Typical skill development trainings involve going through multiple concepts in one go over two to five days of classroom training. Research claims that a learner is attentive for the first 8 minutes of a training course. After 20 minutes of instruction, the attention starts declining and by the end of 90 minutes, the learner becomes more disengaged.
What if we could reduce our training to fit the learner’s attentive bandwidth?
Rather than taking the learners through a five-day training program, we could provide shorter, focused and spaced microlearning content that demands much less time at a single time. It would be a win-win, both for the upskilling investment done by the organization and the time invested by an employee.
Skill development trainings need to be broken down into smaller objectives so that a learner finds them achievable & applicable, rather than intimidating & disengaging. Here are five reasons why microlearning can expedite and enhance skill development for organizations with a large & mobile workforce.
1. Focused learning due to availability of bite-sized information
Rather than going through lengthy modules that cover multiple objectives, microlearning focuses on a single objective and provides information that is easier to access and absorb. The visual appeal and concise information further help in enhancing the learner’s retention. Studies also indicate that microlearning content increases knowledge retention by 20%.
2. Quick application of the acquired skills
With easy accessibility to microlearning content on our mobile phones, skill development via microlearning content can be experienced much faster than traditional learning. According to the Journal of Applied Psychology, microlearning enables 17% faster transfer of knowledge from classroom to desk. Just-in-time learning also helps people to refer to content more often and use them at the point of application faster, leading to sharper improvements in job performance.
3. Rapid authoring & completion of learning content
Microlearning reduces cognitive load which psychologically increases completion rates. Research conducted by the National Credentialing Institute reveals that LMS adoption by employees increases by 58% by increasing the number of 5-10-minute learning lessons. Microlearning principles also reduce the time taken to create content and the number of follow-ups required by learning managers to upskill or reskill the workforce.
4. Availability of idle time during transit
On average, people spend two hours daily to commute to office. Employees are increasingly finding means to make the best use of their time spent while commuting to their workplace. Smartphones enable people to engage with multiple tools to learn, plan and gain. So, why not join the bandwagon and make your workforce learn new skills on the go.
5. Budget friendly for an agile environment
Microlearning lets you learn at your own pace and from your own space. There is no need to arrange for expensive training logistics such as travel, venue and collaterals. Skill development on the smartphone can act as a unified learning experience that not just provides microlearning content, but also ties it with existing classroom training programs. Researchers suggest that using microlearning courses can reduce development costs by 50%. Besides, the changing environments also lead to frequent change in the learning material. The cost to change a microlearning course is much lower than other training methodologies, hence, making it best for today’s agile business scenarios.
Microlearning focuses on accessibility, attention and action. It seamlessly blends within the flow of work making it faster than other mediums to develop a new skill and bring a behavioural change. Receiving information in bite-sized formats has become a norm of consuming information ranging from news, jokes, memes et al. It could serve skill development initiatives as well starting with leveraging microlearning to upskill & reskill the workforce
References
2. https://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/microlearning-at-workplace-statistics-infographic