When training employees, we want their learning to be as quick as possible without compromising productivity. An efficient way of doing that is by delivering information in chunks.
We are so used to consuming news and content in small pieces through social media that it has become natural. And this fact stands true for almost all age groups today. Thus, if learning is made to seem equally comfortable and natural, it won’t feel like an additional task at hand. The training will, then, be at the individual’s pace and accessible wherever and whenever they want.
Microlearning helps us achieve precisely this goal. Its format is straightforward, comprehensive, small, and achievable. When used smartly, it can work perfectly for corporate training, where employees worry about getting their tasks done and finishing training to upskill themselves.
This article discusses why microlearning suits the setup of corporate training better than any other training method and how its use benefits both the learners and the instructors. If you are curious, keep reading.
How Does Microlearning Work?
Microlearning is a technique that employs brief learning opportunities to promote employee growth and job performance. Microlearning is focused on a specific issue or topic, is brief and to the point, and is simple to find by asking a query or using keywords. It is most helpful when a learner needs assistance with a particular task or needs to refer to a small snippet of reference. Learners can have fun while learning by using tools like short movies, gamification features, and simulations.
You don’t need to go any farther if you’re wondering how to include microlearning into your current training model. Here are a few strategies for implementing microlearning:
- Providing updated instructions for the review of key themes
- Overcoming the forgetting curve with interactive and concise content to improve information retention
- Delivering rapid pulse tests to assess learners’ comprehension
- Enabling mobile-friendly or adaptable microlearning courses for convenient access whenever and whenever
- Providing just-in-time education
- Bridging knowledge and skill gaps
According to the theory underpinning microlearning, brief, recurrent learning boosts rates of long-term comprehension. Due to the broad availability of mobile devices and apps that enable us to quickly implement and incorporate the idea into our daily lives, it has only recently become more widely known.
Now, let us look at it from a neurological perspective. Information is more likely to be retained in long-term memory if we utilize and repeat it more frequently. That is why microlearning is effective. It focuses on information retention through the repetition of small pieces of knowledge.
Reasons Microlearning Works For Corporate Training
In the world of learning and development, there’s a desperate need to handle the shortening attention spans of humans to ensure training is not futile. Microlearning is one strategy that is helping in dealing with this issue and letting learners chew knowledge better. Here are five reasons to describe its advantages.
Versatility For Training
One main reason corporate training works better with this strategy is the versatility of microlearning. The smaller knowledge chunks are applicable in a variety of ways. Also, there are several ways to employ microlearning nuggets.
Here are a few formats one can use:
- Animations
- Quizzes
- eBooks
- Case studies
- Games
- Interactive resources
- Infographics
- Concept and process maps
- GIFs
- Videos
A single microlearning course can also be used in several departments, giving the essential variety. Moreover, related microlearning courses can be linked to create more extended training.
Cost-effective
Microlearning programs are a more economical approach for training staff because of their virtual nature. For instance, using eLearning videos eliminates the need to pay for equipment, rent a classroom, or hire a teacher. It can all be invested in only once, which does the job for multiple pieces of training.
The price to create microlearning courses is also considerably less because of contemporary rapid authoring tools with templates and multimedia materials that one can easily download.
Going by the quote, “time is money,” microlearning modules save you on both because these programs are so short.
More Information Retention
Learners can learn and retain more information, primarily due to the content’s simplicity. By providing bite-sized information, microlearning helps learners remember what they’ve learned.
On the contrary, traditional learning paradigms are ineffective because of cognitive overload and decreased recall. With microlearning, employees can access smaller amounts of material to improve their information retention.
Just-In-Time Module
Through microlearning modules, employees can access the information they require when and how they need it. It is what we call just-in-time (JIT) learning. Learners may load a microlearning module and receive immediate learning support, saving them the time and effort of going through large quantities of material to solve a simple problem. It promotes their performance and increases their understanding of the problems and solutions related to their line of work.
Due to these flexible delivery options, JIT with microlearning is gaining popularity with both learners and L&D professionals. This digital infrastructure of bite-sized modules makes information accessible from anywhere, giving you the power to manage your own professional development.
Effective Learner Engagement
Gen Zs and millennials, occupying most of the corporate spaces today, have short attention spans and may lose interest in courses if they are lengthy and tedious. Your learners will be actively engaged by microlearning, which will improve your learning outcomes. Because it can be done anywhere, at any time, microlearning is becoming more and more popular with students. Training may be more interactive and immersive by using microlearning resources like games, films, case studies, and animations.
Conclusion
Microlearning courses do not require a long development time. Therefore, they can easily be built to serve your personal needs and be personalized for every individual. In fact, because they are developed with a mobile-first approach, they make a significant difference in their applicability and usage by corporate employees, who like accessing those modules while commuting or doing other tasks. Use this strategy’s potential to benefit your workforce’s productivity.
