MICROLEARNING & ITS DURATION FITTINGS

MICROLEARNING & ITS LEARNING DURATION FITTINGS

Microlearning is a huge buzzword in the training and development field. To date, microlearning is just a mashup of many things in the learning environment symbolizing terms like just-in-time learning, content refresher, performance support, etc. The most common thread of microlearning is quick to consume learning, which means short content for long enough to give learners what they need. So, the question would be, how long is a piece of microlearning? In the general context, experts suggest microlearning activities in an average can be less than 10 minutes, but Togerson & Iannone (2020) provides a detailed description about the duration according to the ways it can be used as follows;

1.????Preparing before learning event: This depends on the length of the learning event and the difficulty of content, but 5-10 minutes per source works well for a full class.

2.????Follow up to support learning events: Supporting learning events after the main instruction to enhance knowledge transfer generally takes 1-5 minutes.

3.????Standalone training:?Standalone microlearning activities depend on the learner's requirement to accomplish the resource. If learners are not required to complete the resources, 4-5 minutes would be good; otherwise, it can go up to 8 minutes.

4.????Performance support: Ideally, microlearning in real job performance aims for 30 seconds long, while complex task activities may take up to 5 minutes.?

FORMAT OF MICROLEARNING

1.?????TEXT-BASED RESOURCES

Text-based resources come in various formats; job aids, blogs, newsletters, emails. The resources used when needed to get something out fast are relatively easy to produce than any other formats we will cover in a minute. However, the challenge of the resources is that different learners may need different amounts of time to consume; some will find it easy to understand while others won't. Text-based resources are an excellent tool when there are many technical details to learn, but again, the reading pace is an issue here.?

2.?????E-LEARNING

eLearning is prevalent in the education field used to create engaging and interactive learning content. The element of eLearning and its interactivity works well for long modules but is not always true for microlearning. Applying interactivity for 3-5 minutes content may act as a speed bumper that may slow the learning process (at the time of need), and learners may get frustrated to require information instantly. Thus, we suggest using the eLearning tool for microlearning to chunk content into small pieces and express the relationship adding minimal interactivity, making it more expressive than text-based resources. Another reason to use eLearning is to track learners' progress and completion through LMS.

3.?????VIDEO

Video has become an increasingly popular tool to use in learning as the cost of developing a video is getting cheaper and more accessible than in previous times. In general, there are 4 types of video in the learning context;

a)????Interview

b)???Tutorial

c)????Animation

d)???simulation

Video learning is appropriate to show anything that happens over time, such as processes, procedures, and tutorials. Similarly, simulation video is popular across various industries as it is helpful to guide learners steps by steps procedures by interactive learning by clicking the option mentioned in the video. It is to be noted that the level of creating a video is highly dependable on the kind of video created; interviews video and simulation take less time and skills, while tutorial and animation video requires some skills and effort.?

4.?????INFOGRAPHIC

Unlike text-based resources, infographics present information visually, often with limited text that fits a single image, rather than having users scroll the page. This approach perfectly fits when an abundance of content & data can be simplified and presentable with images. To put it simple, an infographic is powerful to provide learners information at a glance to consume. There are many kinds of infographics most designers utilize for microlearning;

a)????List of information about a subject

b)???Visualized data or numbers, generally statistics.

c)????How to guide- provide step by step procedures

d)???Flowchart

e)????Timeline to show something changed over time

f)????Comparison of two contract subjects

g)???Hierarchical information?

5.?????PODCAST

Podcasts are ideal when learners have ample idle time and can listen to something, but there must be an engaging story with a clear objective for an effective podcast. For example, a podcast of interviewing an expert can be beneficial to learners if the interview content is much related to the target audience that is similarly connected to the audience mind that they are looking for an answer for quite some time. On the other side, the production quality is crucial to reaching the audience by reducing sound clutters and using a good microphone to record it.?

Reference: Togerson, C., & Iannone, S. (2020). What works in Talent Development Designing Microlearning. ATD Press.