
Let's be honest learning, especially in the long term or medium term, is most exciting when you have the credentials to show for it. The process is rarely outrightly attractive.
From a corporate perspective, it was never cost-effective, and now, more than ever, it seems unreasonable to shut down an entire team or leave it handicapped in the name of a couple of weeks of training on new software or skills. The costs and the time can be better managed.
With lower attention spans than the world has ever had, long, gruelling learning sessions are now counterproductive.
So what alternatives do we have?
Content
- What is microlearning?
- How does microlearning work?
- Benefits of microlearning – why consider microlearning?
- Why is microlearning important to employers?
- What are some microlearning examples?
- Conclusion
What Is Microlearning?
Microlearning is learning in manageable quantities at the learner's pace and convenience. It is learning organised for easy consumption and assimilation, including the provision for disruption or breaks in the learning process.
The learning materials or content are concise and compact enough to accommodate short bursts of learning time. While there is no unanimous consensus on the effectiveness of microlearning for all types of learning, particularly specialist and technical learning, it can be impactful when applied within the proper context.
How Does Microlearning Work?
In creating microlearning training materials, courses are broken down into small chunks of concise content and tasks that can be completed within a brief period. An accumulation of this content builds up a knowledge base and skills.
Consolidating these micro-units of learning to teach skills and inform learners leads to improved performance or change in the behaviour of learners. When well-structured, microlearning can be used to convert learning from short-term learning to long-term learning.
Benefits of Microlearning – Why Consider Microlearning?
Microlearning has many high points that make it attractive to organisations and corporate learners. Some of the considerations which make getting the buy-in of management and your workforce easy include:
1. Simplicity
Modern learners embrace microlearning's simplicity and ease. The prospect of getting the meat of learning in snippets that are easy to consume and assimilate is heart-warming. Doing this with work, rather than going away to learn, is a win-win for management and employees.
2. Flexibility
Microlearning facilitates learning on your own terms and in your own time. This means you can take advantage of your personal learning habits and fit learning into your schedule.
3. Media Variety
Microlearning is often delivered via different formats such as texts, audio, infographics, and videos, which promote higher engagement and retention. Resting the eyes from the strain of reading voluminous text or sitting through sermon-like lectures makes learning an exciting prospect.
4. Stress Reduction
The primary thought that you don't have to be trapped in a class for hours on end learning often prevents stress that results from classroom jitters. The prospect of sieving through pages of texts often puts learners off. However, knowing that you can finish content in minutes relieves the pressure learners often have, giving them the chance to bring a clear mind to the learning process.
5. Blends with Social Learning
The world has become more social, and learning is not left out. Microlearning supports sharing updates and achievements of learning progress. Knowledge sharing can also be accommodated as learners share new knowledge across the organisational network.
6. Promotes Learning Culture
When learning is taken as easy, accessible and stress-free, there is a high likelihood of repetition and adoption across the workforce. It becomes a way of life and part of workplace culture. Support, motivation and encouragement are not scarce as a result.
Why Is Microlearning Important to Employers?
The global workforce has clamoured for new working formats and more time away from work. Organisations have to be more innovative about supporting the balance while ensuring that they provide employees with the required learning support to function effectively. Microlearning provides a suitable way to fit learning around the schedule of employees without invading too much of their personal time.
It also aligns with the modern corporate learner's consumption preferences and lifestyle habits, enabling them to process information in nibbles. It is often compatible with mobile learning and can be taken with learners wherever they are. Its ease of use offers convenience and encourages frequent engagements by learners.
Summarily, microlearning provides employers with the platform for learning support in a non-invasive way. It produces higher engagement, time savings, cost savings and improved retention.
What Are Some Microlearning Examples?
Microlearning is delivered via various content types, often combined to reinforce, drive home learning and increase learner engagement. The content type or combination depends on the subject and the demographics of the learners. Microlearning content could be either of or a combination of:
- Microcopy – short, targeted and highly contextual texts delivered in bullet points or hints.
- Images – pictures and graphics that illustrate the message.
- Infographics – diagrammatic blend of texts and images enhanced with symbols and presented in patterns or sequence.
- Video – short, punchy clips of animation, interviews, demonstrations or other moving media pieces that communicate the intended message by showing, telling or both.
- Audio – sound clips of explainers, interviews, podcasts or other informative recordings.
- Interactive media – flashcards, games, flip books, interactive infographics and other media- require learner interaction to communicate and deliver learning.
Conclusion
Microlearning has come to stay and is a practical way to support corporate learning. Its many benefits and ability to be integrated with your LMS makes it a choice solution to making learning fun. Want an engaged and highly motivated learning workforce? You can achieve this with microlearning. Use it to save cost and time while your learners conveniently progress with their learning.
Book a demo session with My Learning Hub to learn more about how to integrate microlearning into your corporate learning programmes and LMS.
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