It's unfair if your staff is required to read endless PDFs of study material while attending protracted training sessions. What is an alternative to making training sessions interesting and effective? It is microlearning. The idea of microlearning is not new. It has long been used as an effective teaching method for adults who customize their instruction to meet their requirements.
If you're wondering, "what is microlearning?" We have an answer for you. It's a form of online training that disseminates knowledge through a series of brief learning modules, each lasting under ten minutes. This specific training approach has been demonstrated to be successful in overcoming typical training difficulties such as time restraints, limited finances, and attention span issues.
The next question is how to make the most of microlearning. Here are 8 ways that you can implement to make the most of your microlearning.
In contrast to what experts believed, many firms' microlearning courses span 10-15 minutes, according to a survey by the Association for Talent Development (ATD). Only 1%, or 4 minutes per day, of the average person's workweek, is spent learning. One solution to fit inside this timetable is microlearning. Learners can also tackle problems in their everyday lives with brief training modules. Instead of using Google to search for the answer, learners can use the handpicked microlearning modules that their company has given. And thus, you can make the most of your microlearning training modules.
A common misunderstanding is that microlearning necessitates using eLearning exclusively in video format. Although the video is the most common form, it is not the only one that can be used. A broader number of formats for microlearning are available, including audio, video, infographics, podcasts, and text-based content like newsletters or PDF files. You can think of more creative ways to interact and communicate with your staff by expanding your possibilities. So don't only use video to restrict your options. Use other mediums to make the most of the microlearning strategy.
Many businesses make use of microlearning by organizing a campaign to raise awareness of brand-new training and development initiatives and to generate interest in them. You can produce a brief collection of resources that emphasize the program. For instance, a brief video outlining the capabilities and advantages of the program combined with an email or instructional PDF can be successful. This tactic will raise awareness and interest without overwhelming staff members with information or coming across as unimportant.
Many businesses offer a learning resource library that staff members can use whenever they want to learn new things or hone existing ones. This strategy makes it simple to promote self-directed learning and offer relevant, individualized learning experiences. The library's addition of scenario-based microlearning simulations, quick movies, and other resources like infographics will assist in raising the standard of the content and boost learner interest. However, you may maximize your microlearning effort by providing employees with a brief, memorable knowledge library to help them perform better.
In many tech-savvy firms, AI, or artificial intelligence, has an increasing impact on L&D efforts. Therefore, try incorporating AI into your microlearning tactics. The following are some ways AI can maximize the effectiveness of your microlearning training programs:
Make a system knowledge portal, and encourage staff to share content there. Employees are the ones most familiar with their needs and their jobs' educational requirements. Consider using these useful resources to mix up your content production sources for your microlearning tactics. An older person, for instance, may film a tutorial video on his smartphone and upload it to the company's learning platform. That's a fantastic method to improve your organization's learning culture and resources and make the most of your microlearning strategy.
Your staff will benefit greatly from using scenario-based microlearning as part of your learning plan to gain soft skills, leadership abilities, and new procedures. The average length of microlearning content is 10 minutes, and it only covers one subject. Thanks to this structure and realistic events, employees can relate to the learning content and better comprehend how it pertains to them. These brief vignettes provide context for the subject. Therefore, they are memorable due to their engaging nature and fostering critical thinking and problem-solving abilities in this participatory format. These characteristics make this tactic great for fostering leadership and other soft skills necessary for creativity.
Social media browsing is popular because it is entertaining. Social media posts often adhere to three main guidelines for engagement: 1) Clickable headlines, 2) Images, or 3) Videos that are embedded.
You can implement the same tactic while doing your microlearning module. Attract more attention to it by making it seem like a social media post. Therefore, you can encourage passive consumption of the information and make your microlearning modules more effective.
Today's extremely busy employees have less free time for self-improvement as it is. Additionally, in the hybrid workplace, virtual employees face environment-related difficulties that put their levels of engagement to the test. This makes it more difficult for them to obtain learning materials.
The best way to overcome these problems is to employ short-form microlearning content for core training, coaching and mentoring, and job improvement. Since these few minutes can result in long-lasting behavioral change, microlearning becomes effective. You'll surely see the magic with your staff if you adhere to the abovementioned methods.
