In recent years, e-learning has considerably spread and changed how people access information and acquire skills. Despite the enormous range of programs and resources, there appears to be one obstacle that does not change: people's reduced attention span. Probably, that is understandable in a certain way. Our schedule is so busy, and there is continued fighting for the attention of digital distractions regarding traditional, long-format learning.
The perfect answer for today's learners is here: micro-learning. It breaks down large topics into manageable lessons that are simple to understand and retain based on bits and pieces of little information. You may maximize your little time by using micro-learning to swiftly finish a course between meetings or brush up on a skill before work.
But why is microlearning so popular in the education business these days? This article provided an opportunity to take a closer look at microlearning and how to use it to enhance your e-learning strategy.
What is Micro-learning?
At its most basic, micro-learning is a learning approach delivered in concise, focused bursts. Micro-learning breaks information into small, manageable pieces rather than loading up learners with hour-long lectures or hundreds of pages of text. The length can vary depending on the topic and medium but generally ranges between a few seconds to 15 minutes.
Micro-learning can be delivered through a range of mediums that include:
- Short 'how-to' videos on a single central idea;
- Interactive quizzes reinforcing knowledge;
- Infographics illustrating visually any process or idea;
- Flashcards that allow quick memory recall;
- Podcasts-snippets of audio lessons applied to daily activities like driving or exercising.
Micro-learning is, in fact, beautiful because of its flexibility—from using flash cards to learning a new language or watching three-minute videos on how to improve communication skills—the concept ushers in a fast and effective way of approaching learning in digested bits for learners.
Micro-learning is also more accessible and applicable to busy learners because smaller sessions can be concluded anytime, anywhere. This approach works for students who might need to review or practice a subject more than once to understand the concept entirely before proceeding to the next.
Why Micro-learning Is Effective
It's not only very convenient to receive information this way, but it is also a very effective mode of learning. But why does this format seem to work so well?
Shorter Attention Spans
Research has shown that the human species can maintain focus for an average span much shorter than ever. According to a Microsoft study, the average attention span dropped from 12 seconds back in 2000 to just 8 seconds today. As if anyone needed to spell it out, that makes learning through traditional hour-long lessons increasingly untenable. Micro-learning, with its concise and direct instruction, is a wonderful fit for this new environment.
Better Retention
This evidences the fact that information is better retained when it is chunked. Consequently, there is the spacing effect in cognition, whereby information retained within people's minds is always highly retained if it is chunked and later reviewed at intervals. Hence, micro-learning works since the brain retains more with the delivery of content in intervals.
Engagement Levels
This point would encompass most aspects: quizzes, gamification media, and interactive engagements that raise interest and engagement on the platform. According to Software Advice, training with fewer lessons realizes a 50% higher completion rate than longer training classes. This ability speeds up learning, encouraging the student to ask for more.
This ensures that such information is structurally designed in a more palatable, interactive way, conceptually based on the attention span of workers in the modern era.
Key Advantages of Micro-learning
Now that we understand why micro-learning works let's explore its key advantages. This is why it is at the heart of eLearning today and is almost a go-to solution for learners and organizations.
- Flexibility and accessibility. Flexibility is probably the most important benefit of microlearning. Content can be accessed at any time and place, be it while waiting for meetings to start or during short breaks. Microlearning is easily adapted for learning on the go since it is inherently designed for mobile devices. A student takes a few minutes to fit in relevant information without devoting or committing to a whole course.
- Bite-sized content for busy professionals. Professionals who wish to upskill without giving up significant portions of their day find micro-learning appealing when time is valued highly in today's society. Such bite-sized lessons will help the learner learn something new or a refresher course quickly without being overwhelmed with information. As such, 58 percent of employees prefer to learn at their own pace, according to a study by LinkedIn, and micro-learning perfectly fits into this self-directed learning model.
- Higher completion rates and increased engagement. Learners are just more likely to finish shorter lessons, which is one of the main reasons micro-learning can serve as such an excellent channel for ramping up engagement in the first place. When learners think they can make progress faster, they want to continue. In a survey run by Shift Learning, micro-learning had 50% higher engagement than traditional learning formats. Apart from that, micro-learning also increases the completion rates of organizational training programs.
- It allows personalized learning. This mode enables the student to set his or her pace. One can stop the course, jump forward, and replay it as much as they want; hence, they will better understand the course.
- Just-in-time learning. Sometimes, learners need to know something fast to solve an on-the-spot problem. Micro-learning provides "just-in-time" learning, wherein students can access a specific lesson that offers immediate value. For example, suppose an employee needs to refresh their knowledge of a software tool before a meeting. In that case, a 5-minute tutorial gives them just what they need without any useless distractions.
These advantages make micro-learning versatile and practical, whether individually upskilling or implementing it in your organization.
Micro-learning vs. Traditional Learning
While traditional learning methods proved viable for decades, the rise of micro-learning presented an entirely new way of looking at education, one more befitting today's everyday rush. Let's look at how micro-learning compares to traditional learning formats.
