The Best Way To Learn Effectively Using Microlearning

The Best Way Τo Learn Effectively Using Microlearning
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Summary: According to a study by Microsoft, our attention spans are now less than 8 seconds. With the digitization of the modern era, people have lost the patience to comb through pages of a book to learn new things. Instead, people have turned to the internet to find quick solutions to their problems.

Can You Learn Effectively Using Microlearning And Mobile Devices?

Traditional classroom training programs are dwindling fast and eLearning has become the favorite. In fact, eLearning requires 40 to 60% less time than traditional learning methods. With the number of smartphone users projected to rise to approximately 2.7 billion by 2019, eLearning on the go is the most convenient way to gain new skills. When people use smartphones to answer questions or gain any skillset, they expect concise and simple information that gets to the point and does not take long to read and understand. Microlearning has become the answer for people to learn almost anything quickly. The explosion of YouTube is a testament to this.

Modern students’ attention is at its highest level at the start of the learning process, but it does not last more than 10 or 15 minutes. After that, there is a drop in focus. Microlearning makes use of this factor to feed bite-sized information that is generally between 2 and 5 minutes long. In some cases, it can be a maximum of 10 minutes long. Much like the character Neo in The Matrix, microlearning, when coupled with eLearning on smartphones, acknowledges the learners’ need for short and concise information that can be absorbed "just in time".

Microlearning For The Hustlers

A good number of working people have become hustlers—multitasking between various assignments and jobs which make it difficult to focus on a particular area for a long time. For example, checking email was estimated to cause 96 interruptions in a typical 8-hour workday, which adds up to an hour and a half of lost productivity. This makes microlearning very appealing, in fact, a recent survey by ATD Research found that 92% of learning professionals expect microlearning to increase within the year.

In a recent study by Gallup, 87% of Millennials say that career growth and developmental opportunities are important in a job. Amid their hectic schedules, using smartphones for microlearning can allow employees to squeeze in training time while traveling or taking a break between office hours.

Different Delivery Formats Of Microlearning

Learning is effective when the information is presented in small segments. This improves the trainee’s ability to retain the knowledge by 17%. Microlearning can come in many forms including videos, slideshows, flashcards, quizzes, checklists, cheat sheets, animations, or any other form that best delivers the content.

Cheat sheets can be used for employees to immediately access the data before performing an operation. For example, a factory engineer can use the cheat sheet to recall the standard operating procedures to start the machine. Likewise, checklists can be used by the engineer to check the safety precautions before operating the machine.

The format for microlearning can vary depending on the purpose of the content.

Applying Microlearning To Your Advantage

Microlearning can be used to provide direct information and gain knowledge. It can also be used as a supplement to the traditional training by refreshing the course materials and providing extra information.

When used as a supplement, check sheets, cheat sheets, quizzes and flashcards can be more efficient. As a proper online course, training videos and animated videos are effective to impart knowledge which can be supported by quizzes, flashcards or other forms of microlearning materials.

Practical microlearning segments can be used as supplements for classroom training sessions or eLearning videos. eLearning allows employees to go back and review videos multiple times, thereby ensuring retention.

40% of employees say that they do not have time for traditional Learning and Development programs. These segments of short information can be provided as the main training courses with better accessibility for the employees to improve their skills while taking up as little of their time as possible.

In most organizations, supplementary microlearning materials can be made available in eLearning portals. Employees can download the material and have it on their smartphones and use it to jog their memory. For example, a cheat sheet summarizing the content of a 2-hour training video of a new software will be effective for the person who is putting the training to use.

Self-paced learning models constitute 77% of the total share of the eLearning market. In self-paced learning, the trainees go as fast or as slow as they need to understand the material. There is no time limit imposed on them.

In the modern fast-paced world, embracing tech-centric developments and utilizing microlearning enables effective, distraction-free retention of content using smaller segments.

Microlearning and mobile devices are like bread and butter—they just belong together.

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