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Design Microlearning That Facilitates Knowledge Retention In Online Training - eLearning Industry

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Design Microlearning That Facilitates Knowledge Retention In Online Training - eLearning Industry

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Important Steps To Design Microlearning That Facilitates Knowledge Retention In Online Training

Modern online learners are busy professionals with very short attention spans. The time has well passed when an online learner would sit in front of a computer for hours to go through lengthy modules and traditional assessment tests. Online learners today are in need of certain things to assimilate eLearning content and remember it afterwards. The free eBook Complete Guide To Microlearning and Learning Reinforcement provides abundant information on how to use Microlearning to provide highly effective online training that sticks. In this article, I'll demonstrate how to design microlearning that facilitates knowledge retention and leaves your online learners wanting more.

How can we use science to improve our employee training programs? With much of the research already done by Drs. Salas, Roediger, McDaniel, and Dr. Art Kohn, we've identified 6 specific strategies you can use to get the best possible results from your employee training program.

1. Chunk It

First, chunk your training content in order to create microlearning that facilitates knowledge retention. In cognitive psychology, cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. Cognitive load theory states that we have mental "bandwidth" restrictions. In other words, our brain can only process a certain amount of information at a time.

One of the things that can cause overload is too much information. So the number one thing we need to do with our training content is to chunk it down into bitesized "bursts". That lowers the cognitive load, as presented in BizLibrary's free eBook Complete Guide To Microlearning and Learning Reinforcement. There is a growing trend today to replace the tortuous training marathons of the past with short learning experiences.

Microlearning is very popular and a key component of BizLibrary's online training solution. We offer training videos that are typically 5-10 minutes in length. This way we address the needs of today's workplace and the realities of learning science. These short training "bursts" can be delivered several times per week or even daily, and easily fit into today's busy schedules. This is one of the key steps in developing microlearning that facilitates knowledge retention. When microlearning is delivered in a consistent, ongoing way, you have the ability to drive continuous learning. You can also build up knowledge over time and produce long-term behavior change.

2. Space It Out

The second science-based learning strategy is to space out the training over time. Cramming is something many of us are familiar with from our high school and college experiences. And it can be an effective learning methodology if your only objective is to pass a one-time exam. Unfortunately, employee training doesn't work like that. The knowledge and skills we are learning need to be retained over a long period of time. Fortunately, there is a solution, namely spaced repetition.

Spaced repetition uses the "spacing effect" which essentially says that by spacing out the information over time rather than cramming it into one session or a short time period, you will improve your long-term memory.

The timing of the repetitions is also important. The science says that as we move further out we should increase the amount of time between repetitions to increase the amount of time or forgetting between them. This increases the difficulty but also, by making our brains work harder, learning and retention is increased. Dr. Art Kohn, one of the scientists leading the brain science revolution, recommends learning "boosts" 2 days, 2 weeks and then 2 months following training to maximize ROI.

3. Test Learners

The third learning strategy we suggest for our clients is to test learners. Many of us view tests or quizzes as similar to a car dipstick, simply measuring the amount of knowledge that is retained by learners. It turns out that is wrong and doesn't lead to microlearning that facilitates knowledge retention. In addition to measuring learning, testing actually increases learning more than any other study method. Incorporating tests and quizzes into employee training programs is more than just measuring the amount of learning that has taken place. It's a critical part of the learning itself. Not that your learners will love the testing. But they will learn more from it, so resist the temptation to skip testing! Testing increases learning more than any other study method. Long-term memory is increased when some of the learning time is devoted to retrieving the to-be remembered information.

4. Mix It Up

Traditional employee training has focused on mastering one skill at a time. In the learning science world, this is called "blocking". It is common practice due to the ease of scheduling and perceived value of mastering one thing at a time. However, another strategy promises improved results. Enter "interleaving," a largely unheard-of technique that is capturing the attention of cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists.

Over the past four decades, a growing body of research has found that mixing or "interleaving" often outperforms blocking in terms of learning effectiveness. Whereas blocking involves practicing one skill at a time before the next, in interleaving one mixes practice on several related skills together.

5. Make It Hard

Related to the concept of mixing it up is the idea that we need to make our learning challenging. The famous quote that "nothing worth having was ever achieved without great effort" is definitely true with regard to learning. Researchers from neuroscience, psychology and other disciplines have come to the conclusion that making training programs more challenging improves long-term retention. More on that in the free eBook Complete Guide To Microlearning and Learning Reinforcement.

6. Writing To Remember

The sixth strategy for improving our training programs is to require learners to write in order to improve their retention. One easy way to improve learning retention of the most important items is to ask learners to take notes during verbal presentations. Finally, another idea you can use is to include essay questions in your testing. This contributes to the production of microlearning that facilitates knowledge retention. For example, we suggest asking learners to summarize the key take-aways in their own words in order to improve their retention.

What Can We Do Before Training To Improve Outcomes?

So far we've been talking about what we can do during the training process. That is chunking training content to avoid cognitive overload and recognizing the limitations of the modern workplace and the modern learner. It has been said that what happens before and after training is as important than what we do during, and we've also discussed several strategies for things we can do after the training. We have also examined ways to use scientifically proven methods for overcoming the forgetting curve and help learners retain more of the most important information.

We also need to look at what we can do before training to set the stage for more effective and efficient employee training. There are several things you can do beforehand to improve your results.

First, is the concept of priming. Priming refers to a general memory phenomenon in which exposure to one stimulus influences a response to another related stimulus. Within the context of training, priming refers to events before the training that make learners more likely to learn and retain key information. For example, in the days prior to training, you can prime employees by asking a series of questions on the topic to be covered in the training. Another technique you can use before training is to set appropriate expectations for the training.

We know that training needs to be challenging and we also know that learners don't necessarily enjoy being challenged. By preparing them ahead of time with the message that "Hey this training is important and it's going to be challenging, but you can learn this stuff with some hard work and it's definitely worth it" you are preparing learners to embrace the hard work ahead. The result will be learners up for the challenge and learners who are prepared and come in with an increased concentration level.

What can you use to improve your employee training programs? We suggest you incorporate two big things:

Short training "bursts" into your training programs. Chunk you content into bite-sized pieces.

Short learning "boosts" following your training to help your employees retain and transfer the information learned to their jobs.

Conventional learning methods do not comply with habits and standards of the modern workforce. Utilizing all the aforementioned techniques ensures microlearning that facilitates knowledge retention. It also provides online learners with more flexible ways to learn.

The free eBook Complete Guide To Microlearning and Learning Reinforcement by BizLibrary will also educate you on facts and myths you should know to improve knowledge retention in online training.

Related Articles:

1. Free eBook: Complete Guide To MicroLearning And Learning Reinforcement

2. 4 Facts And 2 Myths You Should Know To Improve Knowledge Retention In Online Training

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Design Microlearning That Facilitates Knowledge Retention In Online Training - eLearning Industry

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Modern online learners are busy professionals with very short attention spans. The time has well passed when an online learner would sit in front of a computer for hours to go through lengthy modules and traditional assessment tests. Online learners today are in need of certain things to assimilate eLearning content and remember it afterwards.

# data[].attributes.headline
Why Adopt Microlearning - 15 Questions Answered - EIDesign

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Why Adopt Microlearning - 15 Questions Answered - EIDesign

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why Adopt Microlearning? What Is The Relevance Of Microlearning Today And Why Is It The Flavor Of The Season?

We live in a world full of distractions and dwindling attention spans. Both these raise questions on how your learning strategy should be updated to offset these challenges. Let's take a look at this and some of the related facets more closely to determine what approach would offset these.

Challenge 1: Limited Attention Spans

The proponents of the 90/20/8 rule have made interesting observations about human attention spans. According to them:

People are completely alert and attentive in the first 8 minutes.

Once 20 minutes go by, the attention level starts showing a dip.

Once they hit the 60-120 minute range, the alertness level completely drops.

Challenge 2: Dwindling Attention Spans

If the findings of a study by Microsoft are to be believed, the human attention span (8 seconds) is lesser than that of a goldfish (9 seconds).

Challenge 3: The Forgetting Curve

Then there's the "Forgetting curve" too that postulates that we forget nearly 80% of what we learn in 30 days if there is no reinforcement.

These three challenges are very real and need to be addressed for learning to be sticky, easy to apply on the job, and show a demonstrable gain that businesses want to see.

Let us see how microlearning can come to your rescue:

To begin with, you can use microlearning to supplement your formal trainings. This way, you can ensure that the reinforcement provided in the form of Microlearning helps learners retain the learning you offered them through the formal training.

A key feature of Microlearning is that it is short and learners would usually finish going through a Microlearning nugget within a 3 to 5 minute window. This way, it helps you negate the impact of the "Forgetting Curve" and offset the attention span challenge.

Short trainings then translate into faster completions, thereby fetching you better completion rates. There's plenty more to Microlearning and the series of questions and answers that follows will help unravel each of these aspects one after the other.

In this article, through a series of questions and answers, I show how microlearning can come to your rescue. The 15 questions are logically grouped as:

1. Microlearning basics.

2. Microlearning benefits.

3. Application of microlearning.

4. Design and deployment of microlearning.

5. Impact of microlearning.

Part 1: Microlearning Basics

Q1. What is microlearning?

As the name suggests, microlearning is learning in micro bites. It is a short learning nugget that a learner would usually complete between 2 to 5 minutes to achieve a specific learning objective.

While microlearning nuggets can be used for both formal and informal learning, they are used more often for just-in-time learning purposes (as Performance Support Tools).

They offer multi-device compatibility and appeal to learners because of the rich media format usage.

Q2. What is not microlearning?

Microlearning is not just breaking down a 10-hour training into small pieces.

It's an action-oriented approach of offering bite-sized learning that gets learners to learn, act, and practice.

The ideal way to go about creating microlearning nuggets is to identify the larger learning objective and then drill down at micro levels.

Q3. Microlearning sounds a lot like Just-In-Time learning of the past. What are the differences?

Just-In-Time learning is normally associated with the concept of Performance Support rendered through Performance Support Tools or PSTs.

They are typically designed to address a definite learner need or a specific problem.

They are normally not tracked by Learning Management Systems and are designed to support the formal training (tracked by LMSs).

They are almost always embedded in the learner's work-flow. In other words, they are used for informal training. PSTs use microlearning-based formats.

Microlearning nuggets on the other hand are short training nuggets that address a specific learning outcome. They can be used to provide both formal training as well as Performance Support or informal training. They can also be used to support ILT/VILT sessions.

Q4. How micro can you go with microlearning?

The idea behind creating effective microlearning nuggets is to keep them as crisp as possible

while ensuring that they are long enough to adequately cover a learning objective.

While there's no perfect length as such for microlearning, ideally they should be:

1. Easy to internalize.
They should be short enough for learners to consume them easily in one go.

2. Available to learners precisely at the time of their need.
The microlearning experience should be such that it helps learners on the job at the moment of their need.

3. Designed to enable learners to act and practice.
The microlearning experience should be action-oriented and help learners practice what they're learning.

Part 2: Microlearning Benefits

Q5. How does microlearning empower learners?

With microlearning, learners get a chance to apply their learning as they are doing their work. The transfer of information happens at a desired level and at the learners' own pace. Besides, microlearning empowers learners in the following ways:

It provides them with the flexibility to learn on any device, whenever they want to.

It avoids them the hassles of logging in to a Learning Management System and then going about their learning.

It provides them access to the learning material within their workflow.

Q6. What are the benefits to the learners?

The key benefits of microlearning from the learners' perspective are:

Learner-centric.
Microlearning nuggets can be embedded in a learning path in a flexible way, letting learners choose what they want to learn and when on the device of their choice. They also help address the different learning styles and preferences that learners have and bring in an element of personalization in the learning.

Just-in-time.
Microlearning nuggets make great Performance Support Tools (PSTs) to help learners apply the learning precisely at the moment of their need.

Accessible.
With every passing day, learners are getting more access to mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. Microlearning nuggets can be easily made available to learners on the device of their choice.

Rich media.
Learners today are used to viewing pieces of information in various rich media formats. The flexibility microlearning offers in this regard helps meet learners' expectations to have an engaging experience.

Less time consuming.
Microlearning nuggets can be completed quickly. The learning as a result is more effective and beneficial for learners.

Q7. What are the benefits for business?

The key benefits of microlearning for the business are:

Affordable and agile.
Organizations need not spend a bomb on microlearning nuggets. Studies reveal that organizations end up bringing down the development cost by 50% with microlearning at a development speed of +300%.

Shorter development cycle.
As microlearning nuggets are short, it doesn't take long to build them. This short development cycle results in lesser expenditure and a quicker turnaround time for organizations.

Easy to update.
The short turnaround time factor comes into play in case of updates to be made to the nuggets as well. As they are short, it doesn't take long to fix/update them, thereby providing organizations with an obvious advantage.

Wider application.
You can use microlearning for both formal and informal training needs. They offer you the flexibility to use them as Performance Support Tools (PSTs), as standalone learning nuggets or as part of a series of courses. You can also offer them through an LMS or integrate them in the learning path of a learning portal.

High impact.
As microlearning nuggets help achieve a specific learning objective, they help create a high impact as learners get to learn exactly what they needed.

Q8. Why is microlearning gaining momentum?

Some of the reasons why microlearning-based training is gaining momentum are:

Increased usage of mobile learning or mLearning.

You can develop and update microlearning nuggets quickly.

The flexibility to use them for both formal and informal training needs.

It results in higher completion rates and higher impact.

It is perfect for learners with low attention spans.

It finds takers in the millennial generation and other learner profiles.

Part 3: Application Of Microlearning

Q9. Is microlearning relevant only for the millennial workforce?

Microlearning nuggets are designed in a way that appeal to Millennials. However, their appeal extends beyond the millennial generation and they find takers in all learner profiles as they:

Save learners' time and offer them the advantage of completing the learning quickly.

Offset the challenge of dwindling attention spans.

Can be taken on the device of learners' choice.

Need not be taken through a Learning Management System.

Can be made available within the learners' workflow.

Q10. How can you use microlearning in corporate training?

You can use microlearning for varied corporate training needs, including:

1. Formal training.

2. As a supplement to formal training.

3. To supplement/reinforce online and ILT trainings (pre and post).

4. As just-in-time learning aids.

Q11. When should you not use microlearning?

Microlearning may not work in a few situations where the training program at hand is too complex and where it makes more sense to present the training as a single larger learning unit.

Otherwise, microlearning can be applied to almost all training programs in the form of standalone nuggets or as a series of nuggets threaded in a learning path.

Their widest adoption continues to be as Performance Support Tools or PSTs (just-in-time leaning aids).

Part 4: Design And Deployment Of Microlearning

Q12. How should the microlearning be designed?

You can go about designing an effective microlearning experience by following the given steps:

1. Step 1: Create the "Master Learning Blueprint" for your course and define the learning goals.

2. Step 2: Craft the "learning path". You need to then convert your master learning goal into a series of nuggets. As and when your learners complete each nugget, they would get one step closer to achieving the larger learning goals.

3. Step 3: Scheduling the learning path/learning journey. Get your learners to complete these milestones everyday or based on their convenient time. This way, you can help learners reinforce the learning and practice what they have learned along the way.

Q13. What are the formats in which microlearning can be deployed?

Today, you can take a pick from several engaging and innovative formats. All of these are multi-device formats (supported on desktops/laptops as well as Ttblets and Ssmartphones). You can pick a particular format based on the nature of content and how it should be applied.

At EI Design, we use most of the popular formats shown here to create engaging microlearning nuggets for formal learning, Performance Support as well as to supplement ILT sessions.

Interactive parallax based scrolling.

Mobile apps.

Short videos.

Interactive videos.

Whiteboard animations.

Kinetic text based animations.

Complex branching scenario based simulations.

Infographics.

eBooks and flipbooks.

iPDFs (interactive PDFs).

Part 5: Impact And What More Is Possible

Q14. Can microlearning impact the ROI?

Any learning strategy that can impact Recall, Retention, and Application will be able to demonstrate a positive impact on the ROI. As we have seen so far, microlearning approaches appeal to the learners, lead to high completion rates, and package information that can be applied precisely at the time of need. Designed to meet the mandates of knowledge acquisition, application, and behavioral change, microlearning-based training will establish a clear value for the business and ROI.

Let's take a look at the impact on ROI that microlearning creates in the light of Kirkpatrick's model of evaluation.

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Why Adopt Microlearning - 15 Questions Answered - EIDesign

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We live in a world full of distractions and dwindling attention spans. Both these raise questions on how your learning strategy should be updated to offset these challenges. Let's take a look at this and some of the related facets more closely to determine what approach would offset these.

# data[].attributes.headline
Why Adopt Microlearning - 15 Questions Answered - EIDesign

# data[].attributes.subject
Why Adopt Microlearning - 15 Questions Answered - EIDesign

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why Adopt Microlearning? What Is The Relevance Of Microlearning Today And Why Is It The Flavor Of The Season?

We live in a world full of distractions and dwindling attention spans. Both these raise questions on how your learning strategy should be updated to offset these challenges. Let's take a look at this and some of the related facets more closely to determine what approach would offset these.

