Explore some factors to see if microlearning is the right fit for you.
Short attention spans and busy employee schedules are compelling organizations to offer knowledge – just the right amount, on the right topic, at the moment of need. Microlearning has emerged as an ideal solution to effectively address these issues. Microlearning delivers information to learners in small, targeted chunks that are carefully aligned with desired individual and organizational results. Each “learning nugget” is typically only a few minutes in length and focused on a single learning objective.
Now let’s see some compelling factors that are affected by adopting a microlearning strategy.
Do you want to increase course accessibility?
Lengthy courses are usually accessed from the comfort of desks and desktops. Also, if the e-course doesn’t suit the learning preference of particular learners, then a training can be entirely lost for them. This greatly reduces the accessibility of the course. Incorporating microlearning modules in your e-learning program can remove the barriers of time, space, and preferences for users. These micro-modules can be accessed anywhere, anytime from a learner’s smartphone or tablet. Each micro-module can be designed keeping in mind a different learning point. This ensures that something is there for everyone in the program.
Do you want powerful learning bytes to enhance your employees’ knowledge?
It is no secret that rich multimedia captivates the attention of learners and delivers better knowledge transfer. Useful animations, videos, gamified content are willingly and repeatedly accessed by learners owing to their visual prowess. The short and concise nature of multimedia elements also makes them perfect for microlearning modules.
Creating impactful learning bytes is not restricted to just using multimedia. Even a rightly constructed simple Question and Answer session can serve as a powerful learning module. With some creativity and expertise in instructional design, you can support your employees in being up to date with their knowledge using microlearning modules.
Do you want to increase reusability of the courses?
Different departments of a large organization unknowingly develop the same course module again and again, instead of reusing previously available material. But reusing is easier said then done, as finding a module that tailor fits a new course is rare. Hence organizations spent a lot of extra money to develop the same course content.
By uploading microlearning modules on the LMS, you can create a good repository of courses that can be accessed by everyone in the organization. Before creating a new course, a training manager can first check out the repository and see if some of the modules can benefit their audience. They can choose to use them as part of the course they are going to create or as an independent learning asset for their audience. In this way, the microlearning asset can be reused over and over again.
Do your employees require just-in-time support?
Does your e-learning program ready employees for the challenges that lie ahead of them in the real world. This can mean giving in-depth product or tool knowledge, teaching how to make the right sales pitch, or demonstrating how to use particular hardware equipment. But it often happens that the time gap between the trainings and its actual practical usage is too long causing employees to forget what they learned. Microlearning modules can come to your rescue by providing just-in-time learning. As they are quick and convey a single topic effectively, they can be accessed exactly at the time of need through smartphones or tablets.
Do you want to increase the impact of your training program?
Organizations apply the best instructional and course design strategies for their e-learning program to get an attractive course that gives concrete results. These courses are developed after taking into account all the technical aspects to give learners the best possible experience. Microlearning modules act as a catalyst when it comes to increasing the impact of your training program. It gives e-learning courses the necessary push required to meet the demands of a changing workforce.
While a lengthy e-courses provide learners with intensive and detailed courses, micro-modules can give learners something easily digestible. Using videos, gamified content, and animations, fun and interactive micro-courses can be created that keep learners engaged and make them come back for more.
As you can see, microlearning leaves no aspect of your e-learning program untouched. microlearning strategy has the potential to uplift the learning experience of your digital program. All the properties of microlearning perfectly fit the changing learning needs of today’s millennial generation. It also gives organizations new avenues to be innovative and think out of box in order to fulfill their business and learning objectives. Although it might add to the overall effort of course development, needless to say that in the end microlearning is worth it all.
