Do you know that unmatchable feeling when you’re starving, and delicious food has just been served? All you want is to devour it, overindulge, and enjoy every bite.
Sadly, this culinary pleasure often leaves you full, meaning you must miss out on dessert. This wouldn’t happen if you ate bite-sized portions, leaving space for more.
Why not apply this approach to other aspects of our lives? Whether eating, playing games, or learning, no one wants to feel overwhelmed or tired.
As surprising as it is, education is no different. Feed learners with small learning nuggets focused on specific goals and lessons.
Otherwise, too much information could trigger cognitive overload. You can prevent this with a well-rounded microlearning strategy.
What is a Microlearning Strategy?
Microlearning stands for delivering educational or training materials in brief, easily digestible portions that usually last just a few minutes. The concept rests on the belief that learners can grasp and remember information better when L&D professionals present it in concise, targeted segments.
In contrast, longer, more extensive sessions are often less effective for efficient learning due to their time-consuming nature and the higher level of effort they demand.
Put simply, microlearning focuses on brief interactions that yield solid and targeted results. Microlearning facilitates easy access to learning and allows learners to obtain knowledge conveniently, even while on the move.
In this case, content design typically prioritizes mobile devices to ensure accessibility via smartphones and web browsers. Moreover, it leverages interactive digital platforms to gear up effective information delivery. As a result, learners have the on-demand option at their disposal, resulting in greater engagement and motivation.
Microlearning breaks down content into small segments, all while including vital instructional components like practice, feedback, and reflection. However, L&D professionals must ensure learners can apply the acquired knowledge and skills in the real world.
Maintaining and Refreshing Knowledge
A microlearning strategy can also serve as a way to help learners refresh and maintain what they have learned. It takes only a few minutes to review old material in, for example, video or PDF format.
Although this content has maximum impact, it doesn’t require substantial learning effort. This can motivate learners to take on more projects or lessons, as they’re not complex and won’t be intimidating.
All in all, how does that differ from macrolearning?
The Difference Between Microlearning and Macrolearning
The following are the main differences between these two approaches.
Scope and Duration
- Macrolearning: Involves extensive and comprehensive study sessions that cover a broad range of topics over a longer period. As such, it’s associated with traditional classroom settings, courses, or degree programs.
- Microlearning: Focuses on short, targeted learning activities. It breaks down complex subjects into smaller chunks that typically take a few minutes to complete.
Content Delivery
- Macrolearning: Uses detailed textbooks, lectures, and lengthy assignments. Moreover, it relies on in-depth exploration and thorough understanding.
- Microlearning: L&D professionals use concise videos, infographics, quizzes, and bite-sized articles. It aims to deliver quick bursts of information that are easy to digest.
Learning Objectives
- Macrolearning: Aims for a comprehensive understanding of a subject. It prepares learners for long-term mastery and application of complex concepts.
- Microlearning: Targets specific skills or pieces of knowledge. It’s ideal for immediate application and quick learning boosts.
Flexibility and Accessibility
- Macrolearning: Requires dedicated time and often a formal setting. It’s less flexible due to its structured nature.
- Microlearning: Offers greater flexibility, and it’s accessible anytime and anywhere. Thanks to this, it fits into busy schedules, allowing learning in short intervals.
Benefits of Microlearning and Bite-Sized Lessons
There is a reason that the microlearning market is increasing at a steady CAGR of 11.2 percent and will reach US$ 6.3 Billion by 2032 compared to US$ 1.9 Billion in 2021. This is because of its many advantages, the most important being the following:
Ideal Flexibility for Mobile Learning
Unlike conventional educational environments, where people must fit substantial time for learning into their busy schedules, microlearning is typically remote or hybrid. Thanks to this flexible approach, learners don’t have to plan attendance at in-person seminars or lectures long in advance.
This isn’t to say that in-person learning doesn’t have many benefits, especially for kinesthetic and visual learners. However, bite-sized learning can be on-the-go, allowing education to unfold anytime, anyplace. Learners don’t have to interrupt their days by commuting and ensuring they’re physically present.
Moreover, bite-sized learning includes short and manageable modules that L&D professionals can flexibly combine into easy-to-consume bits. Flexibility also allows them to explore these topics in a sequence that best suits their preferences and needs.
Higher Engagement
According to Brandon Hall Group, organizations employing microlearning report 50 percent higher engagement and 17 percent greater job satisfaction. On top of that, microlearning can cut training durations by up to 60 percent without compromising learning effectiveness.