Challenge 1: Limited Attention Spans

The proponents of the 90/20/8 rule have made interesting observations about human attention spans. According to them:

People are completely alert and attentive in the first 8 minutes.

Once 20 minutes go by, the attention level starts showing a dip.

Once they hit the 60-120 minute range, the alertness level completely drops.

Challenge 2: Dwindling Attention Spans

If the findings of a study by Microsoft are to be believed, the human attention span (8 seconds) is lesser than that of a goldfish (9 seconds).

Challenge 3: The Forgetting Curve

Then there's the "Forgetting curve" too that postulates that we forget nearly 80% of what we learn in 30 days if there is no reinforcement.

These three challenges are very real and need to be addressed for learning to be sticky, easy to apply on the job, and show a demonstrable gain that businesses want to see.

Let us see how microlearning can come to your rescue:

To begin with, you can use microlearning to supplement your formal trainings. This way, you can ensure that the reinforcement provided in the form of Microlearning helps learners retain the learning you offered them through the formal training.

A key feature of Microlearning is that it is short and learners would usually finish going through a Microlearning nugget within a 3 to 5 minute window. This way, it helps you negate the impact of the "Forgetting Curve" and offset the attention span challenge.

Short trainings then translate into faster completions, thereby fetching you better completion rates. There's plenty more to Microlearning and the series of questions and answers that follows will help unravel each of these aspects one after the other.

In this article, through a series of questions and answers, I show how microlearning can come to your rescue. The 15 questions are logically grouped as:

1. Microlearning basics.

2. Microlearning benefits.

3. Application of microlearning.

4. Design and deployment of microlearning.

5. Impact of microlearning.

Part 1: Microlearning Basics

Q1. What is microlearning?

As the name suggests, microlearning is learning in micro bites. It is a short learning nugget that a learner would usually complete between 2 to 5 minutes to achieve a specific learning objective.

While microlearning nuggets can be used for both formal and informal learning, they are used more often for just-in-time learning purposes (as Performance Support Tools).

They offer multi-device compatibility and appeal to learners because of the rich media format usage.

Q2. What is not microlearning?

Microlearning is not just breaking down a 10-hour training into small pieces.

It's an action-oriented approach of offering bite-sized learning that gets learners to learn, act, and practice.

The ideal way to go about creating microlearning nuggets is to identify the larger learning objective and then drill down at micro levels.

Q3. Microlearning sounds a lot like Just-In-Time learning of the past. What are the differences?

Just-In-Time learning is normally associated with the concept of Performance Support rendered through Performance Support Tools or PSTs.

They are typically designed to address a definite learner need or a specific problem.

They are normally not tracked by Learning Management Systems and are designed to support the formal training (tracked by LMSs).

They are almost always embedded in the learner's work-flow. In other words, they are used for informal training. PSTs use microlearning-based formats.

Microlearning nuggets on the other hand are short training nuggets that address a specific learning outcome. They can be used to provide both formal training as well as Performance Support or informal training. They can also be used to support ILT/VILT sessions.

Q4. How micro can you go with microlearning?

The idea behind creating effective microlearning nuggets is to keep them as crisp as possible

while ensuring that they are long enough to adequately cover a learning objective.

While there's no perfect length as such for microlearning, ideally they should be:

1. Easy to internalize.
They should be short enough for learners to consume them easily in one go.

2. Available to learners precisely at the time of their need.
The microlearning experience should be such that it helps learners on the job at the moment of their need.

3. Designed to enable learners to act and practice.
The microlearning experience should be action-oriented and help learners practice what they're learning.

Part 2: Microlearning Benefits

Q5. How does microlearning empower learners?

With microlearning, learners get a chance to apply their learning as they are doing their work. The transfer of information happens at a desired level and at the learners' own pace. Besides, microlearning empowers learners in the following ways:

It provides them with the flexibility to learn on any device, whenever they want to.

It avoids them the hassles of logging in to a Learning Management System and then going about their learning.

It provides them access to the learning material within their workflow.

Q6. What are the benefits to the learners?

The key benefits of microlearning from the learners' perspective are:

Learner-centric.
Microlearning nuggets can be embedded in a learning path in a flexible way, letting learners choose what they want to learn and when on the device of their choice. They also help address the different learning styles and preferences that learners have and bring in an element of personalization in the learning.

