Perhaps microlearning is the cure for the short attention span of today’s audience. I admit that I’m not immune to this. Sitting through long training videos is exhausting. A lot of the time, I’ll work on other things under the guise of taking notes. So don’t take anything I’m about to say lightly.
I know that it’s not just me either. Millions of us grew up with devices that answer our questions in seconds. All we have to do is tap on our smartphone and ask it a question to see instant results. We’re used to this convenient style of learning.
The fact is that eLearning development takes this shorter attention span into account. The biggest obstacle that businesses face is the foundation behind traditional learning. Most CEOs grew up under this limiting approach. But ignoring the importance of microlearning is causing companies to struggle.
Businesses must adopt new ideas if they are to thrive in this new digital age.
Why is Microlearning so Powerful of a Tool?
In the past, writing a research paper required countless hours in the library digging through large textbooks. It was the norm and it’s how a lot of company leaders grew up. With the technology we have today, would it be more efficient to spend hours at the library digging up information or spend a few minutes finding it on your smartphone?
The fact is that it’s inefficient to dig through useless information just to find the answer to one question. It’s more efficient to pull out a smartphone and answer that one question. This same concept is true with microlearning.
Rather than forcing employees to watch hours of training videos in one sitting, several short videos are created that address individual learning points. This allows learners to absorb the information from a single lesson before moving onto the next.
Let’s look at five powerful ways that microlearning benefits both companies and its employees.
#1: Eliminates the Wasted Time from Traditional Training
The misconception that employees are resistant to learning new skills is one of the reasons companies decide against including ongoing training. Employees are not resistant to learning new skills. They just don’t want to waste their time sitting in a boardroom digging through boring manuals.
Replace those outdated practices with innovative microlearning solutions. If you give them a way to learn the information in short bursts at their own pace, you’ll find that employees are completely open to training. An employer’s job is to provide the content and guidance. Let the workers choose how they carry out their ongoing learning experience.
If you provide micro videos and set a priority system for watching them, employees will be able to choose the time when they watch. They might prefer consuming information just before bed or during long commutes.
Use interactivity for accountability. For instance, have a short quiz after each video that they must complete before moving onto the next.
#2: Respect your Employees
Trust is an essential element of a company/employee relationship. Placing trust in your employees is a huge sign of respect. That’s another reason why there is such huge resistance to traditional learning. It forces them to sit through tedious training sessions and makes them feel as though they are back in school, rather than trusting them to learn on their own.
Microlearning gives them the independence they crave by allowing them to absorb content on their schedule rather than forcing them to cater to yours. If you provide guidance and trust them to carry out the training, they will most likely do it.
Of course, you’ll have some people who don’t follow through, so you’ll need accountability processes in place. But you’ll find far less resistance in adopting a modern approach.
#3: Keep Employees in the Loop
Businesses are forced to keep up with the ever-changing world, so they have to constantly update their processes. Employees are required to learn new skills in order to stay relevant in this rapidly changing landscape. Companies that use microlearning as part of their training approach are able to equip their employees with the information they need to stay up-to-date.
With a microlearning system in place, companies only need to communicate these changes and show them where to access the information.
#4: Employees Learn Better with Microlearning
We all learn better in short bursts than we do when receiving large amounts of information simultaneously. That’s why people have naturally migrated to a digital environment. It’s a way to access information on-demand in quick bursts.
Businesses must use this to their advantage to stay competitive. Once a microlearning system has been put in place, the only task is to update it with new content rather than planning and scheduling long training sessions. Why spend all that extra time and money on something that your employees won’t remember? They hate it and won’t digest the information anyway.
#5: Businesses can Share More Knowledge
The bottom line is that microlearning increases the amount of knowledge being shared. When employees are given large amounts of information, they can’t retain it all. But when given the information in short bursts, they will have a much better chance of remembering what they’ve learned.
Businesses can take it a step further too by offering incentives for learning achievements.
Make the Most Out of Microlearning
As we’ve seen, both businesses and employees benefit greatly from adopting microlearning systems. It will help everyone involved find success. With that in mind, there are a few implementation practices that you should follow in order to get the most out of microlearning.
- Learning modules should be accessible from as many devices as possible.
- Videos and graphics are the best tools to use for microlearning content.
- Create interaction to get the employee involved in each lesson.
By developing eLearning development systems using a microlearning approach, businesses will find that skills are learned faster and training is far cheaper than the traditional approach.
If you need custom eLearning development services, then look no further than Beyond the Sky. Contact us today.
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