While reading various blog posts and articles about eLearning delivery methods, one approach that has consistently cropped up is microlearning. In addition to its prevalence in industry literature, microlearning also piqued my interest as it shares some theoretical similarities with the Lexical Approach, a language acquisition theory I have experience with having previously worked in the ESL field. Both approaches advocate a bite-sized approach to learning where potentially heavy and taxing content is broken down into small, more digestible, and easily consumed chunks.
The concept of microlearning appears to be growing in popularity within the corporate world, owing to the fact learners can access training content at their own convenience. However, some learners within this space have voiced valid reservations and are opposed to its adoption. In this short post I explore why I think microlearning has experienced a surge in popularity, the concerns some learners have in relation to it, and what this all means moving forward for corporate eLearning.
Microlearning commonly refers to the delivery of bite-sized training or educational content that the learner can access anytime, anywhere. It can assume various forms such as text, video, or audio, but should always be specifically designed to deliver maximum learning value in the shortest time possible. Think a TikTok clip teaching a person how to save a word document as a PDF file. Perhaps the primary factor driving the microlearning movement at the moment is its erosion of traditional training accessibility barriers. Microlearning allows people to learn on the go, at their own pace and in their own time. This means they are not confined to the office and don’t have to adjust their busy schedule to find time to dedicate to training during the workday. Learners also view this type of training as less monotonous than traditionally longer and more concentrated training. It also allows learners to develop the autonomy to lead their own education and development, learners can access content when needed, such as when they are requested to perform a highly complex task or one, they may not be familiar with.
However, this greater degree of flexibility has also given rise to some concerns among learners, particularly in a corporate context. Many learners do not appreciate the idea of completing work related training outside of their specified working hours, such as on their commute. Additionally, others are, understandably, not comfortable using their personal devices to complete work-related tasks. While from an employer’s perspective, microlearning is often viewed as informal learning, and so might not be the best mode of delivery if your goal is to teach new and abstract content to learners. In this scenario, I feel traditional eLearning delivery methods would be more appropriate as dividing lengthy, complex content into smaller-sized learning chunks purely for the sake of it is not going to enable and support impactful learning.
There is no doubt that microlearning offers many benefits in a corporate eLearning context, however it also has its drawbacks and should not be used as a one size fits all approach to training delivery. In my opinion, it can be best used in a performance support capacity when learners need a quick explainer or refresher on a specific process or task. In terms of increasing learner commitment and motivation, one such incentive could be to introduce a gamification element. Employers could offer points or other incentives that may be redeemed for real-world rewards and perks or alternatively could offer certification or recognition upon training completion which could be used as a means of showcasing professional development. In terms of learner reservations surrounding the use of personal devices for work purposes, I do believe this is a topic that merits further discussion between respective stakeholders and should happen on a case by case basis.
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