mobile technology can become an engine of business learning in the same way the world wide web became the backbone of learning during the previous technological revolution," says Heiphetz.  "mLearning makes learning easier, motivates further learning, and encourages knowledge sharing and gathering."    

Heiphetz details how mLearning delivers universally accessible content, adapts to the needs of both the company and the staff, increases knowledge retention, connects employees in remote locations, and saves time.  In order to initiate and implement successful mLearning programs, Heiphetz advises that an organization must:

• identify its immediate and long-term learning and organizational goals;
• establish the criteria by which success will be measured;
• ensure that mLearning works in concert with existing programs;
• evaluate the best format and delivery, available technologies and virtual tools to match an organization's needs; and
• select a pilot project with a representative user group and a typical, real-life learning assignment.

Mobile learning is essential in connecting employees to information and expertise when and where they need it.  "Regardless of a company's circumstances, we have no doubt that it will find something in mobile learning deserving of consideration," says Heiphetz.  

Heiphetz is founder and president of AHG, Inc. and consults with corporations and universities on the benefits and logistics of virtual training and education programs. His papers have appeared in Distance Learning magazine, Training magazine and other publications and he is the author of Training and Collaboration with Virtual Worlds (McGraw-Hill Professional).

To download a copy of mLearning: A Practical Approach to Mobile Technology for Workforce Training, click here http://bit.ly/MobileLearningWhitePaper.

About The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation

The Foundation was established with the support of The McGraw-Hill Companies. It was incorporated on July 16, 2010, as a Delaware non-profit and is in the process of applying to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) organization. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hillresearchfoundation.org/. 

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation