Microlearning? Your Employees Are On Board
The concept behind microlearning is simple. Learners receive training in bite-sized chunks, usually in the form of videos, infographics, games, and quizzes. To facilitate retention while assessing knowledge, many microlearning courses also use flashcards.
All this sounds nice and interesting, but what is microlearning really about? Microlearning is known for its short seat time and high efficacy. So, ultimately, it’s about training your employees without taking them out of their workflow. This is why more and more companies are integrating it into their training strategies.
And it so happens that employees prefer microlearning too. Find out 7 reasons why employees will thank you for bringing microlearning into their busy lives.
1. Microlearning Courses Are More Engaging
Microlearning, by default, has a few points in its favor when it comes to engaging learners. The content is short, often under 5 minutes, so it has to be really bad to be boring. Like instructor-reading-out-loud-from-the textbook bad.
This is far from a typical microlearning example, though. Microlearning courses are imaginative and upbeat and offer a blend of diverse content, from infographics to simulations and case studies. Plus, there’s hardly any microlearning course without videos. Bite-sized videos are not only highly popular but also extremely effective, so many micro-courses are actually entirely built on them.
A little tip for irresistible bite-sized courses is to gamify them. A tad of competition can further increase engagement and motivate your employees to keep up the good work.
2. Employees Learn Faster
Long-form courses often include advanced or even irrelevant information. This happens in an effort to provide more context, but it can eventually do more harm than good. When teaching straightforward or already learned skills, the extra fluff prolongs training and tires employees.
Microlearning doesn’t care for lengthy introductions and nice-to-have information. Each piece of content goes directly to the point, tackles a specific knowledge gap, and explains it in the simplest way possible. When you keep it short and simple, employees understand what you’re talking about. That’s how microlearning works, and why it offers fast results.
3. It’s Easier To Remember What They’ve Learned
Most of what we learn is gone within minutes. It’s just how our brain works. Microlearning, however, has been found to increase knowledge retention. How does it do it?
By grouping information into chunks, microlearning enables learners to store more information in their short-term memory. It’s also quick to consume. So, employees can revise previously learned material often and improve knowledge recall. This process is called spaced repetition, and it’s one of the most effective ways to enhance retention.
You can make the most of the spaced repetition technique by using smart microlearning software, like TalentCards. The app will automatically detect the areas your employees are struggling with and adjust the content accordingly until they fill that knowledge gap successfully.
4. Microlearning Helps Employees Apply Their Skills On The Job
Instructors, managers, or supervisors don’t have enough time to be there with the employee and give them directions as they practice new skills. With practice being an integral part of the learning process, you can see how this can become problematic.
Microlearning can help employees apply their newfound skills on the job, whether they’re strictly technical or soft skills. By creating infographics and how-to videos, you help employees turn theoretical knowledge into hands-on competencies. And as they get comfortable with new tasks and master new skills, it’s not only their performance that improves but also their morale and motivation.
5. Microlearning Fits In Their Schedule
Employee training programs, as worthwhile as they might be, require an investment in time. But fitting training in a packed schedule is not something your employees can easily pull off without tasks accumulating on the side.
Microlearning enables employees to continue training without keeping them away from their job duties. They can even choose when and where they want to train. Some might prefer to access their course when they’re commuting, others during work in between tasks. However they choose to integrate training into their daily routines, employees can keep expanding their toolbox with new skills using microlearning resources.
6. Microlearning Resources Help Them At The Point Of Need
There are many reasons why your employees' minds might go blank. Perhaps they’re still learning about the new product line. Or it was two months ago when their manager showed them how to navigate the new HR software. Or they just didn’t get enough sleep last night—it happens. Whatever the reason, not knowing what to do or say next can be embarrassing, frustrating, and most definitely time-wasting.
A microlearning library is the legitimate, teacher-approved cheat sheet every learner deserves. Your employees can quickly find the information they need. Whether they are on the sales floor assisting a customer or at their desk wondering how to submit a leave request to the HR, the answer is a few seconds away.
7. Microlearning Enables Learning On The Go
Microlearning content is easy to search and quick to consume. When employees are learning in short bursts, the process is similar to typing a question in Google and then watching a video about it. It’s fast and effortless, which makes microlearning the right type of employee training for consumption on the go.
All employees need to have access to training on the go, but most of all employees who don’t work in an office. For mobile workers, training is often limited to a one-off event, and then they’re on their own. With microlearning, your mobile workforce can learn in short bursts on their smartphones and also access job aids for additional support.
Conclusion
Now it’s a bit more clear why microlearning gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from your employees. It’s effective, convenient, and more engaging than long courses. If you want to train your employees on a simple topic, reinforce knowledge and skills, or create a moment-of-need repository, microlearning is an option worth considering.