Just-in-time.
Microlearning nuggets make great Performance Support Tools (PSTs) to help learners apply the learning precisely at the moment of their need.

Accessible.
With every passing day, learners are getting more access to mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. Microlearning nuggets can be easily made available to learners on the device of their choice.

Rich media.
Learners today are used to viewing pieces of information in various rich media formats. The flexibility microlearning offers in this regard helps meet learners' expectations to have an engaging experience.

Less time consuming.
Microlearning nuggets can be completed quickly. The learning as a result is more effective and beneficial for learners.

Q7. What are the benefits for business?

The key benefits of microlearning for the business are:

Affordable and agile.
Organizations need not spend a bomb on microlearning nuggets. Studies reveal that organizations end up bringing down the development cost by 50% with microlearning at a development speed of +300%.

Shorter development cycle.
As microlearning nuggets are short, it doesn't take long to build them. This short development cycle results in lesser expenditure and a quicker turnaround time for organizations.

Easy to update.
The short turnaround time factor comes into play in case of updates to be made to the nuggets as well. As they are short, it doesn't take long to fix/update them, thereby providing organizations with an obvious advantage.

Wider application.
You can use microlearning for both formal and informal training needs. They offer you the flexibility to use them as Performance Support Tools (PSTs), as standalone learning nuggets or as part of a series of courses. You can also offer them through an LMS or integrate them in the learning path of a learning portal.

High impact.
As microlearning nuggets help achieve a specific learning objective, they help create a high impact as learners get to learn exactly what they needed.

Q8. Why is microlearning gaining momentum?

Some of the reasons why microlearning-based training is gaining momentum are:

Increased usage of mobile learning or mLearning.

You can develop and update microlearning nuggets quickly.

The flexibility to use them for both formal and informal training needs.

It results in higher completion rates and higher impact.

It is perfect for learners with low attention spans.

It finds takers in the millennial generation and other learner profiles.

Part 3: Application Of Microlearning

Q9. Is microlearning relevant only for the millennial workforce?

Microlearning nuggets are designed in a way that appeal to Millennials. However, their appeal extends beyond the millennial generation and they find takers in all learner profiles as they:

Save learners' time and offer them the advantage of completing the learning quickly.

Offset the challenge of dwindling attention spans.

Can be taken on the device of learners' choice.

Need not be taken through a Learning Management System.

Can be made available within the learners' workflow.

Q10. How can you use microlearning in corporate training?

You can use microlearning for varied corporate training needs, including:

1. Formal training.

2. As a supplement to formal training.

3. To supplement/reinforce online and ILT trainings (pre and post).

4. As just-in-time learning aids.

Q11. When should you not use microlearning?

Microlearning may not work in a few situations where the training program at hand is too complex and where it makes more sense to present the training as a single larger learning unit.

Otherwise, microlearning can be applied to almost all training programs in the form of standalone nuggets or as a series of nuggets threaded in a learning path.

Their widest adoption continues to be as Performance Support Tools or PSTs (just-in-time leaning aids).

Part 4: Design And Deployment Of Microlearning

Q12. How should the microlearning be designed?

You can go about designing an effective microlearning experience by following the given steps:

1. Step 1: Create the "Master Learning Blueprint" for your course and define the learning goals.

2. Step 2: Craft the "learning path". You need to then convert your master learning goal into a series of nuggets. As and when your learners complete each nugget, they would get one step closer to achieving the larger learning goals.

3. Step 3: Scheduling the learning path/learning journey. Get your learners to complete these milestones everyday or based on their convenient time. This way, you can help learners reinforce the learning and practice what they have learned along the way.

Q13. What are the formats in which microlearning can be deployed?

Today, you can take a pick from several engaging and innovative formats. All of these are multi-device formats (supported on desktops/laptops as well as Ttblets and Ssmartphones). You can pick a particular format based on the nature of content and how it should be applied.

At EI Design, we use most of the popular formats shown here to create engaging microlearning nuggets for formal learning, Performance Support as well as to supplement ILT sessions.

Interactive parallax based scrolling.

Mobile apps.

Short videos.

Interactive videos.

Whiteboard animations.

Kinetic text based animations.

Complex branching scenario based simulations.

Infographics.

eBooks and flipbooks.

iPDFs (interactive PDFs).

Part 5: Impact And What More Is Possible

Q14. Can microlearning impact the ROI?