Content Delivery
Learning used to involve students reading for hours at a time or listening to long lectures in one or two sittings. This method can cause cognitive overload and impair the learner's capacity to retain information for extended periods. You can deliver important lessons using micro-learning in more digestible, smaller learning units. Instead of experiencing information overload, students will be able to understand the material with ease.
Engagement and Retention
Therefore, it is easy to disengage, especially for learning that goes on continuously for hours. Retention rates are lower if students are not within a learning process. Micro-learning incorporates short-segmented modules designed just for short attention spans. The research shows that users of microlearning techniques remember 20% more information than conventional learning modes.
Time Investment
This is often hard to finance for working people who invest considerable time in traditional schooling. Due to the students' hectic schedules, giving a significant reading assignment or holding an hour-long lecture isn't always feasible. In this sense, students may more successfully incorporate learning into their everyday routines using micro-learning as it can be completed quickly.
Cost-Effectiveness
Even for corporations, micro-learning can be less expensive than developing certain more conventional learning approaches. It takes less to create a short module than a complete course, and learners are more apt to finish shorter lessons, thereby maximizing the ROI on the module. Thanks to micro-learning flexibility, enterprises may save time and money by updating and modifying material instead of completely redesigning it.
Adaptability
Micro-learning is adaptable and fluid, while traditional learning is typically highly organized. In industries where knowledge grows literally by the minute, such as technology or health care, it will be easy to update micro-learning with fresh knowledge and developments so that learners have current information and, thus, relevant skills in an ever-changing world.
There still perhaps is room for conventional learning, but the best is modern, flexible, and appropriate for the learner's needs: microlearning. It's quicker, more adaptive, and fit for long-term memory.
Some Advice for Including micro-learning in Your e-Learning Plan
How do you think, having learned all those benefits and applications of micro-learning, would it be used for your e-learning strategy? Follow these tips from a Kwiga team to create successful practical courses on micro-learning.
- Focus on one objective at a time. The key to good micro-learning is to keep each lesson focused. Instead of trying to teach several varied topics in one session, it is better to have one learning objective per module. This helps the learning be easy to understand and manageable. For example, if your training is on digital marketing, break it down into micro-lessons by topic: SEO, social media management, or content strategy. Each lesson should result in the achievement of one clear goal.
- Use a variety of media. A huge advantage of microlearning is flexibility. All these different formats can be combined in such a way that learners will never get bored. The infographics, videos, podcasts, or quizzes all work the same in the small format of a lesson. More than one media type can maintain interest, drawing on appeals to different learning styles. For example, video content sinks in with visual learners, while interactive quizzes help kinesthetic learners set what they just learned.
- Make it mobile-friendly. As micro-learning is most of the time consumed on the go, you have to optimize the content for mobile devices. That means videos, images, and text should look clear on small screens. A greater percentage of 67% of learners access e-learning via mobile devices, so a mobile-first approach is the key to success for any micro-learning strategy.
- Incorporate gamification. Making micro-learning lessons more game-like will enhance engagement and motivation. Including point-related systems, badges, or progress trackers makes learning more game-like, rewarding, and engaging. Probably, in corporate training programs, it can be of the most significant effect, as participation by employees in such initiatives can be quite troublesome. For instance, you can introduce different levels or milestones that would encourage learners to take lessons to achieve specific results.
- Use micro-assessments to reinforce learning. For every microlearning session, it's relatively easy to build in moments that let the learner reflect on what they've just learned. Simple quizzes, flashcards—everything from scenario-based questions—drive home the main takeaways in a big way. It's all about getting something going with the learner right after a lesson to make learning stick. Studies demonstrate that frequent evaluation increases retention rates by fifty percent, allowing students to apply their knowledge in real-world situations.
- Use analytics to keep track of things. Rich data on learner growth can be captured with micro-learning. Study the information to know what is working more and where students seek help most. These completion rates, quiz results, and varied engagement indicators will allow you to modify your e-learning plan toward ongoing learning improvements. These tips will bring success to your micro-learning plan and its outcome-oriented approach.
The Final Word
Within the world of e-learning, micro-learning has been one of the most revolutionary approaches to adapting to the needs of the modern learner for flexibility, accessibility, and ingenuity. By breaking down complex topics into manageable, bite-sized lessons, micro-learning helps learners internalize information more effectively, retain it longer, and stay motivated on their learning curve.
Whether it is to develop corporate training programs further, improve academic performance, or even give your employees just-in-time learning solutions, micro-learning has many points of application, each highly customized. High engagement rates, combined with mobile accessibility and self-paced learning, create an ideal solution for busy professionals and students alike.
In either case, micro-learning should not replace more general training and resources regarding subjects that naturally need the weight of additional context. When done thoughtfully, micro-learning can support an overall e-learning strategy, bringing depth and flexibility to a learner's education.
The future of learning is fast, focused, and on-demand. With effective micro-learning, you'll stay ahead of the curve with your e-learning strategy, providing effective learner-friendly content to meet the demands of today's fast-moving world.