Even though eLearning typically comes with many distractions for learners (e.g., digital, environmental, multitasking), bite-sized learning can address this issue. Microlearning ensures learners don’t have to sit and stay focused for an hour, listening to a session covering multiple topics.
Instead, with bite-sized lessons, learners engage with concise yet impactful content.
L&D professionals favor this solution because it enables learners to grasp the presented material more effectively rather than passively taking in excessive information. Shorter and more engaging lessons translate into less boredom and minimum burnout and exhaustion.
Moreover, research indicates that breaking down material into smaller sections drastically boosts learners’ comprehension and interest in learning. Concise, well-structured segments make learners who were once detached, unengaged, and lacking motivation more attentive and driven.
Aligns with the Working Memory
The information processing theory indicates that our brains encode, filter, and store information in either short-term or long-term memory based on what we focus on at the moment. For effective learning and application, L&D professionals should ensure the conditions for storing information in long-term memory.
In training or educational settings, presenting material in chunks helps people better retain and apply knowledge. The psychological technique of ‘chunking’ allows learners to group small bits of data into more meaningful and memorable units, making it easier to process and remember. Therefore, microlearning improves the ability to recall and use information in practical, everyday situations.
Increased Productivity
As bite-sized learning offers greater flexibility with mobile learning, boosts engagement, and helps retain information more effectively in long-term memory, it increases productivity. Learners can use most of their time and better recall important details.
This makes microlearning ideal for just-in-time learning. For instance, when an employee needs a refresher on how to perform a specific task, they can access a brief, targeted video or presentation instead of navigating through a lengthy module. Unlike traditional learning methods, which often include irrelevant material, bite-sized learning focuses on delivering key concepts directly. In return, learners can quickly apply what they learned, thus improving productivity.
Matches the Needs of Modern Learners
Traditional content delivery, where learners must listen to a 45-minute lesson or commute to attend the training, is losing its glory. Modern learners have much less time and want the ability to engage in learning on any device, regardless of the time of day.
They also expect that content and its delivery will match their learning styles and preferences, which is a requirement microlearning meets. Bite-sized lessons work well even for those with limited time and focus, as they’re short and more appealing than bulky textbooks and lengthy lectures.
Microlearning brings information to learners, ready to consume and at their fingertips. And the special ingredient? These nugget lessons are condensed and easier to memorize.
How to Implement Bite-Sized Lessons That Augment Engagement and Retention
Here are the tips every L&D professional needs to turn their microlearning strategy into effective bite-sized lessons.
1. Develop Short Units
Many learners will struggle to focus for longer than 20 minutes; sometimes, even three minutes is the maximum. While attention spans have become shorter, the human brain also needs time to rest and internalize the newly acquired information.
Prioritize developing shorter modules that learners can engage with when their energy is at its peak level. You can also experiment with different teaching strategies and elements, such as using technology to make content more engaging.
2. Don’t Overwhelm Learners with Multiple Topics
Introduce one topic or lesson at a time. Otherwise, learners may find themselves overstimulated with information.
Although you can present complex ideas, it’s recommended to break them down and deliver them in bite-sized chunks. For instance, you can split a concept into multiple smaller parts at a time and highlight the key information.
Remove unnecessary data and clarify the main concepts to ensure learners understand the core topic and stay engaged.
3. Evaluate Learners’ Skill LevelsÂ
While microlearning proves highly effective in conveying even complex concepts, determining whether learners can grasp and retain such difficulty levels can be tricky. This is why starting bite-sized lessons with short recaps allows you to tap into how much your audience can understand.
You can, for example, include short surveys or quizzes to identify learner skills and knowledge levels, as well as their preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. However, these assessments should be just as bite-sized and engaging.
4. Include Extra Resources
Some learners will love the bite-sized lessons, while others will thrive at more complex and layered content. Consider always including additional resources on shortened topics to ensure those who want can dive deeper into the matter.
Since everyone has a different learning style (or a combination of multiple styles), make these materials accessible to every learner. Also, encourage learners to provide feedback on which approach works best for them and whether longer lessons spark their engagement more than small nuggets.
5. Ensure Flexible Schedules
Microlearning and flexibility are a natural combo, so learners anticipate bite-sized schedules. Improve their learning experience by establishing a clear schedule, map, or timeline that outlines different units.
This ensures that both L&D professionals and learners can stay on track without missing any updates.
Conclusion
Microlearning doesn’t only increase engagement, retention, and productivity but also makes content more enjoyable for learners. As a result, organizations and businesses globally are embracing bite-sized learning as their go-to approach.