Microlearning is the future of online learning!
A microlearning course has one single, narrow objective. It provides just-in-time learning opportunities in short bursts, meeting the time constraints of today’s busy professional.
There are many benefits that microlearning offers:
- We learn more in short bursts, so this format meets this need
- Microlearning quickly closes a small knowledge or skill gap
- Microlearning allows for diverse formats, and is cheap to produce
- Microlearning is not disruptive to the workday, and allows the learner to access content when it is relevant to them
Microlearning also forces the speaker to stay on task, since they are delivering a single objective in a short amount of time.
Because of these benefits, microlearning makes the transfer of learning 17% more efficient, creating 50% more engagement.
A few disadvantages exist as well – for example, if designed poorly, the course can result in fragmented education and create learner confusion. Additionally, this format will not work if a holistic approach is required for the content. Finally, some credentialing agencies will not award continuing education credit unless content is a certain length.
A few sample topics that are ideal for microlearning courses are:
- Onboarding new employees
- Technology tutorials
- Explanation of business processes and procedures
- Delivery of updates
Some best practices for creating microlearning courses include:
- Planning: Incorporate microlearning into your overall continuing education process
- Content: Simple, quick content; start with obvious topics
- Format: On-demand format; interactive tools; lots of graphics; higher production quality
