Top 4 Microlearning Strategies For 2021
Microlearning involves short, easily digestible learning nuggets that span between 3 to 6 minutes. These nuggets can be a part of a large repository or stand alone and are focused on specific learning outcomes that address specific topics or skills.
Microlearning is not a new notion; it has been around for ages. It is a very efficient adult-learning tool, especially for your senior resources, who already have a lot of experience and can now take their training on a need-to-learn basis.
Organizations are increasingly using microlearning for both formal and informal training. Microlearning offers many advantages to the organization and the learners. Here are 4 advanced microlearning strategies to use in 2021.
Advanced Microlearning Strategies To Use In 2021
1. Video-Based Microlearning
Microlearning video is a strategy used by L&D leaders to build context around various training topics. Brief and impactful microlearning videos [1] with thought-provoking questions at the end will help learners imbibe the concept well and enable them to apply it to their work. Keeping these videos brief, focused, and using the right visuals, similar to the content learners are used to consuming on their smartphones, makes the format both familiar and effective, leaving an eternal impact on the learner’s mind.
2. Scenario-Based Microlearning
A perfect way to help your employees learn soft skills, leadership skills, new processes, and procedures would be by incorporating a scenario-based microlearning strategy into their learning. This strategy includes real-life experiences and situations that help learners relate to the learning content and better understand how it applies to them. Microlearning questions comprise hypothetical stories that enable learners to think through complex problems and situations, thus helping the learners develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
3. Gamification And Microlearning
Microlearning and gamification are a good combination if done right. It involves using the right strategy to create a better learning experience by increasing learner’s engagement and knowledge retention without rushing. The idea here is to combine microlearning, which is a short nugget, with gamification elements to increase the interest in the learners to learn the concepts, carry out the activity and remember the concept as well. Many organizations have adopted this combination as it adds a bit of fun to the eLearning course and increases engagement and completion rates. The focus is to not bore the learners with a lot of concepts and theory but to make them perform an activity and score points. Adding a leaderboard element will make the game more competitive. Arcade games, such as maze games or Mario games, are fun and short and can be woven into a microlearning format.
4. Text-Based Graphics And Animations
Liven up and help create relevance and context for your learning content by integrating media-rich graphics and animation into your microlearning strategy. Learning content can sometimes come across as boring, dry, and irrelevant. To add a little zest to your content, perk it up and increase its impact, break the content down into short and comprehensible modules and use images, graphics, and short animations which will further increase the engagement levels.
So, Is Microlearning A One-Size-Fits-All Approach?
The answer is “No.” It is true that microlearning is a popular approach and makes learning simple, but it has some limitations. Microlearning [2] cannot and should not be used in all situations. In the case of microlearning, the content is segregated into bite-sized nuggets focused on specific learning outcomes that address specific topics or skills, and it is really useful for employee training and also as a refresher after formal training. It cannot, however, be used to deal with complex topics that are better managed by formal classroom training or eLearning. Here are some instances when you should not be using microlearning:
- To gain complete mastery over a topic
- As a replacement for formal training
- To tackle complex topics
Summing It All Up
Microlearning nuggets can be a part of a larger repository of learning assets on a topic or stand-alone unit. They can be accessed by anyone at any time and are focused on specific learning outcomes. Microlearning nuggets should be used as a quick reference or a refresher to a formal training where the learner can access the topic of interest and achieve their learning objectives within minutes. The popular microlearning strategies that you should use in 2021 are video-based microlearning, scenario-based microlearning, game-based microlearning, and text-based graphics and animations. However, you should remember that microlearning cannot always be the go-to solution and you need to say "No" to it sometimes.
I hope you find this article insightful and that it helps you implement microlearning into your learning strategy better. If you have any specific queries, do contact me or leave a comment below.
References:
[2] Microlearning
