In today’s rapidly evolving work environment, maintaining a competitive edge and consistently upskilling your workforce is essential for success. As of 2021, employees allocate approximately 64 hours per year to learning activities. Although this represents a substantial increase from 2020, it remains inadequate for ensuring comprehensive employee knowledge. This is why microlearning has become an asset for L&D leaders.
In this article we’ll explore the 7 benefits of microlearning and how unlocking the power of bite-size learning can empower employee growth.
What is Microlearning?
Microlearning is an employee training strategy that breaks down information into small, bite-size chunks of knowledge. These smaller learning units are designed to be easily absorbed with better retention by the learner. With microlearning, your employees can focus on a specific and targeted learning objective while learning in the flow of work.
What are the Benefits of Microlearning?
Microlearning offers a solution for optimizing corporate learning, enhancing employee engagement, reducing knowledge gap, and providing numerous benefits to your organization.
1. Better Knowledge Retention
The forgetting curve suggests that learners forget 90% of acquired information within seven days unless it’s reviewed. By breaking down complex topics into a bite-sized microlearning nugget, learners are less likely to feel overwhelmed, and are more likely to remember the information they have learned.
A microlearning training course also allows for repetition, spaced learning, and personalized learning experiences, all of which are proven techniques for better retention. By providing learners with real-life examples, using visuals, and creating interactive learning experiences, microlearning engages learners and makes the learning process more enjoyable and memorable.
2. Facilitate Just-in-Time Learning
Just-in-time learning has gained popularity for its effectiveness, with microlearning being one of its best online training forms. Microlearning enables your employees to acquire targeted knowledge from compact modules, which they can immediately apply in real-life situations.
It also acknowledges that learners don’t need comprehensive knowledge upfront. They can learn essential information in a brief format and expand upon it when necessary.
3. Enhance Employee Engagement
Microlearning is concise and targeted, making it more engaging than traditional training. And bite-size learning content is often video-based and highly visual, maintaining learner engagement throughout the session.
Pairing microlearning with gamification further boosts engagement. A Software Advice report shows that employees are 50% more engaged with microlearning courses, while HubSpot states that microlearning increases engagement and completion of online training fourfold compared to traditional corporate training.
4. Offer Learning Flexibility On-the-Go
Your employees need the ability to learn when and where they choose, at their own pace, while utilizing short periods for learning throughout the day. Microlearning modules are brief, manageable, and accessible via the cloud or offline, making learning convenient and flexible.
Learning flexibility is also achieved by offering diverse media options, including microlearning videos, text, images, infographics, and games. These diverse microlearning options cater to various preferences and promote positive outcomes for adult learners.
5. Increase Return on Investment (ROI)
Microlearning enhances an organization’s ROI by providing actively retained and applicable skills and information. Additionally, you’ll achieve higher participation and retention rates when you provide bite-size microlearning content options. Ultimately leading to a greater ROI than traditional training courses.
6. Encourage a Continuous Learning Culture
According to a Rapid Learning Institute Survey, 94% of learning and development professionals prefer microlearning over traditional online learning due to higher employee engagement with the modules. It promotes a learning culture by enabling learners to access information anytime and anywhere, facilitating constant learning within an organization.
7. Expedite Development and Deployment
Learners can complete courses faster, while being quicker to develop and deploy, when microlearning is available. This meets the needs of organizations seeking to train staff swiftly without a significant time investment.
Learning expert Ray Jimenez, Ph.D., estimates that microlearning enables organizations to develop courses 300% faster and reduce development costs by 50%.
4 Examples of Microlearning
To take advantage of the benefits of microlearning, you must effectively deliver this strategy to your employees. Here are 4 examples of microlearning you can utilize to ensure employee growth.
- Interactive Microlearning Videos: Short, engaging videos that cover a specific topic or skill and can be accessed on demand, allowing learners to watch them at their own pace.
- Flashcards: Digital flashcards designed to be easily accessed on mobile devices, providing a convenient way for learners to review and reinforce their knowledge.
- Micro training courses: Short online courses that focus on a specific skill or topic, often consisting of a series of microlearning modules.
- Interactive Quizzes and Assessments: Brief quizzes or assessments provide immediate feedback, reinforcing the learning material and allowing employees to gauge their progress and identify areas for improvement.
How Can an AI-Powered LXP Facilitate Microlearning Experiences for Frontline Enablement?
Microlearning offers numerous advantages for organizations aiming to revolutionize their learning culture. By employing concise, just-in-time knowledge, you can stimulate curiosity and enhance learner engagement throughout the hierarchy.
A prominent feature of the Disprz Frontline Enablement Platform is its support for microlearning through various formats, including text, images, audio, documents, and videos. We are dedicated to providing captivating microlearning content that leads to highly successful learning experiences and enhances the benefits of microlearning. Contact us today to explore our demo and discover how our platform can benefit your organization.
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