The increasing ubiquity of the mobile phone begs for it to be used as a learning tool. It’s no surprise then that organisation across the globe are beginning to incorporate mLearning in their L&D initiatives. Amit Garg, Director of Custom Learning Solutions at Upside Learning, recently shared all these insights in a Q&A session with a leading Indian daily called Sakal Times.

Amit, an avid learner of mobile technology and a mLearning evangelist, spoke of the growing penetration of mobile devices, the various learning opportunities offered by mobile technology, possible ways of leveraging mLearning in the workplace and how mobiles will gradually become the platform of choice for workplace learning delivery (or learning/knowledge management system access).

Below are some excerpts from the Q&A:

Mobiles will become the platform of choice for workplace learning delivery (or learning/knowledge management system access). Learners would be able to access content nuggets (videos, documents, or mini courses) from corporate information systems just when they need them. They will collaborate with colleagues and even contribute their own content using mobiles devices. Performance Support will increase many–fold and we will see a lot of training take the shape of performance support. Mobile devices will again be the driver for this change as learners start accessing learning content just when they need it.

Mobile learning as such can be used for activating knowledge before a classroom (or virtual classroom or even an eLearning session), summarizing (after one of those sessions – delivered soon after the session), recall and just–in–time search support by letting employees search in company’s knowledge databases (wikis, blogs, forums) using their mobiles. Mobile learning platforms, like Upside2Go, can help L&D departments to deliver priority communication, just–in–time and performance support solutions to their learners anywhere, anytime.

The Q&A was published on December 10 in Sakal Times.

Upside Learning, today, has released a new eBook on mLearning, ‘Mobile Learning: A Quick Start Guide’. This release is in line with the company’s developments in the mLearning domain. While this is one of the key reasons why Upside Learning chose Mobile Learning as the topic for the eBook, another important reason was that the use of mobile devices and technology for learning and information access is rapidly gaining ground across the world. Mobile technology is now finding widespread acceptance as a training and learning device in the workplace as well. But, training departments are unsure how to implement a successful mLearning strategy.

Using its experience and expertise in developing mobile learning solutions, Upside Learning has written an eBook that will help L&D and training professionals understand when to use, how to design, develop and implement mLearning in a way that works for their organisation. The eBook will also cover the strategy part – listing the basics and then going on to elaborate the method to choose the right technologies for an organisation’s learning need and how to implement them effectively.

Some topics that the readers can look forward to reading about in the eBook are:

• Understanding mLearning
• Key Considerations in Mobile Learning
• The Basics of mLearning Strategy
• Determining mLearning Strategy
• The Technical Approach

The eBook has been co-authored by Amit Garg and Abhijit Kadle. Amit is the Director of Custom Learning Solutions and Abhijit is the Sr. Manager – Instructional Design at Upside Learning.

A complimentary copy of the eBook, ‘Mobile Learning: A Quick Start Guide’, can be obtained from http://bit.ly/mlearning-guide. Also, attendees at Upside Learning’s booth (#671) at CIPD HRD 2012 will also be entitled to a free copy of this eBook.

With a view to establishing closer communications with its clients and strengthening its reach in the overseas market, Upside Learning recently welcomed Alan Samuel, former head of UK operations at Tata Interactive Systems, as Director of Client Solutions for the UK & Europe. Alan will head Upside Learning’s offshore Europe and UK market to manage and promote the company’s award–winning suite of eLearning solutions and services.

With over 12 years of eLearning experience, Alan brings with him a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the use of learning technologies in the corporate, education and publishing sectors in the UK market. Prior to joining Upside Learning, Alan headed Tata Interactive Systems’ UK operations for almost 10 years and was a partner in The Learning Coach, a company specialising in building eLearning capability. He has hands–on experience of working with offshore environments and teams, and has helped a number of Fortune 500 companies to develop their eLearning strategies and build eLearning portfolios. Apart from these, Alan has also held senior roles in the fields of IT offshoring, hospitality, media and advertising.

A strong believer in the role of technology in improving and supporting business and individual performance, Alan holds a track record of excellent customer relationships, and is well known for being a leader with clear, direct and effective communication skills.

“I enjoy the challenge of marrying Technology and Learning to build solutions that add value and support people in the work place. The opportunity of being part of an eLearning company whose innovative products and services are helping organizations drive performance and business improvement is exciting!”, said Alan.

