Microlearning Best Practices

There are times when "bite-sized" is better, and corporate learners only need small amounts of information to tackle everyday challenges. In this article, I'll explore the 5 advantages and 3 disadvantages of microlearning in online training, which breaks knowledge down into easily digestible units or modules.

Bite-sized online training is gaining in popularity with modern learners; here are 3 reasons they want bite-sized online training that is less than 10 minutes long.

Below are 5 aspects of microlearning that can also be used in informal learning.

Creating effective eLearning is hard, especially when you do not have an eLearning background. In this article I will describe how you can improve your eLearning by creating smaller modules, tie them together in learning paths, and then a learning GPS will plan your learning route. I will add a future outlook for learning as well.

Recently my 10-year-old was working on a school project about state capitals, and he began asking questions about Montgomery, the capital of the state where he was born. But we haven’t lived in Alabama for almost a decade, so I couldn’t come up with much more than it being home to the minor league baseball team with the best nickname in all of sports (Go Biscuits!). In the time it took me to fondly reminisce about the yellow baseball hats, my 14-year-old found a wealth of information about Montgomery history and current events. She was, of course, holding her phone, having just completed a Google search for Montgomery, Alabama, and it occurred to me that she had just gone through a microlearning experience.

How do you get your news these days? If you get the paper off of the driveway every morning and read it with your coffee, you are in a small minority. You may catch the early morning news on TV while you get dressed; you may get some news tidbits on the radio while you drive to work; or you may, like a growing majority, turn to the internet for short snippets of news, using your smartphone or tablet. This is an example of micro learning, and we engage in it every day.

When it comes to corporate training, has your organization hit a wall? Or worse, is your company training no longer effective with employees? Whether you’re onboarding new employees or introducing new software/programs within a department, it’s important that organizational training techniques are not only up-to-date, but remain effective for every type of learner within your company. Enter microlearning. But is every organization cut out for it?

To remember something you have to repeat information. There are no shortcuts. The problem with repetition, however, is that you never know when to bring certain piece of information again to your mind. So you end up either with repeating the bulk portion of information (e.g. the whole list of new words of another language without distinguishing which one you already remember and which one is still not memorized) or do nothing.

Fast-paced organizations need just-in-time (JIT) learning. Nano or micro-learning gives learning managers a quick and simple way to adapt to the fast-changing needs of their learners. In this article, I'll show you how to create nano-learning in under 15 minutes.

Rapid proliferation of mobile devices, shrinking training budgets, and time constraints have changed the way eLearning is designed, developed, and delivered. Traditional methods have given way to the development of new bite sized learning modules. Is this going to be the future?

There has been a lot of buzz in the learning industry about micro learning and about shorter learning experiences having a better impact with learners. Several companies are implementing learning production and distribution models based on targeted content nuggets or pills that let learners control their learning time and ensure that learning occurs at the time of need.

With employees who are busy with other duties and often on the go, using microlearning by giving learners bite-sized programs frequently fits into their work day more easily than traditional training. However, making microlearning non-linear helps you deconstruct your eLearning content further, so that you can easily personalize it and successfully meet different learner needs.