EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY COLLABORATION TO INNOVATE WORKPLACE TRAINING USING MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

This paper will describe a successful innovative research and development project between two research universities and an oil and gas industry client to develop and deliver training materials using mobile technology in the workplace. The innovative aspect of this project is the combination of pedagogy and technology to develop a solution for employee training. The mobile approach was selected over traditional learning due to the flexibility it offered for a workforce that is dispersed across the country in urban and rural settings, onshore and offshore, often with limited internet access. Mobile learning offers the added benefit of sustainable recurrent learning and job support, as employees who retain course content on their mobile handsets are able to refer back to it as required on the job. The flexibility and portability of mobile learning can also help to maximize the potential of a highly mobile and connected local workforce. The decision to create free-standing mobile applications (apps) rather than depending on web-based content arose from this reality. The project developed a number of multimedia mobile learning apps to train employees in blended learning and learn anytime and from anywhere formats. The training lesson used a variety of learning strategies including tutorials, practice with feedback, and interactive exercises. Employees completed the training using their own mobile technology or they use the ones supplied by the project. Employees learning performance and satisfaction level with the mobile delivery were also evaluated. Research results indicated that employees' cognitive performance improved after completing the training sessions using mobile learning. Employees also reported that they like the flexibility that mobile learning provides for learning. In addition to providing training to employees in the workplace, there are many benefits of collaboration on workplace training between universities and industry. At the organizational level, benefits were derived from the collaboration between the industry and universities. Industry staff benefited from the theoretical knowledge brought to the project by the university team members. In some cases it helped them clarify and explain what they currently do and why it works or does not work. The university team members who developed the mobile learning materials learned from the direct application of the practice in an industry setting, as the interconnectedness of the departments that impact training, notably safety, security, and IT, creates opportunities and obstacles to the deployment of the practice. If collaborative projects are managed and implemented properly, both university and industry can learn from each other. The best practices from the successful collaboration between the universities and industry in this project can be used by other projects when developing training in the workplace.