Microlearning is an excellent learning approach that’s best suited for skill-building. It typically involves narrowing down a skill, topic, or concept to its most essential parts as bite-sized exercises and imparting training on only those ideas. Put simply, it is a way of offering short, focused chunks of content to an audience, at the place and time best suited to them.

The continually evolving demands of modern learners gave birth to this new trend of learning, delivered through small chunks of online courses. In today’s multitasking and time-crunched environment, microlearning has become an appropriate solution to corporate learning requirements. As opposed to traditional learning design, microlearning offers an excellent way of managing time. It doesn’t require long time spans, as employees can take bite-sized lesson in between different activities.

As a contemporary learning tool, the advantages of microlearning in modern workplaces, either as a part of a broader program or different parts of the learning cycle, are immense. In fact, a study suggests that such short content helps to drive more information retention than long-form content. Unlike traditional learning methods, the essence of microlearning is much quicker, smarter, and sharper learning nuggets or bite-sized exercises, offering a number of benefits to the modern workforce.

Table of Contents:

What Exactly is Microlearning?

Microlearning is essentially a type of e-learning strategy that takes considerably less time to complete, usually anywhere between 2 to 10 minutes. It is a way of teaching content to learners in small and very specific nuggets or micro bites. To put it simply, microlearning is a compilation of short, focused classes available on a variety of devices and designed to be easily ingested.

However, these small chunks are designed to meet the specific learning outcomes of a particular organization. Each micro bite is designed to address a specific problem or a definite learner need. Each nugget is kept as crisp as possible while ensuring that it adequately covers a specific learning objective and is easily available to the learners just-in-time, at the moment of their needs.

Among the common microlearning examples are a combination of the following types of content:

  1. Audio: Especially useful when learning a new language or for auditory learners. It can include short snippets of speech or music.
  2. Videos: Under 6 minutes long are preferable for maintaining engagement.
  3. Images: Helps illustrate various topics or points from the videos or text, including pictures and illustrations.
  4. Text: Short paragraphs, phrases, summaries, cheat sheets, and essential information.
  5. Gamification: Helps unlock levels and add further interactivity to the learning process.
  6. Quizzes: Helps to test knowledge, reinforce concepts, and add a layer of interactivity.

The Relationship Between Microlearning and Mobile Learning

Microlearning is often associated with mobile learning (mLearning), and while they are distinct concepts, they work together powerfully. Mobile learning is the process of distributing educational materials via portable electronics like tablets and smartphones. This strategy leverages the widespread availability of mobile technology to give students easy access to training materials at any time, any place.

So, is microlearning the same as mobile learning? While they are similar in their ability to allow content to be tailored to learners’ specific needs, there are also some differences. Mobile learning provides contextual content that is just-in-time, just enough, and tailored just for the end-user. In mobile learning, the real mobile is the learner and not the device, so it’s the user’s context that makes the learning mobile.

Microlearning, on the other hand, is the approach of delivering content in these small, specific nuggets. The two are a perfect match because the short format of microlearning is ideal for consumption on mobile devices, especially for learners who are on the go. Together, the combined power of microlearning and mobile learning can help organizations multiply the impact of their training delivery.

Top 5 Use Cases of Microlearning

Although microlearning as a training approach can be adapted to suit most corporate industries, it is most beneficial for firms that undergo constant change in terms of the work environment and need to close knowledge or skill gaps quickly.

Here we are discussing the top 5 microlearning use cases in enterprises:

1. Product Knowledge Training

There is an ongoing need for product knowledge training for employees of organizations that operate on a national or international scale and release new products on a regular basis.

Microlearning is an ideal approach in such a scenario. It allows companies to create chunks of online modules to include new product images along with their main features and benefits. This helps employees to quickly learn and get trained about the new products on their mobile phones or smart devices, ensuring they are always up-to-date.

2. Employee Onboarding

In businesses with high employee turnover (such as the retail industry), there is always a need for effective onboarding. A microlearning-based bite-sized approach helps to simplify the process of employee onboarding and get all the new hires up-to-speed quickly by offering the right information at the right time.

This approach primarily focuses on delivering the most important and actionable knowledge instead of overloading new hires with information they don’t need. Reducing the amount of material they are exposed to helps in increasing the retention rate substantially.

3. Compliance Training

Organizations in highly regulated industries such as healthcare and aviation can benefit most when it comes to imparting compliance training using a microlearning approach. Compliance training in most organizations is largely focused on policies, data, rules, and regulations. Designed to meet specific employee needs, microlearning allows you to make your training courses shorter, crisper, and easier to follow.

Using different content types and tests at your disposal, you can easily turn a mandatory compliance process into a fun and enjoyable experience and ensure high completion rates at the same time. For instance, a microlearning nugget can feature conversational language and interactive visuals to take learners through varying levels of data security, along with giving them tips and best practices to protect data.

4. Professional Skills Training

Traditionally, organizations have used microlearning to improve soft (non-technical) skills such as leadership, communication, and problem-solving. But the trend is fast changing. An increasing number of firms across the globe are now employing microlearning to teach various technical skills, including data analysis, software proficiency, project management, and even coding and programming languages.

Depending on the varying needs of employees, some of these modules can address the basics of a subject, whereas others can handle more advanced concepts. Microlearning is especially suited for imparting technical skills to employees with short attention spans. Furthermore, the enhanced usage of smart devices and the tech-savviness of present-day employees make these bite-sized courses an ideal choice to deliver technical training.

5. Introducing Company Policies and Culture

Microlearning can be a great way to introduce employees to a company’s policies, procedures, and overall culture. As an excellent corporate training tool, the approach can cover diverse topics and concepts, including career advancement pathways, leave policy, organizational structure, office conduct, and equipment use. Presenting this information in short, digestible formats makes it easier for employees to absorb and remember key aspects of the company culture.

