Interview Patricia Santos

25/02/2016

Cegos Mobile Learning in the USThe appetite for mobile learning is growing in demand and revenues in this sector reached $1.6 billion in 2014 in the US and are forecast to reach $2.1 billion by 2019, according to Ambient Insight.¹ US organizations have blazed a trail internationally in their adoption of mobile working and collaboration and expect to be able to source tailored, mature mobile learning solutions.Cegos has delivered an e-learning Catalog for several years through a network of US partners, leading technology providers and e-learning players. Cegos is now launching a Mobile Catalog on business and professional skills and which will be different from other Mobile Content solutions.Here are some of the answers given by Patricia Santos, Head of the Cegos Content Development team, to the questions that US learning and development professionals are likely to ask about Mobile Learning: How much experience does Cegos have in providing Learning content? Cegos, a $226 Million company with global presence, has proven its value and impact on US corporate learning for several years. We have applied that same learning content within a mobile solution and it has proven to work very well. In an immature market with lots of new entrants who are still tweaking key features of their products, corporations are looking for a more mature, stable and dependable solution. Cegos has the market advantage by using its established learning content, in a newly created mobile format, which allows greater fluidity and genuine mobile learning experience. This means that the learning from the desktop to the mobile device is seamless and of the same high quality standard. How does Cegos Mobile Learning reflect the needs of US learners? Cegos Mobile Learning is designed to appeal to the US learner. The US market is a key market for our Catalog solutions. Cegos partners such as Cornerstone OnDemand, Infor, OpenSesame, Halogen Software, Net Dimensions or Allen Communication will be able to offer our learning content on soft skills across Global US companies and to domestic SMBs (Small and Medium sized Businesses) as well. We understand the specifics of the US market and that US learners prefer short sequences of learning. Likewise, it’s just as critical to deliver in-depth learning that is required to train someone thoroughly in a new topic.We also understand that US learners respond well to e-learning content that is emotive and has human interest rather than dry facts and figures or extended text-based modules. So we have taken these expectations into account. Cegos delivers the 15-20 minute units required to develop knowledge or skills, chunked into the five-minute sequences preferred by US learners. Visual elements to learning are also important. While video is a valuable visual learning tool, video content is not easy to localize to suit different territories. Cegos’ animated e-learning modules are designed to be adapted for different languages – US learners will hear US English spoken and we localized all our courses with US experts. Aren’t all mobile learning solutions pretty much the same?No. Cegos Mobile Learning delivers a highly refined level of interaction. The learning modules’ HTML 5-based user interface is easy to use and friendly. Cegos’ ‘magic square’ design enables tablet users to switch from landscape to portrait view as they prefer. Navigation is easy, organized by ‘content blocks’ and adapts to the user’s natural way of interacting with the device. This is quite unique! How well does Cegos Mobile Learning work on tablets?Cegos Mobile Learning is delivered in a cut-down version for tablets to meet the needs of US learners. The Cegos mobile solution offers US organizations a lightweight version of learning content for tablets. While app-based e-learning modules are designed to work only in the specific environment of one mobile operating system, the Cegos solution works with the broader corporate LMS so that consistent learning may be delivered across all platforms. It is SCORM compatible, enabling trouble-free communication between e-learning content on various devices and learning management systems. We anticipate that mobile learning can supplement or replace traditional e-learning. If the organization is fast-moving, operating in a volatile and competitive sector, mobile learning will be the quickest way of getting employees up to speed with the latest knowledge and skills. If there is a need to roll out consistent learning across multiple states and even internationally, the organization can be sure that all employees will be able to access mobile learning solutions – access to office PCs is not a requirement. For more information on Cegos Mobile content, please send a mail to ple-mesnil@cegos.fr References¹http://www.ambientinsight.com/Reports/MobileLearning.aspx