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What is microlearning?
Microlearning is a strategy that is used to teach small learning elements or short-term learning activities, which are parts of a more comprehensive component. The key point of microlearning is that the learning process is a short period. Typically, it does not take more than 15 minutes to teach and learn the content.
What kind of content is considered microlearning?
Microlearning examples are pretty diverse. Since technology allows us to create lots of different activities on different platforms, it is easier to use microlearning and prepare materials. Here are several types of content materials that are used often:
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Images (photos and illustrations)
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Videos (short informative videos and animations)
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Audios (songs, voice records, etc.)
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Texts (paragraphs, phrases, etc.)
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Infographics (charts, graphs, etc.)
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Tests and quizzes
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Games (flashcards, polls, simulations, etc.)
As mentioned, the vital point of these microlearning materials is that all of them need to be short and brief. The content of microlearning needs to be as simple as possible and the way the information is delivered should be smooth and to the point. Additionally, it takes about 5-15 minutes to give the necessary information to learners, which separates microlearning from other learning techniques.
Where can you use microlearning?
As microlearning is a trendy learning technique now, it is safe to say that its area of usage is pretty wide and learners can find examples of microlearning everywhere. Since lots of different fields use online platforms more and more, microlearning takes more place in our lives.
Here are some microlearning use cases:
Education
Teachers value microlearning a lot, and it is even more valuable in online learning. In an age where attention span decreases considerably, it is wise to use this limited time for a better learning experience and combine it with online learning. Teachers, as long as the e-learning platform they choose allows them, can use different kinds of materials to increase efficiency.
The business world attaches great importance to productivity, speed, and development. In summary, microlearning is a highly effective technique for employee training, which directly impacts the success of employees and the company. Thus, it is no surprise that many companies favor microlearning in e-learning to train employees.
Employee training
The business world attaches great importance to productivity, speed, and development. Naturally, when all things are considered, microlearning is a great technique for employee training, which directly affects the success of the employees and the company. Thus, it is no surprise that many companies favor microlearning in e-learning to train employees.
Teaching new techniques, skills, and software that will improve the productivity and development of employees will need help from microlearning. Moreover, microlearning can be integrated with virtual classroom platforms.
Whether it is a short video of brand-new software showing employees how to use a certain feature or a graph displaying how critical it is to have certain soft skills, microlearning examples are powerful. This power is why the business world is turning to microlearning to increase efficiency and save time.
Customer training
Higher profit is always important for companies, and customer education is one of the ways to achieve that. Well-informed customers make a big difference, and they are a significant part of the economy. They know the best products to buy and spend their money on the right companies. Therefore, microlearning becomes a convenient and fast way to deliver the message to the right target groups.
Companies try to find ways to inform customers about their products. With microlearning, it is possible to see short videos, brochures, etc., with only the necessary information about products. For example, TV commercials informing customers about a new computer and its enhanced features are effective microlearning examples.
Social media
Social media platforms are everywhere and are used worldwide. It has a profound effect on their use and can reach very distant corners of the world. Thus, it is pretty valuable for certain companies and institutions to use for certain purposes. However, the amount of information to share on social media is limited and microlearning is the right technique to implement.
Social media accounts of governments, companies, and institutions use microlearning tools such as short videos, graphs, pictures, brief texts, and so on to spread information. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, many people used microlearning to inform the masses about the virus and precautions briefly rather than giving information as in medical articles.
Why is microlearning popular?
Technology and development affect the future. So, schools and companies must do whatever they can to be a part of this future. One of the easiest ways to catch this trend requires trying innovative techniques like microlearning.
More and more people are choosing microlearning. Here's why:
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It is attractive.
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It teaches fast.
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It is accessible.
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It is easy to create.
Considering the shortening of attention spans today, microlearning emerges as an effective learning method. More schools and companies use microlearning for higher success and this makes microlearning popular.
Does microlearning work well for everyone?
As useful as it is, every technique has limitations, and not every style is suitable for every type of subject or training. As mentioned, microlearning is more suitable for short-term learning experiences or teaching a small fragment of a bigger subject. However, microlearning does not work well when more complex matters are in question.
