For many years now, there have been predictions of an explosive growth in the market for mobile learning. Now Mintra is launching an m-learning course on Emergency First Aid. This course was a collaboration effort between Red Cross First Aid, More Mobile Relations and Mintra.

Why M-learning?
There are many reasons to use mobile phones as a learning channel.

“The most obvious reason is probably the incredibly widespread use of mobile phones,” says Steinar Brændeland, Managing Director of More Mobile Relations Norway.

On a worldwide basis, there are currently four billion mobile phones in use. By comparison, “only” around one and a half billion people have access to the Internet via a PC.

“We see that advanced phones are increasing their market share and believe that mobile phones now represent a learning platform we simply can no longer ignore,” says Brændeland.



Birgitte Remstad, Mintra's project manager for the development of the first aid course stresses the advantage of combining several learning methods.

“We have long experience combining e-learning with traditional instructor-led classroom training. When we now combine instructor-led training with computer assisted training and mobile learning it opens for a number of exciting educational opportunities. If we use this approach correctly, I am convinced that mobile phones will increase the learning effect – but we must be critical when introducing m-learning. It doesn't lend itself to all topics and target groups,” says Remstad.

About the First Aid Course
This course provides an introduction to emergency first aid. After completing the course, users will feel secure enough in their knowledge to be able to take action in an accident situation by analysing the situation and understanding the order in which to do what needs to be done.

The course is a combination of e-learning and mobile learning. In addition, Red Cross First Aid offers a practical evening course to follow-up the theoretical training. By combining e-learning with mobile learning, our goal is to provide users with a more interactive and realistic experience, with situations to handle and exercises to solve throughout the course period. Much of the theoretical portion of the course is presented as e-learning, using presentations and exercises. The e-learning course will also present users with realistic situations where first aid is required. Then the same situation will be followed up during the mobile learning part of the course to give them a feeling of “here and now, this is really it and I need to act”.

Tommy Nybakk of Red Cross First Aid is also pleased with the first aid course. After taking the course he had the following comments:

“This is an incredibly exciting way to learn first aid. Fantastic illustrations and films make it interesting to learn first aid. I didn't feel like I was plodding my way through boring exercises and I felt sharp and concentrated the whole time. The tempo of both the verbal presentation and the progression of sequences was perfect. There is enough time to digest what you are learning.”

The course is divided into 5 parts:

• e-learning – 20 min.
• m-learning – 5-7 min. (over one week)
• e-learning – 20 min.
• m-learning – 5-7 min. (over one week)
• Practical evening course at Red Cross First Aid

Text: Ivar Viktil, Managing Director, Mintra AS

---

Contact Mintra for more information or to register for this exciting and useful course.

Norway
Chul Christian Aamodt, Mintra AS
Director of Marketing and Sales
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone: +47 913 76 478

Colin Turnbull
Managing Director, Mintra Training Portal UK
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone: +44 (0) 1224 766 920