Microlearning: Its Benefits, Its Importance, and Some Tips about It

Micro e-learning units are short and contain self-contained information, typically 1-15 minutes in duration, and usually focus on one or two well-defined learning goals.

In contrast, traditional e-learning units might take 30-60 minutes or more, and they include a wide range of goals. However, micro e-learning is getting more and more popular.

What Is Microlearning?

Micro e-learning divides content into understandable chunks, which makes it easier for learners to study at their own pace. Furthermore, it suits learners' busy schedules.

It is a modern way of learning that is effective and attractive at the same time, and it has many benefits such as:

• Enhancing Learners' Retention of Information: Learners are more likely to remember information when it is presented in small, understandable chunks.
• Suiting Refresher Training: Providing small chunks of information is a useful and effective way to respond to evolving work environments when the full training course is not appropriate.
• Enhancing Employee Engagement: Microlearning enhances employee engagement because it suits the study habits of modern learners. It enables learners to study the training material on their own at their own pace.
• Providing the Possibility of Implementing Ideas: Microcontent provides job-specific information that learners can immediately apply to their positions, as it gives them the information they need to put it into practice.

Microlearning Benefits

In addition to learners' preference for microlearning, here are 3 reasons why you should consider it:

1. It Consumes Less Time and Provides Flexibility

Instead of allocating separate, in-depth study time, employers cram training sessions into employees' work schedules. E-learning modules, which are created to be delivered in a brief session (10 to 15 minutes), fit into this model more readily.

1.1. It Would Be Available at the Right Time

Small learning units are better than large ones in terms of receiving support at the right time. For example, if an employee needs to remember information about a software feature that is rarely used, it is most likely that they need it immediately. In such cases, it is easier for the employee to watch a 2-minute video about that specific feature than to review a full 60-minute module that explains all the program features.

1.2. It Provides Flexibility

Small learning units can be combined and studied flexibly. According to their preferences and immediate needs, one learner might access units E, C, and D while another might access units C, B, and E, for example. This implies that it enables learners to access the topics they want to study in the order that best suits their needs.

2. It Suits Modern Learners

Reports show that learners in the workplace are keen to study relevant and specialized content on whatever device they choose and that they often study quickly and at different times and places: 56% of modern learners learn when they need to, and 28% learn while commuting to and from work. The biggest challenge to on-the-job learning is time. While real learning requires effort, energy, and dedication, many learners struggle to provide these elements, so the possibility of adopting microlearning increases.

Research shows that intense study sessions of no more than 20 minutes - separated by 10-minute breaks - lead to better long-term memory retention than long, continuous study sessions.

3. The Demand for Mobile Learning Increases

We are aware that as mobile devices become more prevalent in the workplace, mobile learning is becoming more crucial. Think about how challenging it would be to concentrate during a 40-minute mobile lesson on a crowded morning train. The simple solution is to divide units into smaller, more meaningful chunks. However, this does not imply that small units are unattractive or incapable of handling complex issues.

Top 5 Microlearning Tips

Now that you know why you should invest in microlearning, here are my top 5 tips on how to create small, effective learning materials:

1. Introduce the Topics One by One

Microlearning means that you have a short time to present the information. Therefore, you have to identify the specific topic for the learners' requirements. It is important to stick to one topic only and focus on the main ideas that the learners are required to know. Ask an expert to identify important information about the topic, which should be the main focus of the micro-content. Focus on defining the least possible number of goals to avoid getting distracted with unnecessary and redundant information.

2. Enhance Information Retention Using Summaries

Although microlearning is an effective method of e-learning, there is no clear way to measure learners' knowledge. Incorporating summaries into small learning units might help assess their efficiency, but keep in mind that they should be small. A simple 2-minute quiz can identify learners' skills, strengths, and weaknesses, which allows them to get help in the task.

3. Address Performance Gaps

The most important benefit of microlearning might be the ability to provide learners with much-needed information. Think about the type of micro-content you are creating and how it will motivate learners to focus on specific work-related tasks. In some cases, a simple presentation might suffice, or earners might find conducting a quiz more useful. It depends on the topic.

Identify the learners' performance gaps, and find out how you can customize micro-content to meet their needs. What skills or tasks do they use regularly and which ones do they rarely use?

4. Create a Support System of Additional Resources

Microlearning does not mean that learners should not benefit from a holistic learning experience. Therefore, ensure that learners have access to other content formats, which can support different microlearning styles. Provide learners with the flexibility to access longer content or videos to expand their knowledge and skills. So, it is important to ensure that other microlearning formats are available to meet different learning styles and to keep learners engaged throughout.

5. Create a Microlearning Map

It can be very difficult to keep track of everything if you have a large topic that requires a lot of microlearning units and additional support content. If you can't find everything, neither will your learners could.

By Implementing a microlearning map to organize all of the small learning resources, students can easily monitor their progress by knowing which units are finished or unfinished. Furthermore, depending on their individual needs, it enables them to pick the units they want to study later. You might even consider creating a learning map customized for each learner.

In Conclusion

The 3 reasons for adopting microlearning that we have presented in this article are very compelling from the learner's viewpoint. However, the good news for you - as a trainer - is that microlearning content is faster to design and easier to maintain compared to larger learning content.