Converting a Book Into Microlearning Modules

The Future is Micro

The Internet is conditioning us to want our content in short micro-doses instead of longer experiences.

We want to learn exactly what we need to know when we need it. This is sometimes called "just in time" learning versus the conventional approach of learning a bunch of stuff in advance "just in case" we may need it.

We already know that the old-school "just in case" approach doesn't work well, because we forget everything by the time we actually need it.

So, how can instructional designers repurpose long-form content into just-in-time learning?

There are a variety of ways to do this, and I'm going to illustrate one specific way I repurposed a business book into microlearning modules used to supplement a business simulation.

Perhaps this may help give you some ideas on how you can apply microlearning in your work.

From Book to Microlearning

The book is called Business Superhero — a clear and concise guide to the basics of business and entrepreneurship. It covers 144 topics in over 200 pages. Here's what it looks like when printed ...

The book is a supplement included with the GoVenture business simulation games. Here's a screenshot of running an ice-cream kiosk business in a small city ...

While playing the simulation game, students can access the book (in PDF format) as a reference to help them learn fundamental business concepts and terminology.

But accessing content through a book in this way may not be the best approach. And, there is no way to monitor student access and engagement. So, we converted the book to microlearning modules. Here's how ...

Step 1 — Video

We used the text from each topic in the book to create short videos of the same content. We took the quick and easy approach of displaying text on screen with audio narration. It's not very creative, but each topic is only 1 or 2 minutes long, so fancier imagery was not critical. Here is what a typical video frame looks like ...

Step 2 — Reflection

After the video ends, we present a reflection slide which is a summary of the video content displayed as a bulleted text list. This helps reinforce what was watched in the video to make sure the key takeaways are identified.

Step 3 — Quiz

After the reflection slide, we post a multiple choice quiz with 3 or 4 questions. This helps validate that the learner has reviewed the content. We score the quiz with 2 stars if all questions are answered correctly, 1 star if one question is incorrect, and 0 stars otherwise.

144 Microlearning Modules

We package all the above together in what we call a microlearning module.

With 144 topics, there are 144 microlearning modules that follow the same format. Each module only takes a few minutes to complete and can be accessed and repeated at any time.

Instructor Dashboard

Instructors use a special dashboard to choose which of the 144 modules they want to assign to students. All are scored automatically with the results instantly available. Instructors can also create different collections of modules in case they want to assign different modules to different groups of students.

For some instructors, this microlearning approach has allowed them to replace their conventional textbook. For others, it gives them confidence that students have access to everything they need to be successful when playing the business simulation.

Rigorous?

Multiple choice quizzing is certainly not the most rigorous way to assess knowledge or competence. But, we have applied this method in this instance because it makes the most sense.

Why? Because the core learning in this experience is with the highly-realistic business simulation game. This simulation game offers the most rigorous type of assessment possible. The microlearning modules are supplementary learning.

What's Next?

As noted, there are other ways to apply microlearning. I expect that micro games and micro simulations will likely be widely used in all sorts of training in the near future. But not everything has to be as advanced as a game or simulation, as illustrated in this example.

I hope you found it helpful.

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I'm Mathew Georghiou and I write about how games are transforming education and learning. I also share my experience as an entrepreneur inventing products and designing educational resources used by millions around the world. More about me at?Georghiou.com