Customizing Learning with Microlearning

LEARNER ENGAGEMENT

Creating customized microlearning provides learners with content that they find the most relevant which translates to better engagement. 

When programs are designed keeping the learner not only the content in mind, the overall program becomes more relatable.

Just like Starbucks offers the same latte to everyone but allows someone with Lactose intolerance to choose Soy Milk as an option, a Learning Leader must consider nuances of their learners. 

A key area would be the job title and skill level of learners.  Consider a senior IT Manager and senior Marketing Manager who need to go through training on your new Cloud based LMS.   Chances are the IT Manager will quickly bore and disengage from the training if presented with the same content as the marketing professional who doesn’t have much experience with the LMS at all.

Microlearning also serves up eLearning on any device meaning learners can take their learning on the go or drill down to the specifics that they’re looking for right from their own device 24/7.  It doesn’t get much more engaging than that!

LEARNER RETENTION

The statistics on forgetting new content can be surprising.

Research on the forgetting curve shows that within one hour, people will have forgotten an average of 50 percent of the information you presented. Within 24 hours, they have forgotten an average of 70 percent of new information, and within a week, forgetting claims an average of 90 percent of it. Within 24 hours, they have forgotten an average of 70 percent of new information, and within a week, forgetting claims an average of 90 percent of it. 

This makes retention a big challenge for Learning Leaders when planning and budgeting for training programs.  Microlearning can make a huge impact here as well.  Using microlearning as a tool in your training repertoire enables Learning Leaders to provide learners with consistent updates in short bursts of content covering 1-3 key points only.  

Simply put, less information being presented means learners can focus easier on what they are trying to learn which makes retention easier.  Consider a traditional in-class training session.  Would you remember what you learned in the first hour by the end of the day? Likely not.   

Retention is also achieved by making microlearning on-demand.  Learners that need a refresher before starting their shifts or have a question on how to use a new program before starting on a project can all greatly benefit from microlearning.

EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY

Finally, increasing employee productivity is the reason behind corporate training and development and microlearning directly addresses this goal.

Since microlearning does away with the formal classroom training or longer eLearning formats, employees can spend more time working during their core work hours and engage with their customized training modules during off-peak times like the commute home, lunch time or even while they’re waiting for their system to boot up in the morning. 

Organizations can create a more productive workforce by developing and delivering training content quickly as required versus months later due to longer development times for longer format training.

It can be a tall order for organizations that have yet to make a leap towards eLearning or for those that have, introducing microlearning can be a challenge of its own.