Micro-learning is learning in short, bite-sized units. These nuggets of training can now be made accessible via mobile devices. It is emerging as the latest learning strategy and can close a knowledge or skill gap pretty fast. The format for employee training can be as varied as a short video about a new product or a quiz about a compliance policy.
Learners do not have long attention spans. Micro-learning scores over old-school training because it is designed to address this issue quite well. This seems to be the best training method for the constantly changing work environment.
Here are some reasons why micro-learning is way ahead of competition from other modes of employee training.
Micro-learning makes the transfer of learning more efficient. According to the Journal of Applied Psychology, learning is transferred from the classroom to the desk 17% faster with micro-learning. How does that happen? Bite-sized content can be accessed on the go. It is more focused and does not clutter the memory with irrelevant information. This results in better retention for the learners. Since an employee needs to digest only small chunks of information, they do not view it as a burden. The brain is adept at retaining smaller sets of information.
There are a few principles for creating micro-learning for employees. It is necessary to keep the following points in mind while creating bite-sized modules.
- Bite-sizes modules are really short. They should not be more than 5 to 7 minutes and must focus on one or at most two learning objectives.
- Just because it is a short module, it does not mean that it will be interesting, automatically. In fact, it is more challenging to make shorter modules engaging. The audience will find the module engaging only when the content is relevant.
- There is no place for fluff. The training needs to be direct and to the point.
- Chunking is essential. If similar content is chunked together, the flow makes sense.
- Even if the module is just a few minutes long, the brain has to process it. It works better if the learning is spaced out.It is important to have a
- user-friendly design. Most micro-learning is accessed on mobile devices. The design should minimize the load times and make it easy for the learners to find what they are looking for.
Micro-learning is here to stay and there is no way to ignore it for employee training. It is important to consult with a professional online training developer to maximize your micro-learning training requirements.
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