What is Micro-Learning?
Alexander Salas, CPTD, CTT
Instructional Systems Designer | LinkedIn Top Voice | Speaker | eLearning Developer
The concept of Micro-Learning has been extremely popular in recent years but did you know it emerged as a strategy for human resources in 1963? Since then, many researchers have expounded on this concept and its methodology. The common theme to remember is that it's not about the length of the learning experience but rather the attainment of a single skill. This episode takes a quick look into related concepts like Micro-Storage, Micro-Retrieval, and how Micro-Learning should be implemented based on its foundational principles.?
1963 The Economics of Human Resources
It appears that author Hector Correa may have been the first to conceived and discuss the concept of micro-learning curves in his book The Economics of Human Resources. Is an interesting book correlating economic principles with educational ones. Correa defines micro-learning as an example of "a simple skill, a manual operation, and how a person learns the operation once he's taught how to perform it" (p. 106).
1969 Leonard Miller's Research on Rehab Counselors
Leonard Miller from the University of Iowa publishes a highly relevant paper for workplace learning addressing vocational rehabilitation counselors. In it, there are major takeaways for the use of micro-learning and the benefits of restricting the focus to one job skill. He also cautions not to conflate the focus on one skill vs a counselor's job criterium. Here's how:
1981 Human Learning and Memory
Wayne Wickelgren writes Human Learning and Memory and under the Memory Dynamics section, he makes the same analogy as Correa based on macro and micro-economics.
Microlearning is concerned with the learning of a single association or a small set of associations encoding a single chunk or a small set of chunks. Microstorage is concerned with the subsequent consolidation and forgetting of such small atoms or molecules of learned information. Microretrieval is concerned with a single elementary act of recalling or recognizing some unit of information (e.g. word, concept, proposition). (Wickelgren, p.37).
Wrap Up
Micro-learning can be a highly effective strategy to enable performance because it allows designers and learners to focus on one specific skill. Learning professionals should avoid the misguided notion that micro-learning in nature is time restricted i.e. 10 minutes, etc. The focus should be on the single job skill and not confused that with a full competency scheme. To learn more, check out the latest episode.
领英推荐
STARTING YOUR OWN LEARNING PLATFORM OR NEEDING AN INNOVATIVE LMS IN YOUR ORG??
Support the podcast and get a free trial of LearnWorlds https://get.learnworlds.com/stylelearn
SOURCES
Belle-Isle, L. P. (2000). Curriculum Development Guide Based on a Technical Program.
Correa, H. (1963). The economics of human resources (No. 34). North-Holland Publishing Company.
Miller, L. A. (1969). Continuing Education for Rehabilitation Counselors: A Review and Context for Practice and Research.
Wickelgren, W. A. (1981). Human learning and memory. Annual review of psychology, 32(1), 21-52.
Learning Technologist - Instructional Designer
1 年Great post. There are so many misconceptions around the concept of microlearning, that sometimes we tend to forget its origin and proper use. I have read so many misinformed statements about microlearning, that I can suggest you to have a second part to address them. Some of them are: 1. Microlearning make people learn faster 2. Microlearning is the creation of 1-minute videos 3. Microlearning is an area of expertise in ID (you can become a "Microlearning Instructional Designer") 4. Microlearning replaces many (or all) types of training The list of bad statements about microlearning can be endless. Great post, and seriously, we need more solid information on this concept of microlearning.
Instructional Designer | Technical Writer | eLearning Developer
1 年This article ties well with your recent Rise360 microlearning demo. It's about the skill(s) attainment, not the timing. Got it. Chunking and not slam dunking.
BWRX-300 Fuel & Reactor Engineer
1 年Good set of references, Alexander... I think you and I must have followed a lot of the same trails. Were you able to find anything linking any of those to each other? Most modern references I've seen refer back to something from the early 2000s I think. I want to say it was work that somebody did in Germany, but I could be getting wires crossed.