The Overarching Benefits of Microlearning for Organizations

When designed in alignment with formal training methods and executed systematically on online platforms, microlearning can be a robust training strategy. It has the potential to support the professional development of employees across industries.

Here is how organizations can benefit from a microlearning strategy:

1. Boosts Engagement and Retention

The attention span of most modern learners isn’t very high. By integrating microlearning into your training, you complement the speed of the learners’ attention spans as well as their interactions. Short, crisp information is the way to go for learner engagement. Human attention patterns are aligned with microlearning modules, since they are brief (typically between 3 and 5 minutes).

This approach addresses the “forgetting curve,” a theory suggesting learners forget nearly 80% of what they’ve learned within 30 days without reinforcement. Microlearning provides this reinforcement through small, concept-specific nuggets. The shortened length allows learners to remain invested, boosting both engagement and long-term knowledge retention.

2. Ideal for Mobile Learning and Flexibility

Microlearning is perfectly adapted for mobile devices. This makes it an ideal option for mobile-based learning, as employees can easily participate in short learning modules based on their work commitments. The sudden spike in the millennial workforce and the heavy use of smartphones have helped mobile learning gain momentum, along with the popular concept of ‘Bring Your Own Device‘ (BYOD).

This flexibility allows employees to adjust learning to their busy schedules. They can quickly take up these courses before the end of the day, between meetings, or even while traveling. The mobility aspect gives them the freedom to learn anytime, anywhere.

3. Empowers and Motivates Employees

Microlearning empowers learners by offering flexibility and a learner-centric approach. Employees have the flexibility to learn at their own pace on the device of their choice. Moreover, these micro-bites can be embedded in the learning path, meaning learners can access what they want when they need it, adding an element of personalization. This sense of control and the ability to quickly complete modules and acquire skills can be a great way to drive employee motivation levels.

4. Just-in-Time Performance Support

Microlearning makes for great performance support tools. The micro-nuggets are available to users at the exact moment they need the information. This just-in-time access helps employees fill knowledge gaps immediately, enabling them to perform their jobs more efficiently without sifting through hours of training material.

5. Cost-Efficient and Agile

For organizations with limited training budgets, microlearning is an excellent way to fulfill employee training needs. These short information nuggets are not only super quick to create but also easy to update. This reduces the overall training turnaround time for organizations. It allows you to create and deliver quality e-learning sessions without digging deep into company pockets, making it an economical choice for extensive training programs.

6. Quickly Fills Skill Gaps

The fact that microlearning focuses on one skill, task, or concept at a time enables employees to bridge their performance gaps much faster. This targeted approach ensures that training is relevant and directly applicable to an employee’s immediate needs, leading to quicker skill acquisition and improved performance on the job.

7. Simplifies Complex Content

One of the key benefits of integrating microlearning into your e-learning strategy is the simplification of content. It allows you to highlight one aspect at a time, which learners can absorb more efficiently with a specific goal in mind. This leads to better learning outcomes as complex topics are broken down into manageable and understandable pieces.

8. Provides Data-Driven Insights

When integrated with a progressive learning management system (LMS), microlearning can provide useful data-driven insights and analytics. Businesses can monitor trainee development, output, and levels of involvement to gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of their training. By analyzing learner data, organizations can measure the impact of training, pinpoint areas for improvement, and optimize instructional approaches.

Designing Effective Microlearning Content

To maximize the benefits, it’s crucial to design microlearning content effectively. This means going beyond simply chopping up longer courses.

Focus on Learner Personas

Each employee has a unique learning personality. It’s critical to identify and profile learners beyond demographics to design a successful course. The approach of creating a learner persona helps organizations do a comprehensive audience analysis to find out what kind of training content and delivery methodology will motivate learners more. These personas are hypothetical characters based on job roles, skills, and learning preferences (e.g., Michael the Marketing Manager, Susan the Sales Head). This learner-centric approach ensures the instructional design reflects the learners’ attitudes and comfort levels with technology, resulting in impactful modules personalized to their needs.

Incorporate Engaging Formats

Using a variety of formats can make learning more engaging and effective.

  • Gamification: This strategy is based on incentives. Using a modern LMS, learners can surpass goals, outperform peers, and earn scores, certificates, and awards. Anything from leaderboards to badges can be used to motivate learners and is particularly effective with mobile training solutions.
  • Mini Clips and Interactive Videos: These are brief, visually appealing clips that can set the scene for a training session or explain a concept. Adding interactivity, such as clickable hotspots or embedded quizzes, can create an experiential digital learning environment.
  • Whiteboard Animations: Using visual aids like graphics, animations, and music piques interest and helps with long-term retention. Dynamic text animations combined with background audio can also create an outstanding experience.

Final Thoughts

Microlearning not only addresses the specific needs of modern learners in a flexible manner but also offers a multitude of benefits for businesses. Driven by the need to consume short, bite-sized learning on the go, microlearning-based training adoption will continue to rise across organizations and industries because it provides efficiencies of both time and money.

Whether you’re a start-up, SME, or an established organization, microlearning allows you to create need-based, relevant learning content and make it available for your employees. This ensures that limited timelines or budgets are not a deterrent to creating a robust learning culture within your organization.

If you want to create a strong learning culture, the content should be easily accessible on any device. Integrating microlearning into your mobile learning strategy will not only push your training and L&D towards a whole new direction, but it will also open multiple ways of knowledge collaboration among your employees.

Are you looking for advanced corporate training solutions? Get in touch with Hurix Digital. We design training modules that best suit your business goals and objectives.