Any learning strategy that can impact Recall, Retention, and Application will be able to demonstrate a positive impact on the ROI. As we have seen so far, microlearning approaches appeal to the learners, lead to high completion rates, and package information that can be applied precisely at the time of need. Designed to meet the mandates of knowledge acquisition, application, and behavioral change, microlearning-based training will establish a clear value for the business and ROI.

Let's take a look at the impact on ROI that microlearning creates in the light of Kirkpatrick's model of evaluation.

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Why Adopt Microlearning - 15 Questions Answered - EIDesign

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We live in a world full of distractions and dwindling attention spans. Both these raise questions on how your learning strategy should be updated to offset these challenges. Let's take a look at this and some of the related facets more closely to determine what approach would offset these.

# data[].attributes.headline
What Is Microlearning And What Are The Most Important Microlearning Features? - eLearning Industry

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What Is Microlearning And What Are The Most Important Microlearning Features? - eLearning Industry

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Exploring Microlearning And Microlearning Features

For the super busy employees of today, learning must be short, concise, and available at the time of need. Ideally, this learning should be made accessible from anywhere and on any device that employees prefer. These changing demands of learners have given rise to a new trend of learning through small nuggets of online courses: Microlearning.

What Is Microlearning?

Microlearning refers to the learning strategy that delivers learning content to learners in short, bite-sized, and easily digestible learning nuggets. A microlearning module is focused on meeting one specific learning outcome, by breaking down a large topic into numerous bite-sized modules and allowing the learner to take them in the order of their choice.

Although the concept of learning in smaller bites has been in existence for a long time, many of us were oblivious to its influence as a potent tool for employee training. Fortunately, it has now gained immense popularity in the fields of corporate training and education.

7 Important Microlearning Features

Microlearning is not all about the smaller size of training modules, or about being compact. There is more to it. Here are a few features of microlearning that make it an ideal training strategy for employees.

1. Helps Learners Achieve One Learning Objective At A Time

A learning objective is a statement which defines what the learner will be able to do or know after completing the training. While an eLearning course deals with multiple learning objectives, microlearning deals with only one performance objective per module. This ensures that learners take one step at a time so that they clearly understand it, before moving to the next one.

2. Provides Specific And Targeted Information

Any training program includes 2 types of information - need-to-know and nice-to-know. Where eLearning covers both of them, microlearning mostly offers need-to-know information. This saves a considerable amount of time and makes microlearning modules specific, to the point with targeted information. It eliminates the confusion of what is important and what is not, and gives only so much information that is needed to get the job done.

3. Addresses Short Attention Spans

Be it in the form of a video or podcast, an infographic or an interactive PDF, with only one performance objective per module and targeted information, microlearning is so structured that learners need not invest more than 8-10 minutes to complete a module. Usually, it is much less than that. This feature of microlearning makes it ideal for today's learners with short attention spans and tight schedules.

4. Is Accessible On All Mobile Devices

You need not go to a computer always to access a microlearning module. Typically, all microlearning modules are designed so that learners can access them on any mobile device - smartphones, tablets, notebooks, or iPads. Also, the short duration of the modules makes it feasible for mobile access.

5. Comes In Various Formats

A microlearning module will not always necessarily be in the form of a traditional eLearning course. They can be independent learning units in any form such a short video, an infographic, a podcast, quiz, scenarios, whiteboard animations, interactive PDFs, or games. This will help eliminate the monotony in training programs and increase the interest levels of learners.

6. Can Be Used At Different Stages Of The Learning Lifecycle

The beauty of microlearning is that you can use it as a standalone training delivery mechanism or blend it with your overall training strategy and use it anywhere in the learning cycle.

1. Offer a pre-test before a formal training program to gauge learners' prior knowledge or inform employees of what they can expect from the course (pre-training).

2. Provide additional references, examples, and activities during the training program.

3. Reinforce knowledge after the training program (post-training).

7. Microlearning Modules Can Be Standalone, Or Part Of A Larger Repository Of Learning Assets On A Topic/Subject

Microlearning nuggets can be standalone, without the need to access any other training modules to understand the topic. Or, they can support the usual training, adding interaction to the otherwise one-way communication.

Short duration, targeted information, any device access, performance support, and fluidity to fit anywhere in the learning cycle - these features of microlearning make it a great corporate training solution for employees. Microlearning also helps flip the forgetting curve to the retention curve. To know more about microlearning, download the free eBook Microlearning: A Beginner's Guide To Powerful Corporate Training.

