Microlearning is
hardly a new concept, but in this tumultuous pandemic period, it has proven to
be more advantageous than ever before. At a time when employees and learners worldwide
have been forced to adapt to virtual learning, L&D teams are relying on a
host of innovative instructional strategies that were perhaps adopted at a
slower pace previously.
Microlearning is
one of them!
Small Learning Solutions to Drive Big Results
As we live in a
world where people check their smartphones 9 times an hour, and there are so
many things vying for our attention, it’s hardly surprising that a format like
microlearning has become more popular.
As the name suggests, microlearning is learning delivered
in the form of short, crisp nuggets. It’s most often content that is under 10
minutes, sometimes even as short as three to six minutes, and is usually
designed in rich media formats directed towards a particular learning result.
Microlearning offers a learner-centric approach that delivers on-demand learning,
on any device of the learner’s choice.
Unlike traditional
training methods, microlearning is smarter and offers multiple benefits to the
modern workforce. In fact, it works well to suit the current times when Zoom
fatigue and work burnout are glaring issues and the average learning session
times have decreased significantly. Besides, modern learners want to access training courses on
their mobile devices, anytime, anywhere, on-the-go and at the point of their
need.
If you want to
gain the best uptake for your content, you should make the most of these windows
of opportunity and microlearning fits in this picture perfectly. Microlearning can be created in
several online formats, such as video, audio, PPTs, games, quizzes or even
assessments.
The 3s Es of Microlearning
and their Impact on Learning
In these times of rapid changes, the world of learning and development is at a stage where the ‘what’s in it for me’ element brings a major pull for learners. Microlearning borrows greatly from the theory postulated by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus about human memory. According to Ebbinghaus, people only retain 21% of what they learn within a month – something he theorized as the ‘forgetting curve’ illustrating how much information the brain can retain over a period of time.
When L&D teams include microlearning in their learning strategy, they need to strategize on how the module will leverage the very base of Ebbinghaus’s theory. They need to make the most of microlearning’s ‘little and often approach to provide learners with short digestible pieces of information that they are likely to retain by revisiting on a regular basis.
If you are thinking of implementing microlearning in your
L&D strategy, you can consider the 3 Es that are its key features and use
them to your optimum benefit to drive continuous learning:
ENGAGING: At a time when learner
engagement is an urgent need, microlearning is an effective solution to combat
cognitive overload. Since it follows memory retention best practices, it allows
the learner to focus on one idea or concept instead of having to absorb a host
of information in one go. Besides, keeping the content concise gives learners
the freedom to choose the topic they wish to focus upon to keep themselves
engaged.
ENJOYABLE: Microlearning is an alternative to conventional, long training sessions as it propagates the idea of learning through a series of smaller, focused, and more enjoyable modules. It ends up continuously entertaining learners by ensuring that they are comprehensively involved in the learning experience.
ENLIGHTENING:
One of the
best uses of microlearning is to reinforce the knowledge and skills gained by
the learners. A microlearning module is short and crisp which is an ideal way
to reinforce important information that was passed previously to employees during
a training program.
In Conclusion
As we view a post-pandemic world with a certain optimism, virtual learning is no longer an aberration as businesses worldwide have already embraced it wholeheartedly. The benefits that microlearning can lend to buttress learning and development programs are undeniable. It’s conversational and hence a much better choice for today’s world of work.
If you find yourself getting lost in the process, make
sure to consult an experienced e-learning partner to get access to the right
solutions.
