A client in the defence sector approached Intuition to evaluate the potential of mobile learning for the training and development of soldiers. The Army saw potential for soldiers for the following reasons:
- Soldiers don’t have the same access to desktop computers as personnel in other industries.
- When soldiers do have access, they find it difficult to find the time to complete their learning programs.
- Utilizing a device that a soldier already carries is attractive to the Army.
Research showed that a soldier’s personal mobile phone is increasingly likely to be a smartphone so why not leverage the capabilities of this device? There were many dissenting voices such as ‘It’s not secure’, ‘It’s contraband’, ‘Not every soldier has one’ etc. Despite these challenges, The Army saw the potential of mobile learning and recognised that the only way to surmount these barriers was to test smartphone capability where it matters, in the field.
