The result is impressive. Without a doubt, KnowledgeNet has created some very sexy courseware. What they've managed to develop is much more than simply reading text, what some critics deem "e-reading." They've developed learning modules that are rich, interactive, and built on sound instructional design principles. Their PDA courseware is actually much better than most e-learning companies' PC-based content.

According to Chris Dragon, there's strong demand for PDA-based content: "With an increasingly mobile workforce, from salespeople to IT professionals, people are craving to have more information available at their fingertips."

KnowledgeNet learning modules for Palm devices are still in the development stage, but they'll be available soon.

SmartForce
SmartForce, on the other hand, has taken a different, yet equally viable, approach. SmartForce sees the greatest value of PDAs in assessment. They're developing downloadable assessment exams that allow learners to test their knowledge and then track and report their results. Learners can download banks of questions that are anywhere from 30 to 100 questions. Their content has been developed exclusively for Palm devices.

Let's take a look at an example. First, you need to go over the instructional material, like that shown in Figure A.

FIGURE A

First, you go over the lesson.

Then you're be given a series of questions to test your retention of what you read. A sample question is shown in Figure B.

FIGURE B

Test yourself with a series of questions.

Finally, you receive your score, as shown in Figure C.

FIGURE C

The software tracks and reports your results.

Thus far, SmartForce is in Phase I, which is based on their eBusiness portfolio. Phase II begins next quarter, and based on feedback from Phase I, they'll be adding curricula accordingly.

Mel Megarity, SmartForce's manager of strategic alliances, says their customers have been very enthusiastic about SmartForce's mobile initiative. Many SmartForce students work in information technology, and as Mel explains, "IT workers tend to be highly mobile. Go on any flight, and you'll see IT professionals with their laptops and PDAs. So it's no surprise that they are excited at the prospect of being able to study or prepare for an exam from literally anywhere. There's nothing more mobile than a PDA."

The challenges
Like all technologies that show tremendous promise, there are challenges and obstacles that must be overcome before we can realize the full potential of m-learning. The most obvious obstacle is the limited memory of mobile devices. Palm devices come with 2MB to 8MB of memory, though more recent models feature an SD (Secure Digital) expansion slot, allowing more memory, or even full programs, to be added. Mobile phones, meanwhile, come with almost no memory. The consequence is that today the more robust PDAs can handle a limited amount of rich content. Thinner devices can handle basic textual content. And, lastly, mobile phones are at best useful for enabling students to check test scores remotely.