College life is all about learning new concepts. However, even if you have previously studied a theory, it could be proven wrong, and you will be back to square one. Now, you will be learning a new theory, but the college will also make you repeat the previous theories. No wonder students feel drowsy going through the same chunk of information year after year. Therefore, if you are also done with learning a large amount of information through a repetition regime, this post is definitely for you.

Today we will introduce a completely new concept of learning which will blow your mind. Microlearning is an engaging and time-saving learning style that emerged from eLearning. Sure, it has certain limitations, but it offers several perks too. After all, microlearning has proven 17% more effective than traditional classes.

Microlearning is an excellent learning strategy to keep up with today’s fast-paced world. With the overburdened life schedule of students, this is the ideal answer. It enables them to take in information more quickly. So, they don’t spend unnecessary time learning various topics.

We’ll be discussing microlearning in-depth and judging its usefulness for your benefit. So, read on!

What is Microlearning?

Even though an official definition for microlearning doesn’t exist, you can consider it an efficient learning method. It involves taking in information in titbits, so a huge chunk of information about a concept is available in tiny coherent pieces. Thus, you can learn it more easily. The idea is to use small learning units or even short-term learning activities.

The entire point of dividing content into smaller pieces is to allow the learner to learn at their convenience. Many microlearning apps are also available. Here are some examples of microlearning techniques used in these apps:

• Games (e.g., simple single-screen challenges)
• Videos (of the short variety)
• Images (photos, illustrations)
• Text (phrases, short paragraphs)
• Audio (short snippets of speech or music)

However, it is important to note not all microlearning apps might offer all these content forms. Hence, be sure to check before using such an app.

Over the last few years, bite-sized training has become quite a thing. However, if you were a computer science student, you would know this sort of training goes back, long before even computers came into existence. Hence, people caught on to the trend quickly.

So far, this model has even been in the works at offices to increase employee productivity, and the statistics have been impressive. According to a book by Ray Jimenez, microlearning can reduce development costs by 50% and increase development speed by 300%.

What Are the Benefits of Microlearning?

Profit and productivity

The eLearning industry heavily impacts the productivity and performance of an individual. If you add cost savings into the mix, people will compare it to the traditional learning methods. The point is people can make and save money through microlearning. As a result, an increase in production results in better profits.

Furthermore, including gamified microlearning will allow your participants to spend more time at work or studying. As a result, they are likely to learn faster, and you can observe the results in the business or school accordingly. Eventually, it leads to an increase in the revenue and overall change in students’ grades.

Overcoming performance gaps

If you notify the employees that they have to learn a skill as a requirement, it might not go very well. The idea may not sit well with them before they give it a second thought.

However, this kind of eLearning focuses on one major job, skill, or subject at a time. As a result, at times, people may target particular areas for development without having to go through a full online training session. Thus, it enables corporate learners to close performance gaps faster.

For example, if employees need to fix a piece of machinery, they can watch a tutorial to refresh their memory.

Better Engagement

Microlearning courses would be incomplete without videos, animations, slides, etc. Moreover, the use of different types of multimedia ought to attract learners’ attention and keep them engaged for a longer period. Thus, students and employees alike would make the most of this strategy.

Since microlearning modules come in small chunks, people can better devote time and effort towards module completion. These small pieces of content also allow learners to remain focused on a small piece of content at a time. As a result, they won’t be easily distracted nor try to get away from the practice because it’s boring.

Making learning seem fun 

Often people like getting the hang of new things. On the other hand, they also despise taking instructions from others. Therefore, if a micro lesson makes people watch a long and boring lecture, it may not work (neither would it be a micro lesson). By the time they reach the Q&A session, their attention will be all over the place.

However, individuals will learn without even realising it if the micro lessons are interactive, competitive, and gamified. As a result, they will retain far more information. Hence, all your efforts for enforcing microlearning will pay off.

Better information retention

Microlearning reinforces previously taught content by allowing the student sufficient time to internalize the concepts and ideas offered in the course. In addition, every lesson involves real-world tasks, allowing the student to visualise a practical implementation.

For instance, if you were to remember a telephone number such as this one: 02030340240. Can you keep it in mind? What if there was another way to display it? Such as 0203-034-0240. Isn’t the latter version more memorable? If you were wondering, it is the helpline of a popular dissertation writing service online in case you need any dissertation help UK.

 

Limitations of Microlearning

It is unsuitable for complex tasks

Online training activities are usually not ideal for more demanding jobs or procedures. It’s important to remember online micro-learning sessions are specified as “micro” because they allow for quick online training.

As a result, micro lessons do not adapt well to complex subjects with several sub-topics or ideas. However, full-length online training courses with extra microlearning exercises might help.

For example, an employee can watch an eLearning video or online presentation, diving further into a particular aspect of the subject.

It cannot act as a stand-alone tool

Unfortunately, because microlearning tools and platforms only provide learning content chunks, they can never be stand-alone solutions. Instead, microlearning platforms and tools must be a part of a larger eLearning solution to include more in-depth resources and tactics. Otherwise, they will be ineffective.

Microlearning platforms perform best, for example, when learners attend an e-learning course on a bigger platform with more comprehensive capabilities.

Furthermore, implementing or sustaining a microlearning solution might cost a lot of money and time. Specifically if your school or office does not already have the proper technical infrastructures and platforms in place.

Bottom Line

Overall, microlearning is a new learning technique with numerous benefits outweighing its shortcomings. Although it can’t replace the traditional learning practices entirely, it works well in strengthening them. Moreover, a part of an eLearning solution, microlearning has a lot of potential and can be improved further using modern technology.