“We are pleased to have Alan join us in our journey towards providing the best eLearning solutions in Europe and the UK. His extensive experience in working with offshore teams and a clear understanding of eLearning will help us immensely in strengthening our relationship with our clients and developing effective eLearning strategies for them”, said Amit Garg, Director of Custom Leaning Solutions at Upside Learning.

In today’s day and age where mobile devices and mobile technologies have become ubiquitous in nearly every aspect of our daily lives, it’s no surprise that Mobile Learning is emerging as the future of learning. And one company that has made robust investments in this new learning media is Upside Learning. At the upcoming CIPD HRD 2012 expo, to be held on 25^th and 26^th April at Olympia, London, the company’s focus on mobile learning will be evident as it exhibits its wide range of mobile learning solutions.

Visitors at Upside Learning’s booth (#671) can get a taste of some of the company’s wide range of custom mobile learning offerings that include micro courses, quizzes and games, mbooks, mobile videos, augmented reality apps and custom mobile apps for different smartphones and tablets. Upside2Go, Upside Learning’s revolutionary platform for Mobile Learning available on iOS, BlackBerry and Android, will also be on display.

Visitors can also check out Upside Learning’s Custom eLearning Solutions and the recently released version (version 5.0) of its two-time Brandon Hall award-winning Learning Management System – UpsideLMS.

Attendees at the expo can also attend a session on mobile learning to be delivered by Amit Garg, Director of Custom eLearning Solutions at Upside Learning. Titled ‘Implementing Mobile Learning In Workplace – Benefits, Strategy & Success Factors’, this session will be held on the concluding day of the conference and exhibition i.e. 26^th April at 10.15 a.m. BST.

The company’s representatives will be present at booth (#671) throughout the event. To pre-arrange a meeting with a member of the Upside Learning team, send an email specifying your preferred time and date to sales@upsidelearning.com

The second edition of MobiMOOC has started on 8^th September, and will run until 30^th September. Of the many impressive weekly sessions lined up for these 3 weeks is the Corporate mLearning week starting from 24^th September. And facilitating this is Amit Garg, Co–founder and Director of Custom Learning Solutions at Upside Learning.

The entire week will see Amit sharing his expertise on mobile learning, and its role and necessity in the corporate world today. Some of the MOOC topics that will be covered by Amit include:

• The potential of mLearning
  • Why is Mobile unique?
  • What is Mobile Learning?
  • What can mLearning help a corporate in?
  • Why escaping mobile learning is impossible?
• Busting the myths of mLearning
• Getting started – Key elements in implementing mLearning in workplace

Below is the schedule for Amit‚s webinars during the Corporate mLearning week:

Webinar Topic : Understanding Mobile Learning

Date/Time : Monday, 24 September 2012 | 10.30 AM, Brussels time

Webinar Topic : How to implement mLearning in workplace

Date/Time : Tuesday, 25 September 2012 | 3.00 PM, Brussels time

Webinar Topic : Future of mLearning in workplace

Date/Time : Friday, 28 September 2012 | 3.00 PM, Brussels time

Through these webinars, participants will be able to understand and appreciate the potential of mLearning in the workplace, understand the key elements of mLearning implementation strategy, identify the myths related to mobile learning and learn how mLearning can actually be implemented in the workplace through examples.

Talking about his selection as a course coordinator for MobiMOOC, Amit Garg commented, “MobiMOOC 2012 has a very impressive faculty to conduct the weekly sessions on mobile learning and related topics. I feel absolutely honored to be included amongst them and I look forward to interacting and learning from the participants of these sessions.”

Organised by Inge Ignatia de Waard, and already running in its second week, MobiMOOC 2012 is divided into three weeks with each week covering different course topics related to mLearning. A unique initiative exclusively on mobile learning, it invites industry experts to share their knowledge on mobile learning and embark discussion and open dialogue between the audiences. All the courses conducted on this open platform are freely available to everyone.

Interested individuals can register for MobiMOOC 2012 by becoming a member of the Google group.

Learning is not just a part of Upside Learning’s brand name; it’s what forms its foundation. True to this, the company will be offering a learning platform to the attendees of ASTD International Conference & Exposition (ASTD ICE) 2012. This also reflects ASTD’s theme for this year – ‘Learn something new, perform something extraordinary’.

True learning will be enabled as visitors interact with Upside Learning’s team ,discuss their learning problems and requirements and gain practical insights on the role that eLearning can play in building a strong training function in their organisation.

Further, as learners continue to seek knowledge beyond formal modes and turn to newer technologies, the Upside Learning team will also demonstrate the value of these new technologies and suggest solutions on how they can be leveraged to make learning more effective.

