iPhone and Mobile Learning

I succumbed to the iPhone hype. I wasn’t going to, but my brother got one, showed it to me, and I was in. Funny thing is, every time I show it to someone, they ask, “Are you happy with it?” Being a first generation product, I know what they’re getting at. They’re saying, “Hey, guinea pig, give me some guidance on whether or not I really want one of those.” Fair enough.

I won’t go into all the details of the ups and downs of the device (including some bugs that my particular device seems to be encountering), but I have been thinking specifically about the iPhone and how it will impact mobile learning.

First off is the obvious – podcasting. When it comes to the iPhone’s delivery of this medium, I think it’s in the bag. After all, the iPod side of the iPhone functions like any other iPod (though the interface is quite a bit sleeker). If you’re thinking of delivering training via podcasting, the iPhone will not disappoint.

Beyond podcasting, though, mobile learning is going to run into some obstacles with the iPhone, many of which happen to be the same obstacles that any mobile device presents.

Following are some of my observations regarding challenges to think about when planning for mobile learning via the iPhone:

Video
While video (like vodcasts, etc.) can be a viable method for the iPhone, delivering video files has some hang ups. First, if delivered as a vodcast, the media must first be delivered to the learner’s iTunes application, where it then is loaded (or “synched”) to the iPhone. As it now stands, this is a cumbersome reality of the iPhone for all multimedia files. I project this will change sometime in the future with the release of a native iTunes application for the iPhone. For now, though, it’s a functionality issue to be aware of, as the process for delivering video media certainly isn’t “on demand” and may involve too many steps for learners to adopt.

Additionally, delivering video via the web to be viewed on iPhone’s Safari web browser is not ideal. First, as I’ll talk about a little further down, iPhone’s version of Safari does not currently support Flash. As a result, Flash delivered video, as found on sites like YouTube, will not work on your iPhone web browser. What’s more, the iPhone does not allow users to save files to a directory on the phone’s drive, meaning a learner can’t download and save a video from the web to their device (or other file of any sort for that matter, as I’ll discuss further).

Finally, even viewing heavy multimedia files like video can be a bit problematic on the iPhone. If a user can access a broadband wi-fi connection, then loading speeds can be acceptable. But when using AT&T’s 2.5G EDGE network (the only option for all iPhone users at this point), they are connecting to the Internet via a (relatively) slow connection, resulting in prohibitively long download times for large files like video.

Downloading Files
Discussing the inability to save video files is directly connected to the next aspect: Delivering documents via iPhone. At this point, it’s possible, given some major caveats. First, file size must be taken into account. As stated above, when relying on AT&T’s EDGE network, download times can be slow. Large files will take a long time to load.

Second, and perhaps most important, files themselves cannot be saved to the device. Yes, you can download and view a PDF in the Safari web browser, but once you close the browser window, if you want to view the PDF again, you must return to the URL and load it again. While not a huge issue at first glance, it is certainly a web usability issue as it goes completely against what users of the web are accustomed to. Plus, it’s simply inconvenient.

Keep this in mind if you’re developing training materials, handouts or other documents for mobile delivery to the iPhone.

Web
As is the case with all web delivery, you have to keep the specs in mind when developing. While web technology continues to become more and more standardized via the major browsers and factors like CSS and AJAX, a wide array of variables still exist. Typically, in e-learning, these factors are mitigated by “controlling” the web delivery, i.e. limiting delivery to a defined resolution on a single version of a single web browser on a uniform platform. This is a time-proven method; but when it comes to the iPhone (and mobile delivery in general), the method must be thrown out the door. While resolution issues are actually handled extremely well by iPhone’s “pinch” touch screen technology, the fact is, you’re dealing with a different browser, Safari, and a different platform, Mac OS X, and chances are, you’ve never dealt with it before in your e-learning endeavors.

I don’t want to be overly dramatic, because Safari is a fine browser, even the iPhone version. And OS X stands on its own for usability, if not for adoption. But the fact is, all web browsers render data slightly differently. Therefore, as you develop e-learning courses that include mobile delivery, you have to face the reality of developing for several browser and platform environments.

For example, non-mobile learners may be limited to IE 6.X, while some mobile learners will be limited to other versions of IE depending on the device they use, and iPhone learners will be limited to Safari. You can develop one solution that works for all three environments, or you can develop three separate solutions. Both options can be done, but both methods involve more programming time and QA, resulting in a greater expense than developing for a single browser on a single platform.

Flash
This is perhaps the biggest obstacle to delivering e-learning via the iPhone. As it now stands, iPhone does not support Flash. Zip. Zilch. No dice. The most widely accepted and implemented technology for e-learning simply does not work on the iPhone. To be honest, I was blown away when I discovered this. While most of my gripes with the iPhone are minor issues that I believe can be as easily overlooked as they can be tweaked, this is one area that has left me scratching my head. I imagine this issue will not be long lasting, but for now, it’s a reality to keep in mind when considering delivering learning via the iPhone.

Conclusion
Now, keep in mind, I do not intend to bag on the iPhone. So far, barring a couple of expected bugs, I’m loving the device. And my belief is that many of the above challenges will be resolved with software upgrades over the coming months and year. But when it comes to delivering mobile learning, the iPhone is just like all mobile devices – challenges exist and must be planned for and addressed.

For a further discussion on the iPhone and learning, you may want to check out Elliott Masie’s initial reaction and thoughts. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or questions, drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.