How do you create digital content that’s suitable for mobile learning? In our experience at UQalify, the creation of digital content must be based on needs and pedagogy.
Training in Digital Learning can be a challenge and there’s several steps to achieve it, all of which are essential:
- The needs
- Pedagogy
- Technology
They also have an order. First, it’s important to understand the needs of your audience. Next, what are the best practices in pedagogy? And finally: which technology is most suited to combine both? Today, we’ll focus on some of those best practices in education of digital learning and particularly, Mobile Learning, our area of expertise at UQalify. You probably know the “Absorb Do Connect” method created by William Horton and which is mainly used when developing e-learning. But did you know that for Mobile Learning, it is necessary to go one step further? Training content that is followed via a PC is simply not the same on a mobile phone, which is why it needs to be enhanced in order to take full advantage of the mobility of a smartphone. The way to do that, is by employing a method called ELPA, which is the acronym for:
- Engage
- Learning
- Practice
- Apply
The ELPA approach takes the codes of William Horton, but adds the dimension of Engagement, an essential step in instructional design at UQalify. It was created by Teach on Mars and Jerome Wagnier. Engagement, Story, Hook, Storytelling… whatever you want to call it, the principle is to guide learners into a more immersive world. Mobile offers this possibility, which can help to create a powerful learning environment. In our posts, we will detail each aspect of the ELPA model, through case studies, and remember, a strong approach that’s based on pedagogy(!). In addition, the ELPA model should always take into account your internal needs and be supported by state-of-the-art technology, as they are the cornerstones of digital training.
Stay tuned for more about the ELPA model in the future!
