John Cosper

IBM Maximo Analyst
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Microlearning

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This is a short video on what is Microlearning and applications for it.

What is Microlearning and how can it be used for training?

Microlearning is an approach to training characterized by brief learning modules comprising bite-sized learning activities delivered over mobile devices and designed for quick consumption. They are built in chunks, between three and ten minutes long — short enough to keep a learner’s attention focused from beginning to end. And they are served up just in time at the point of contact — exactly when and where they are needed.

Microlearning changes the way we approach the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of our learning programs.  Microlearning demands that we master new technologies to give our learners a potent, concentrated experience in a simple, timely, and cost-effective way; and lastly, microlearning forces L&D professionals to rethink who their clients really are — and even what their own jobs should really be.

Where is microlearning needed most?  

Enterprise companies spend millions of dollars training staff training staff.   It can be on policies and procedures, regulations, or simply on the job training.   Training needs to be more efficient and cost effective.   My employer requires all its staff to undergo the same 3-hour corporate policy training every six months.   It is incredibly expensive and time consuming because most employees utilize the on-demand method which slices and divides several days of work.  

Microlearning is a critical element of an emerging model of learning and development called the continuous learning model. A continuous learning model is an ecosystem that includes much more than training. It encompasses recruitment, onboarding, coaching, mentoring, on-the-job training, opportunities for lateral and vertical career moves, education of managers, redefining L&D roles, redesigned bonus and compensation schemes, and a new model of constantly curated content being fed continuously to the learning population. Microlearning that never ends plays a key role in this new way of looking at employee development.

Benefits of Microlearning for Learners:

  • Learner-centric through personalized and flexible learning paths
  • Available at the moment of need and on demand
  • Accessible on multiple devices
  • Rich media that leads to better retention of knowledge.
  • Less time consuming

Benefits of Microlearning for Business:

  • Affordable (low-cost) and agile (addressing needs readily)
  • Shorter development cycle
  • Easy-to-update microlearning nuggets
  • Wider application for formal learning to performance support
  • High impact on a specific outcome

Microlearning Impact Area and related microlearning asset types:

 Shared Knowledge:   Blog post, demonstration video, job aid, operational guideline, wiki article.

 Performance Support:  Designated subject matter expert list, online discussion forum, employee help telephone line/email, enterprise social media platform, help desk hours, question & answer application.

 Continued Reinforcement:  Email distribution list, flash cards, practice exercise, question-based reinforcement, reflection activity, refresher training module/video.

 Manager Support:  Behavior observation forum, coaching conversation guide, manager-specific topic training, reporting dashboard.

 On-Demand Training:  Book recommendations, classroom session, curated content collection, online course, video series.

 Formal training:  Certification program, classroom session, online course, practical assessment, video series. 

Common Design Components of Microlearning

Title that hooks your audience–I found this article entitled “How to Create Titles to Hook Your Readers” (Links to an external site.) (Briles, 2016) very interesting

Short yet powerful introduction (often an emotionally evocative story that grabs attention)

Interactive information display (It does not necessarily require digital media!! It is the way you actively involve your audience)

Reflection questions (“what would happen?”; “how do you see this?”) and application questions (“How would you solve this problem? What will you do? “How would you apply this idea?”)

Short, just-in-time, formative assessment embedded into content (or stand-alone, “assessment” type assets for reinforcement): You do not want to let your employees get bored of long, tedious assessment.

Conclusion:  

Microlearnings are “chunked” parts of a longer trainings which creates modules and all modules occur in a linear fashion.   Microlearnings are short (2-15 minutes).   Microlearning covers one concept only.  Microlearnings are performance based,  meaning it should help someone “do” something.   They are available on any device and on the go accessibility.   Microlearnings are interactive. 

Samples of Microlearning:

Here are some prototypical examples:

References:

“A Definition of Microlearning.” Surge9, 10 June 2019, surge9.com/definition-microlearning/

Tipton, Shannon. “Microlearning: The Misunderstood Buzzword.” Learning Rebels, 26 July 2017, learningrebels.com/2017/07/17/microlearning-the-misunderstood-buzzword.

So Mi Kim. “Sign in to Your Account.” Review Microlearning Impact Areas, https://missouri.instructure.com/courses/54779/pages/step-1-1-review-microlearning-impact-areas?module_item_id=2778460, Accessed 17 July 2021.

Vector Solutions (2017, Feb 15). A Look Ahead: What is Microlearing? [Video File] Retrieved from Youtube

Wikipedia contributors. “Microlearning.” Wikipedia, 8 June 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlearning.