At this point everyone in the elearning industry takes mobile learning seriously, and with good reason.

Mobile learning is on the rise and looks like it will be for the foreseeable future. This is especially true given the increase use and accessibility of mobile devices.

In fact, it is estimated that the number of smartphone users alone is going to reach 2.08 billion people as of this year, and time spent on these phones will grow to roughly 3.15 hours per day!

Seems more of our time is spent on smartphones than at a laptops.

This highlights a major opportunity in the elearning space. If this many people use smartphones then it only makes sense that we create “smartphone friendly” learning content.

Rather than mobile learning having to conform to typical elearning standards we are seeing that our elearning methods need to be modified for the mobile learning industry.

A perfect example being the way content is delivered (chunked). There is more emphasis around “bite-size learning” and making it effective.

If you are involved in the elearning industry you should be asking yourself, “Am I ready for the mobile learning shift?”

There is no need to panic if you are not. It simply starts with education. Familiarize yourself with this market and where it is headed. Once you have a better understanding you will be better prepared for its continued growth.

What does that mean exactly? Well, if you create elearning courses for a living then you may need to modify how you structure content. You may also have to re-assess the technology you use for creating the courses.

If you are an LMS administrator then you will need to ensure that it runs without a hitch delivering content to mobile devices (and if it has issues, start planning your switch).

One thing is for sure: the mobile opportunity should be greeted with excitement. Change can seem scary at first but that’s usually because we don’t fully understand the full impacts as of yet.