Introducing The eFront Android App
Sure, eFront always had a great presence on iOS and Android thanks to its responsive and mobile-friendly web UI. But now we are talking about a whole new level of mobile goodness.
The new application is fully native, for starters. Like, proper native, not browser-inside-an-app “native”.
This means it’s blazing fast, and it allows us to be easy on the battery, integrate better with the underlying device, and do some things that are impossible to do in a web app.
It also has a strong focus on mobile and offline learning, and especially microlearning (and microcertifications).
Our eFront Android app doesn’t try to cram every feature from the web version of eFront into your smartphone or tablet but aims to provide an interface optimized for the small(er) screens of mobile devices, and the shorter attention spans of people on the move.
But let’s have a look at the app’s features already, shall we?
The first feature is less some specific functionality, and more of an overall vision, one to which we alluded to already: the eFront Android app is streamlined for mobile learning, with a clean UI, minimal interface distractions, and a focus on your learning content.
The app offers offline learning with automatic synchronization of your status to your eFront portal when you are back online. If you fly or travel a lot, frequent areas with poor coverage, or live in a place with expensive data plans, you’ll find this feature rather handy. Of course, there are certain rules that must be respected in order for a course to function offline, like only using embeded video and not YouTube clips, or not rely on web links.
Assessments are also supported (even when offline). This means you have access to all standard question types and assessment features (allowed time, question shuffling, etc), right from your smartphone.
The eFront Android app also supports all the same unit completion methods that are available in the web edition of eFront, including content traversal and course completion rules. And, as we’ve already said, your completion progress is synced back to your eFront portal.
Of course, the eFront Android app is Branch-enabled, so your learners will be able to log in and access any specific Branch (and/or domain) that they have been assigned to.
Last, but not least, while you can’t do any administrative tasks (yet), eFront Android app will let you access your full user profile from within the app.
Conclusion
That’s basically it. Months and months of hard work reduced to a single introductory post. Well, that and a great app, which has officially been released and is now available on Google play for free! Enjoy, and give us your feedback!
P.S. For the Apple-loving users, soon-ish there might be something in the App Store for you too (you heard it hear first). Until then, there’s the more-than-capable mobile web version of eFront.