Students cannot learn quantum physics or an entirely new language through microlearning, for example. Teaching only a few small parts of these two complex subjects is suitable for microlearning. If teachers try to teach massive topics with microlearning, they will most likely struggle and fail.
As for employee training, the same problem occurs here as well. Employees may need to learn very important and complex software for their development, but a 15-minute-long video will not teach them all the tools of this software. Microlearning can only help them learn how to use certain features of the software.
However, you can still use microlearning as an engaging part of a big schedule for these complicated topics.
What are the benefits of using microlearning?
It is possible to see microlearning examples even on social media, and there must be a reason why it is so widely used everywhere. Here are several reasons why it is beneficial to use microlearning:
Easy to prepare
There are lots of platforms offering a wide range of microlearning tools for education and employee training. Since it is a popular technique now, these platforms are trying hard to make their tools more effective each day. Now it does not even take more than 15 minutes to prepare simple materials for a class or training! Trainers and teachers save lots of time.
More memorable
As a result of technology and social media, people’s attention span is getting shorter as time flies by. However, microlearning uses this short period to give the necessary information before learners feel bored and lose attention. This fast and brief delivery of knowledge benefits from short-term memory and makes it easy to remember for learners.
Cost-effective
It is always more expensive to use materials in a physical learning environment. Virtual classroom platforms, however, always offer affordable options for everyone. Trainers can use the materials that are created by microlearning tools repeatedly and this reduces the material cost.
Better learner engagement
The learners' engagement ratio increases visibly when the learning process is short, brief, and entertaining. Through microlearning, learners receive very useful and effective information, and their brains do not overflow with unnecessary information. This way, learners do not get tired or bored and they enjoy the learning process with entertaining activities.
Flexible learning schedule
Flexibility is very important for learners, especially for employees. When learners have a lot to deal with in their lives, they look for ways to learn at their own pace and microlearning gives them this opportunity. Microlearning platforms and virtual classroom platforms allow recording training sessions and activities for learners to study later. This way, learners can create free time and learn without any rush!
Instant analytics
Analytics are significant both for teachers and trainers. Normally, it takes a lot of work and time to test learners' knowledge and compute that group's success rate. However, microlearning tools now simplify this process with only one click. At the end of a microlearning experience, swift reports arrive and save teachers and trainers lots of paperwork.
How can microlearning be used?
There are different ways and tools to integrate microlearning with the learning process and virtual classroom platforms produce certain tools for this. Here are several tools to use for microlearning.
Gamification
Games are efficient microlearning tools for delivering knowledge fast and briefly. Since the efficiency of games is proven, the virtual classroom platform you choose should allow the use of gamification. Gamification features can make courses more entertaining and engaging with easy steps.
Games are entertaining not just for children, but for everyone, and your employees are not exceptional. If learners need to learn a certain tool of software or a foreign language, using games is a good way to do that. Therefore, teachers and trainers often use games for every age group to teach faster and more productively.
Course flow
Microlearning is great; however, arranging the materials properly is key. When the subject is suitable for microlearning, trainers and teachers can use photos, videos, texts, audio, tests, etc. Moreover, numbers talk frequently in the business world, so infographics shine like stars during employee training beyond school.
Virtual classroom platforms have certain tools for this and the course flow feature is handy for organizing materials for e-learning. Just one simple tool can organize the materials and create a correct order for teachers and trainers.
Fast feedback
Tests and quizzes are other important microlearning examples, and they are effortless to create with microlearning tools. Thus, teachers and trainers can use virtual classroom platforms to test attendees and get instant feedback immediately after the test. The analytics feature provides quick, easy feedback that no one can ignore.
To sum up
Learning does not always have to be very detailed, complex, and time-consuming. Microlearning, with all the advantages of our age, makes every learning process enjoyable for teachers, trainers, and learners. Now, bite-sized information can reach learners in a fast and entertaining way. Thus, it is wise for schools and businesses to use microlearning to achieve their goals in a better way.
After discovering the advantages of microlearning, lots of platforms started to work harder to make microlearning easier, faster, more effective, and available for everyone.
Perculus, as a platform offering several convenient and affordable microlearning features, is the solution teachers and trainers should look for. Check out Perculus for more information.