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What Is Microlearning And What Are The Most Important Microlearning Features? - eLearning Industry

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For the super busy employees of today, learning must be short, concise, and available at the time of need. Ideally, this learning should be made accessible from anywhere and on any device that employees prefer. These changing demands of learners have given rise to a new trend of learning through small nuggets of online courses: Microlearning.

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5 Killer Examples: How To Use Microlearning-Based Training Effectively - eLearning Industry

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5 Killer Examples: How To Use Microlearning-Based Training Effectively - eLearning Industry

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In this article, I will share 5 examples that will highlight how you can use microlearning-based training. These examples feature innovative learning strategies (videos, scenarios, white-board animation, and kinetic text). Most of the microlearning nuggets featured in these examples support multi-device delivery (that is, they can be accessed from desktops/laptops as well as tablets and smartphones).

Background

Before I begin, let me recap the definition of microlearning and where can you use it in your overall training delivery. This is from my earlier article 10 Benefits Of Microlearning-Based Training. Do refer to it to gain insights on why microlearning is gaining momentum and the specific benefits it offers to learners and to businesses.

Microlearning is a short, focused learning nugget (often 3-5 mins long or shorter) that is designed to meet a specific learning outcome. It can be used to offer formal training but it often finds a wider usage in informal training (with a focus on performance gain).

Typically designed and delivered in rich media formats, it is a learner-centric approach that provides just-in-time training that is available on multiple devices (extending to Tablets and Smartphones besides Desktops and Laptops).

All these aspects ensure that it can be easily accessed, quickly completed, and applied by the learners.

5 Killer Examples Of Using Microlearning-Based Training

Now, I will share 5 examples to show how microlearning can be used for your varied training needs including:

1. Soft skills/behavioral change.

2. Compliance.

3. Professional skills.

Example 1: Time Management.

Strategy: This microlearning nugget uses two innovative strategies, namely:

Scenario-based learning.

Gamified activities.

A short intro sets the context of what to expect over the next 10 minutes. The objectives are further broken into 2-3 minute sessions.

Instead of diving into theory, the dynamics of the scenario lead the learner to the approach required to mitigate similar challenges. To reinforce a crucial aspect (time wasters), we added a gamified activity.

Example 2: Health, Safety, And Environment (HSE) At Workplace (Generic Compliance).

Strategy: This nugget features a video that uses high impact, contextual imagery and recaps the basic aspects of an HSE compliance course. It reinforces the need for constant risk assessment of hazards at workplace. Specifically, it uses a scenario to help learners identify a potential hazard and prompts the right action through the feedback.

Example 3: Conflicts Of Interest At Workplace (Generic Compliance).

Strategy: This microlearning nugget features a video built using the whiteboard animation technique and features real-life scenarios. While it re-affirms that conflicts at workplace are common and will occur because of different perspectives team members have, it effectively conveys the importance of identifying these conflicts and ascertaining ways to resolve them.

We begin the microlearning nugget with a simple concept of viewing 6 vs 9 to establish that conflicts occur because of difference in perspectives.

Then we showcase real-life situations to help learners understand conflicts, their impact, and how can they be mitigated or resolved.

Example 4: Selecting The Right Audio Strategy (Supplements A Suite Of Professional Skills Program For Instructional Designers).

Strategy: This microlearning nugget features a branching scenario with a visual indication of how learners fare with the choices they make. The learners are presented with a real life scenario (a project need). Basis the learning of the primary learning course, they need to apply their knowledge and determine the right audio strategy for this project.

As you see, the visual indicators constantly provide cues to the learners on how they are performing. Looking at these cues, they can relook at further choices as they move forward.

Example 5: Work-Flow For Storyboarding (Supplements A Suite Of Professional Skills Program For Instructional Designers).

Strategy: This microlearning nugget uses a simple yet effective technique of kinetic text (or text-based animation). This too supports the primary learning course and is aimed at improving the conformance (among Instructional Designers) to the best practices in the workflow to create storyboards.

I hope this article helps you evaluate how and where you can use microlearning-based training in your organization. If you would like to know how you can transform your existing training delivery to encompass microlearning, do contact me.

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5 Killer Examples: How To Use Microlearning-Based Training Effectively

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Want to know how to use Microlearning-Based Training effectively? Check 5 killer examples of using Microlearning-Based Training effectively.