5 Microlearning Examples For Effective eLearning
Microlearning is both hugely popular and hugely debated in the learning and workplace performance industry. Fundamentally, microlearning is about providing audiences with small, useful nuggets of content to help them learn a new skill or improve their performance.
The Power Of Microlearning – Myth Or Magic?
The idea is that shorter, more digestible approaches to learning content work better for modern learners. Modern learners have just 20 minutes a week for workplace learning, prefer to learn at the point of need, and often learn out of hours, on the fly and via mobile learning. It stands to reason that microlearning has potential, and it’s something to carefully consider for your learning strategy!
Where Learning Happens
According to the 'profile of a modern learner in 2018' infographic, learning can be met:
Where Microlearning Goes Wrong
- When lots of short pieces of content are pushed out with a scattergun approach.
- If users are overwhelmed and left to join up the dots themselves.
- If content doesn’t result in actual learning and instead is just noise.
- When it’s not designed with end users in mind.
Where The Power Of Microlearning Has Promise
Microlearning can deliver impact when it’s part of spaced learning. Users work through a series of short, personalized challenges or examples and build up their skills and practice incrementally over time. For example:
- As part of a wider learning campaign, made up of numerous interventions, experiences, and resources, digital and otherwise.
- As a diagnostic: a single short resource helps users identify where their gaps are and/or where to go next.
- To help answer a specific performance problem there and then, on the job.
4 Microlearning Examples And When To Use Them
Microlearning Example 1: As Part Of Spaced Learning
Effective long-term learning and behavior change requires continued effort and practice. It also takes time. Rather than cramming learning in via a one-hit corporate training course for it all to be forgotten a few days or weeks later, spaced practice is about shifting to a structured approach where users build up their learning in steps, over time.
Microlearning has a lot of potential here. Your microlearning nuggets could be theory-based, case studies, and reflective exercises. But to give the learning a real boost – there needs to be the chance to practice.
Look to create micro-challenges that build up users’ abilities and skills step by step. Ensure these are adaptive: how an individual does in one challenge should impact what they see or do next. Scoring and next steps should be shared with them, so they can see their progress and stay motivated to keep going.
Here’s a short microlearning example of an interactive challenge for new sales recruits. Passing this one could unlock the next level:
Microlearning Example 2: As Part Of A Wider Learning Campaign
Similar to the idea of spaced learning, a learning campaign is about driving a behavior change message via different means and experiences, over a period of time.
They are great for compliance initiatives, pushing through new ways of working and awareness raising, such as safety campaigns.
Your microlearning components for this approach will vary. They could include:
- Stories to engage, drive the conversation, and enable reflection
- Competitive quizzes or activities
- Downloadable or digital resources that can be used as reminders or on the job
- Personalized guides to what actions each person needs to take
- Learning games or simulations
Here’s an example of a short interactive story – a great hook-in to a brand new campaign:
Microlearning Example 3: A Useful, On-The-Job Toolkit
Microlearning content can be tied together with useful menus to enable users to find just what they need in order to be able to fix a problem.
Here’s a microlearning example that houses ‘how to’ guides on using video and audio in eLearning:
This example has an easy-to-use menu, with each topic being just one or two minutes long. So when a digital learning designer is stuck for inspiration or needs help making a plan for their video-based learning, they can get to help fast.
Equally, on-the-job help might just be single-page guides, like this ‘How to make a cup of tea’ example.
Microlearning Example 4: A Personalized Diagnostic
Focus your microlearning content towards your learners’ specific needs by creating diagnostic tools that uncover their needs and gaps, and point them to just what they need.
This could be a great gateway to a spaced learning program for professional skills, for example.
Here’s an example of a microlearning diagnostic tool:
In this example on delegation skills, users answer a few questions up front, which helps filter what topics and challenges they’ll then need to take. This keeps learning time to a minimum and provides your audience with more targeted performance actions to take forward.
Browse more modern eLearning examples here.
Power Up Your Microlearning By Making It People-Centered
We believe the art to any effective eLearning is to make it people-centered. And this goes for microlearning, too.
The key is to ensure you always target your digital learning designs towards your users' needs, goals, and learning and application contexts so you can design relevant resources and experiences to help support them.
Whether that’s a micro-resource or a longer-form performance change program, the user needs always need to come first.