When you decide to invest in an mLearning solution for your business or organization, you have likely given the advantages of learning apps a lot of consideration. 

To be more specific, you likely know that mobile apps can increase learner engagement, and are proven to increase retention rates.

In fact, learning apps improve educational motivation among students by as much as 70 percent.

So, it goes without saying that there are a myriad of ways your business could benefit from incorporating an mLearning strategy as part of your training or onboarding process.

But when it comes to mobile apps for learning, there are a range of options available. Many incorporate elements of gamification in order to make the learning process more captivating. At the same time other learning platforms, like traditional learning management systems (LMS), keep things simple and straightforward, without as much game-based learning.

This may seem like a lot to process at first, but we’ve taken the liberty of breaking this down into three easy-to-understand answers.

Here they are:

1. DOES MY LEARNING APP HAVE TO BE GAMIFIED?

No, it doesn’t! Whether or not your mLearning app should be gamified depends on your company’s unique desired outcomes. If you want to train your staff on basic workplace safety in a way that will be engaging and help your employees retain information, a game-based learning app may be the right solution for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a complex educational platform where hundreds of employees can log in and obtain professional, in-depth training for specific job roles, an approach with little to no gamification may better suit your needs.

At ARC Business Solutions, our team of dedicated eLearning specialists can help you determine which avenue is best for your business and work with you to ensure you’re getting a learning platform that will produce the results you’re looking for.

2. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF GAMIFICATION?

Well, to begin, gamification can be incorporated into your learning app as much or as little as you like.

This is because there are numerous different features that fall under the gamification umbrella that software developers use to make apps more game-like.

Some gamification features include:

• Objectives 
• Achievements
• Reward systems
• Progress bars
• Interactive content
• Simulations

 And more.

A company can choose to implement all of these features, or just a select few. Either way, the use of gamification techniques has been proven to help learners score 14 percent higher in skill-based knowledge assessments than those who learn without gamification.    

Additionally, 87 percent of employees agree that gamification makes them more productive while at work. 

With compelling data like this, it is easy to see the benefits of game-based learning, but ultimately it has to be a fit for your business objectives.

3. WHAT IS A SERIOUS GAME? AND WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

A serious game is a platform that is intentionally designed with gamification features, even though its primary purpose is not entertainment. Some of the most popular serious games in the world are used to educate, like America’s Army.

The benefits of serious games include:

• Immediate feedback on performance for learners
• Interactive learning
• Improved cognitive function
• Improved ability to multi-task
• Higher retention rates
• Risk-free training through simulations

When compared to a traditional LMS, which incorporates very little gamification, serious games have shown significant value when it comes to yielding better results from learners of all types. But again, every business is unique, and understanding the educational challenges your employees or trainees are facing is essential to making the right choice.