So is micro learning just another ‘buzz’ word, another trend in the L&D industry? Or is there more to it? At Optimism we think it is so much more than a trend.
Micro learning is breaking down information into small learning chunks and using short-term learning activities to develop a knowledge or skills gap.
This is a reflection of how we learn in everyday life, so it makes you wonder why in a working environment we then expect our employees to take on so much information at once.
At this stage it is important to combat some common assumptions that I have heard people say about micro learning…
‘It’s just taking a standard eLearning module and putting it onto a smaller device’
Most certainly not the case, although micro learning is designed to be delivered using a mobile phone, app, tablet etc. that is not where the term ‘micro’ comes from. It is a reference to the single objective point that is the focus of each micro learning activity.
‘It’s easier and quicker to create, you don’t need instructional design skills’
Micro learning, like any learning activity needs to be incorporated into the overall development framework and is often part of a blended learning approach. The challenge for any instructional designer is to ensure the content meets the required outcomes and is engaging for the learner.
As Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said “A designer knows he has achieved perfection, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”.
I can hear what you’re asking now ‘So what are the business benefits to micro learning?’ Why bother? What’s in it for me as the employer?’
For many organisations it is difficult to take employees out of their working day to provide workshops, micro learning is an alternative, efficient method as it can be used anywhere (not just at a PC or in a workshop).
Micro learning enables your staff to retain information quicker, therefore more likely to be effective in the live environment at a faster rate.
