Mobile technology provides instant and easy access to a variety of tasks for anyone with a phone and the internet. We are more connected than ever before and more and more people and places are online than ever before. Utilizing mobile technology for learning and training can provide educational institutions and companies a quick way to engage learnings and employees and provide them educational opportunities that they can access anywhere, anytime. Below is a plan for a grocery store chain and how mobile technology can be incorporated to efficiently provide ongoing training for employees.
Mobile Technology Implementation Plan
Mobile technologies provide instant access to learning from almost anywhere in the world. People have the ability to pick up their phones and in a few seconds answer almost any question they have, learn a new skill, participate in a training, communicate with others, or develop a hobby. They can attend formal learning sessions without the constraints of geography or delve into informal learning through videos or blogs. Workplace environments benefit greatly from mobile technologies as they allow for easier communication within the workforce, provide accessible, concise, and engaging training opportunities for their busy employees, and refresher resources which can save time and money. Training designs utilizing mobile technology can lead to higher retention and application of skills due to their short nature, minimal cognitive load and by allowing learners to process information (American College of Education, 2022).
Employees at a grocery store chain are in need of onboarding training as well as refreshers on safety measures, new regulations, and company updates. Managers struggle to ensure all employees are completing their refresher courses throughout the year and so a plan using mobile technology has been put into place to alleviate this problem. The purpose of this plan is to ensure all employees are completing their required refresher trainings by each due date set forth by the company. The first goal is that all employees will complete and pass all required training modules by each specific module due date throughout the year. The second goal is that all managers will send out reminders, guide, and ensure employees are completing all required trainings by each specific due date throughout the year. These goals will ensure company and state compliance by all stakeholders.
Employees already have access to their employee digital portal via a secure webpage where they put in their availability, request time off, and switch shifts. Using this same portal, managers will be able to send out notifications to the portal and employee cellphones, of when each refresher course must be completed. The program will track the progress of each employee and will not allow any employee to be scheduled to work if their required refresher courses have not been completed. Employees can access these trainings from anywhere using their cellphone, allowing them to work through the modules at their own pace. Each module is concisely built to include only vital information presented using gamification techniques to engage learners, thereby increasing retention (Ha & Im, 2020). Interactive content keeps learner attention and promotes engagement. The inclusion of interactive elements saves time through learner focus and attention (Padilla Rodriguez & Armellini, 2014).
Learner safety and ethical use of training materials is at the forefront of utilizing mobile technology for these refresher modules. Trainings will be individually created by in house designers or use Open Educational Resources (OERs) which are materials that can be used without gaining permission (Seibert et al., 2019). These resources are designed to make learning accessible to more learners for the greater good of society, without violating any copyright laws. The employee portal uses a two-step verification process ensuring user safety and authenticity while completing trainings.
As managers are made aware of training modules in need of completion by their employees, they will be responsible for sending communication via the employee portal and via text message notifications at least two weeks prior to each module due date. Keeping everything and everyone up to date is a key benefit of utilizing mobile technology (Exter & Ashby, 2022). Employees will have accepted these forms of communication upon employment, so no further approvals will be needed. Employees will be sent bi-weekly reminders via portal and text message of the training required, due date, and that they will not be scheduled after the due date if the training has not been completed with a passing score. Module trainings will be accessible through the employee web-based portal, allowing easy access for all employees through any device connected to the internet.
Utilizing mobile technology for training modules necessary for continued employment at a grocery store chain equips managers with an easy-to-use method of ensuring trainings are completed in a timely manner. Employees have easy access to their required trainings which can be completed from anywhere that is connected to the internet. Safety, engagement, and retention are top priorities of each training module, and utilizing mobile technology ensures efficiency for all involved.
References
American College of Education. (2022c). DL5763 Trends in instructional design: Module 5 [Part 3 presentation]. Canvas. https://ace.instructure.com/courses/2018748/external_tools/118428
Exter, M., & Ashby, I. (2022). Lifelong learning of instructional design and educational technology professionals: A Heutagogical approach. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 66(2), 254–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00657-x
Ha, Young & Im, Hyunjoo. (2020). The role of an interactive visual learning tool and its personalizability in online learning: Flow experience. Online Learning, 24(1), 205–226. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i1.1620
Padilla Rodriguez, B. C., & Armellini, A. (2014). Applying the interaction equivalency theorem to online courses in a large organization. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 13(2), 51–66.
Seibert, H., Miles, R., & Geuther, C. (2019). Navigating 21st-Century digital scholarship: Open educational resources (OERs), creative commons, copyright, and library vendor licenses. Serials Librarian, 76(1–4), 103–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2019.1589893