What is Microlearning and How can it Benefit your Corporate Training? 

Today’s learners have busy schedules and shorter attention spans. So, how can we engage these learners in training? Answer: Microlearning—short bits of microlearning for corporate training that fit within just about anyone’s attention span—does this through diverse multimedia content that has one thing in common—it is super short. 

The growth of microlearning has been driven by flexible, accessible, and effective learning that matches the employees’ fast-paced work schedules and even shorter attention spans. 

So, what is microlearning and how might it be used to boost learning outcomes in ways traditional methods could never hope to achieve? 

In this article, we will define microlearning and explain its impact on knowledge retention, engagement, and accessibility. So, buckle up and get ready to explore how it can change the way to learn and help you move toward your maximum potential. 

Start small, archives big! Learn how microlearning can enhance your team’s performance– Get in touch with us today. 

What Is Microlearning? 

Microlearning is a training approach where learning content is delivered in small units to digest easily- around 3-5 minutes. This helps take in information in short bursts and minimal time. Just because it is short and fast, does not mean that it isn’t effective. It’s often the best way to achieve a learning objective. 

Microlearning can be of all sorts, from videos to quizzes, infographics, and so much more. The possibilities are endless with what you can present learners within a microlearning format. The only rule is that it needs to be short. 

Why Is Microlearning Important for Corporate Training? 

Smartphones have transformed our attention spans into havoc. But this is not all; an average employee is so busy that research indicates they only set aside time for learning about 1% of their time.  

Microlearning fits into the lifestyle and behaviour of learners. We all know now that we spend more time scrolling on our phones. Therefore, learning content in such a form – interactive and responsive – would come off as natural and engaging. 

Of course, microlearning does not suit every type of training. Some complex topics that are too important or too complicated need to be delivered more elaborately. 

Now let us move further into the benefits of microlearning. 

Don’t let outdated training hold your team back. See how microlearning can revolutionize your approach. 

Benefits Of Microlearning That You Should Know 

• Learner-centric: The concept of microlearning focuses on the learner’s needs and control. Thereby letting the individual learner be in control of their learning time and pace. The learners will thus enjoy more relevant, personal, bite-sized content aligned with roles or preferences for increased relevance. 

• Just in time & accessible: Microlearning delivers information precisely when employees need to apply knowledge related to their tasks. It is thus just-in-time learning, usually through mobile devices or applications and, therefore, completely accessible from anywhere and at any time. 

• Less time-consuming: As microlearning is based on specific topics, it is relatively less time-consuming compared to the traditional methods of training. The employees can include learning in their busy schedules without wasting a lot of time on such programs. 

• Higher employee engagement: Microlearning has shorter, more targeted lessons that keep the employee engaged because it divides those complex topics into smaller, manageable chunks. For instance, quizzes, videos, and other gamification elements create interactions that boost engagement and increase motivation to learn. 

• Cost-effective and agile: Microlearning requires fewer resources to produce and deliver than long learning programs, and its agile nature allows quick updates and modifications, ensuring content stays current without large investments of time or budget. 

• Wider applications: Microlearning can cater to any training need, which may include onboarding and compliance training, upskilling, and product updates, among others. This method is very flexible, and organizations can therefore use it across different departments. 

Turn your training into a productivity booster. Start your microlearning journey with Levelup today. 

5 Effective Microlearning Best Practices for Corporate Training 

• Make it fun with gamification 

Engage people with content. Ask them to do things in ways that involve people. Create quizzes or drag-and-drop activities that support their learning. 

Add healthy competition by awarding them badges or keeping track on a leaderboard, which helps compare the learner’s progress against that of others. 

• Keep it to the point 

This is a rather obvious piece of advice, but very important, nonetheless. When preparing microlearning modules, remember the principle of KISS: keep it stupidly simple! 

Employees today face a multitude of tasks to complete, and the busy pace of life has pushed everyone to become impatient with anything that seems to last too long. 

Too much detail in your videos or infographics will make everyone switch off. 

• Support on-demand learning 

Simply said, your microlearning material ought to be accessible and available wherever the need is. Don’t limit access to microlearning content to workplace computers. Let employees sign in via their LMS accounts everywhere on any device.  

This way, they learn from micro-courses on their ride to work or during free moments elsewhere. 

• Include feedback mechanisms 

Regularly collect post-training feedback from employees through surveys or quizzes to assess the content’s effectiveness and areas for improvement. Through feedback mechanisms, the learning experience is continually enhanced in relevance and interest. 

• Integrate with other training methods 

Microlearning is effective only when integrated with other methods of training like in-person workshop or eLearning courses. 

Microlearning integrated with traditional training gives an employee a blended learning experience supporting short-term learning and deep understanding. 

Need help designing effective microlearning modules? Contact us to get started 

Limitations of Microlearning 

• It’s not suitable for complicated concepts: Microlearning works perfectly for conveying short, simple information in small chunks. That is not ideal for complex concepts. 

• Not ideal for detailed training: Microlearning does work to build a base knowledge and a general overview of a subject – not to understand a larger concept at a deeper level. 

• Requires managing large amounts of content: In other eLearning formats, content is broken down into 30 or 60 minutes, but microlearning can be as short as 5-7 minutes in length, so more content will need to be created to ensure all subjects are covered. It may also take more time for an LMS to handle this amount of developed content. 

• Difficult to maintain content short and engaging: Maintaining content that is both informative and engaging at the same time can be a challenge as it may require the expert to curate content that can make it impactful and present all the key information learners may need on each microlearning topic. 

• Difficult to scale personalized content: Microlearning courses are short, which may lead to hundreds of modules for a training course. Sifting through all of this information, personalizing it, and sending it to the right people is an extremely laborious task. 

How To Create Your Own Microlearning Training Courses? 

Creating your own microlearning courses for corporate training involves several key steps; each of them is considered important for developing effective learning experiences. First, be clear about the learning objectives. This is what is needed for learners to reach by the end of a course and guides the way content is created.

Once the goals have been established, it’s time to decide what medium would best deliver the content. Depending on what best fits the material and engages your audience, it could be a video, an interactive quiz, or an infographic. 

• Define learning objectives: That is, the desired results for learners are clearly defined.  

• Pick the best medium: Video, quiz, infographic, or a mix, whatever delivers the best for the topic.  

• Script the content-: Break down the material in an outlined format, keeping each segment short and to the point.  

• Implement course: Content upload and organization on an LMS platform to enable easier access and tracking. 

Prepare For Today’s Learners with Corporate Microlearning 

Microlearning sites are beneficial both to the learner and organizations. More accessible, flexible, and engaging, they translate into more effective knowledge retention, improved performance, and productivity. 

If you are interested in implementing this new style of learning within your organization, then Levelup LMS is the perfect platform for you. Levelup ensures that microlearning is feasible and effective enough to help a company achieve ongoing growth and permanent success. 
To know more about eLearning content options for corporate training and how they can be integrated with Levelup LMS, contact us today.