Microlearning gets content in front of users in fast, effective ways for eLearning results
There are so many ways of receiving information these days. Blogs, videos, social media, podcasts, infographics. The list goes on and on. And while this has been a blessing, it can also be a huge source of distraction as we attempt to focus on the things we have to do. Extensive attention spans are in short supply, and in eLearning one way we’ve started to combat this is microlearning.
Microlearning is a means of teaching that goes outside of the standard box of traditional learning wherein course content is delivered through more lengthy, protracted lessons of training by delivering specific learner content in small, short bursts. Think brief YouTube or Facebook videos, or some of the quick, easy-to-digest and low-time-commitment animations we see all the time on social media.
While learners can certainly invest the time and effort into traditional modalities of learning like classroom, instructor-led training, they can also get the critical insights and lessons they need with quick, bite-sized chunks of learning material, and that’s what microlearning is all about. It’s also a new mode of teaching that L&D professionals might ignore at their peril.
Microlearning is going to go big
Microlearning got big in 2016 and it is projected to swell in the coming years. That’s one of the key insights we found in our recently released report, eLearning Market Trends and Forecast: 2017-2021. You can download the complete and comprehensive report free here, but in the meantime, here is a quick — some might say “bite-sized” — example about Google University.
Effectively, Google operates an “invisible” corporate university, delivering personalized, just-in-time information to employees based on their job function and performance. Instead of handing new employees a training manual, Google provides bite-sized tutorial information just before it is needed. For example, managers are given guidance on how to complete performance reviews shortly before it’s time to do so.
So that is one example of how microlearning does not have to be just ad hoc, but can be systemized, and released in packages to suit learner journeys.
Want to learn more about microlearning and eLearning trends and forecasts in general? Download the report today and get prepared for 2017’s challenges and opportunities.
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