Our workplaces are fast-paced environments where we typically move from one task to another with little time in-between.
Going away for a 2- or 3-day or even a half-day class can be difficult to arrange.
Yet, we are still required to continuously learn to build our skills and stay on top of the quickly changing business environment to stay competitive, and ever-improving products, processes, and policies.
In this era of busy schedules, microlearning is a training model that can be used for all kinds of training. A few microlearning examples are skills training, employee onboarding, and process training.
What is Microlearning?
Microlearning is a learning approach which deals with small learning units of time. It delivers short bursts of bite-sized content for learners to study at a set time, at their workstations, or at their convenience.
What is the Value of Microlearning?
It’s faster to deliver.
The value of micro-learning is in the small, concentrated instruction that it provides. Rather than overwhelm a person with hours of complex information, a microlearning experience lasts only a few minutes and allows the employee to focus on studying one learning objective at a time.
It helps to boost knowledge retention.
Microlearning delivers a quick burst of instruction just when the learner needs it. Not only can microlearning provide performance support, like how to troubleshoot a problem or resolve a customer complaint. It can also reinforce policies, safety procedures, and good business practices. It can be re-watched by the employee quickly to reinforce learning.
It’s flexible.
Microlearning breaks learning out of the four walls of the classroom or the confines of a large eLearning module buried in a Learning Management System, making the content, and learning highly accessible.
Microlearning can be delivered almost anywhere and can occur within the flow of work. It can be delivered effectively at the point of need when learners are most open to receiving new content.
Microlearning content can be delivered via a mobile device, a smartphone, a desktop computer, a workstation device, or even a poster or job aid accessible at the point of need.
It can be personalized.
Because microlearning is short and can be delivered on-demand, it can be personalized based on the specific requirements of an individual or department.
It enables a business to quickly respond to change.
The demands of the environment a business operates in are quickly and constantly changing.
Short microlearning training modules enable an organization to respond faster to changing business objectives, new training demands, and be able to effectively communicate these changes to employees.
When done right, microlearning becomes an important tool in the learning toolkit of anyone who is responsible for organizational learning.