Visitors at Upside Learning’s booth (#1729) can also get a taste of some of the company’s wide range of solutions and services. These include award-winning Custom eLearning and Mobile Learning Solutions. Upside2Go, Upside Learning’s revolutionary Mobile Learning platform for iOS, BlackBerry and Android, will also be on display along with UpsideLMS, the company’s 3-time Brandon Hall award-winning Learning Management System.

The company’s representatives will be present at booth (#1729) throughout the event. To pre-arrange a meeting with a member of the Upside Learning team, visitors can send an email specifying the preferred time and date to sales@upsidelearning.com

ASTD ICE 2012 will be held from 6^th to 9^th May 2012 at Denver, CO, USA. The expo will be open from 7^th May (9.30 a.m.) until 9^th May (1.15 p.m.).

Consistently surpassing its past achievements, Upside Learning has won a Bronze for Best Extended Enterprise Learning Program under the 2012 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards in Learning.

The company’s winning entry, a range of custom learning solutions, has been developed for VoCollect, the number one developer and manufacturer of voice solutions. Called the VoCollect University, the courses offered include VCT, WBT and ILT; and ranges from technical to sales training. The primary goal of the VoCollect University was to provide all individuals using Vocollect products and services (namely the employees, partners and end–users) the required training to use the products safely and efficiently. The delivery of this training was carried out in various forms, and its programs can be best described as holistic blended training programs carefully designed and delivered for maximum learning impact.

The judging panel for the awards consisted of several veteran, independent senior industry experts along with Brandon Hall Group’s Sr. Analysts and Executive Leadership. The winning entries were selected based upon different criteria’s, which included: fit to the need, design of the program, functionality, Innovation, and overall measurable benefits.

“This years’ winner should be very proud of their achievements especially based on the rigorous judging process all submissions underwent,” said Mike Cooke, Chief Executive Officer of Brandon Hall Group, Inc. “We are honored to recognize the award winners who exemplify a high standard of performance in their organization and demonstrate clear, measurable business results through these innovative programs.”

In its 18^th year now, the prestigious Brandon Hall Excellence Awards in Learning are held annually to acknowledge best technologies, innovations, strategies that deliver astounding results in the learning domain.

About Brandon Hall Group

Having worked with more than 10,000 clients globally and after 20 years of delivering world–class solutions, Brandon Hall Group is the preeminent research and analyst organization focused on developing research–driven solutions to drive organizational performance for emerging and large organization. Brandon Hall Group has an extensive repository of thought leadership, research, data and expertise In Learning and Development, Talent Management, Sales Effectiveness, Marketing Impact, and Executive Management.

To learn more, visit www.brandonhall.com

A leader in business improvement consultancy and training, Process Management International (PMI) has been publishing books and other resources on various topics. Keeping in line with the increasing global trend of eBooks and eReaders, it has recently released its first eBook for Kindle. This eBook has been designed and developed by Upside Learning.

Called ‘The Project Leader’s Handbook’, this eBook is an online version of PMI’s handbook on work management and improvement. An invaluable reference for anyone involved in improving and managing their work, the book helps senior managers to understand the approach being taken by their people, whilst participants in teams like to refer to it for the details of what is going on.

While Upside Learning has been developing a range of mobile learning solutions for some years now, it was PMI’s first tryst with mobile learning. And the advantages that PMI derived from this are apparent. Converting the handbook in Kindle compatible format ensured that PMI could target not just the hard-bound book reading segment but also the growing segment of eBook readers. Also, having an eBook meant that any update in content could be easily and quickly sent to the readers. For the readers, this eliminated the need to buy a revised version.

Speaking about PMI’s decision to enter the eBook market, Amit Garg, Director of Custom eLearning Solutions at Upside Learning, said, “In today’s day and age where on the move has become a norm and new technologies have brought in a wide variety of devices, it is imperative for an organization to cater to its audiences through a format and a delivery mode that is the most acceptable. PMI has been leading the way in business process improvement for almost 3 decades now and as such understands the need to continually evolve.” Further, he added, “Our developers are well experienced in developing mobile apps and other new-age solutions in the mobile learning domain. By developing an eBook compatible with Kindle 2, we are happy that we could help PMI open new business avenues.”

Dennis Crommentuijn-Marsh, Consultant & Product Development Manager at PMI, commented, “This has been our first development of an eBook, but definitely not our last! The team at Upside Learning did a fantastic job, given the complexities in the material they had to convert into an easy to use eBook. It is now on Amazon and selling well!”.