How often have you enrolled in a class and remembered everything you were taught? Very rare, right, or maybe almost never? Studies show that if human beings don’t make a conscious attempt to remember what they have learned, they forget 50% of everything taught within an hour and 70% of it within 24 hours. This defeats the whole purpose of corporate training. In traditional corporate training, learners are exposed to numerous new concepts. However, they are never encouraged to revisit what they have learned, making them forget everything taught in a session within a few days. However, there is one strategy to solve this problem: Microlearning.

Microlearning has taken corporate learning by storm for all the right reasons. These short, crisp, and to-the-point contents help learners retain knowledge in this fast-paced world with a short attention span. However, designing your microlearning content is crucial to reap its maximum benefits. You must make your microlearning modules learner-centric to help learners retain what they have learned. For example,  EI’s learner-centric Microlearning strategies are a great way to make corporate training more effective. If you are interested in incorporating a micro-learning strategy that is truly learner-centric, you must refer to the following article below.

What is Microlearning?

People tend to forget more than half of what they have learned in a class or training session within 24 hours. However, introducing microlearning as a corporate training strategy can effectively tackle this problem with ease.

Microlearning is a concept where learners are provided with small bite-sized information that is easy to consume. Moreover, since these contents are tiny, usually a few minutes long, learners can revisit them, which helps retain the information better. Another characteristic of microlearning is that complex topics are broken down into smaller chunks in this strategy to make them easier to understand. 

Designing an Effective Microlearning Strategy: 

Distractions at work are more common than you think. Therefore, designing a micro-learning strategy that is learner-centric is vital. The fundamental principle of microlearning is providing learners with bite-sized content that simplifies complex topics, making knowledge retention easier. To design a micro-learning strategy that is effective and learner-centric, you need to keep in mind the following factors: 

1. Keep it Short, Crisp and Focused:

Microlearning is designed for this fast-paced world where everyone has a limited time. It is made for learners looking for just-in-time information to enhance their knowledge. Moreover, when complex concepts are broken down into tiny bite-sized pieces of content, they are easy to understand, helping employees save time. Therefore, keeping it short, crisp, and focused is crucial. 

2. Focus on One Concept Per Module:

Imparting too much information in one module will overwhelm the learners and reduce engagement. Therefore, microlearning modules should focus on one concept per module. Focusing on multiple concepts per topic will confuse the learners and distract them from the main takeaway. 

3. Focus on Mobile Learning: 

To encourage learners to view the microlearning modules and learn, you must ensure that it is compatible with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. You also need to check if the modules can seamlessly be delivered on mobile devices with different screen sizes and have responsive designs for ease of use. The idea behind making it compatible with mobile devices is that learners must be able to view them anytime and anywhere they want- during lunch break, while commuting to work, or before going to sleep, to refine what they have learned during the day. 

4. Use Multi-Format Content for Enhanced Learning: 

Designing microlearning modules with huge blocks of text can easily disengage the learners. Therefore, to make the content actually interesting, you need to use multi-format content such as infographics, attractive visuals, animations, and videos. Given the short attention span of an average learner, you must design modules that grab their attention in the first 15 seconds. Hence, multimedia content makes learning extremely engaging and helps retain their interest. 

5. Leverage AI and Machine Learning:

If you are not leveraging AI and machine learning in microlearning, you are far behind the rest of the world. AI can significantly help personalize microlearning by offering adaptive learning to your employees. You need to understand that every learner has their own way and pace of learning. A one-size-fits-all approach for every employee in your organization is not the best way to introduce them to a new concept or idea. Using AI and machine learning in your modules helps identify a learner’s pace and method of learning. This helps make the whole learning process more effective and learner-oriented. 

6. Gamification to Encourage Learners:

You need to implement gamification elements to make microlearning more learner-centric and engaging. When you make learning fun and games for your learners, you create an environment where learners want to engage more with the content. Gamification elements such as leaderboards, badges, and storytelling are a great way to make learners want to learn something new. 

7. Tracking Progress Regularly: 

Tracking learner progress regularly is crucial. To track progress, you must introduce quizzes at the end of each module. When learners understand where they are currently in their learning journey, they are motivated to work harder and understand where they need to pay more attention. When you track their progress as an employer, you identify their pain points and ways to improve their learning experience. You can introduce quizzes at the end of each module to understand how each learner is performing.

Conclusion

In this fast-paced world where nobody has the time to sit for hours-long traditional corporate training sessions, microlearning has emerged as an effective alternative. Microlearning fills the knowledge gap in an organization, which traditional training methods cannot deliver. These bite-sized content pieces are at par with the current world, where people want everything instantly and don’t have time to wait. Moreover, with tools that help personalize these modules, creating an inclusive learning environment where employees feel encouraged to learn makes this strategy popular among organizations. If you are struggling with imparting training to your employees that are truly effective, you must implement this strategy today.