Microlearning: The New Yet Effective Concept
Overview
In today’s rapidly changing digital world, microlearning is a new yet most evolving educational phenomenon which is being considered by schools, colleges, and even by the corporate world. Microlearning is a term that comes into the picture quite often in the E-Learning environment.
Online learning is one of the prominent contributors to microlearning. It was the savior during the hard times of the pandemic. In particular, online learning can provide all the knowledge and skills a learner would need without overwhelming them. Giving learners the liberty to learn at their own pace and time is the prime reason behind it.
The Concept of Microlearning
As the name indicates, the micro-learning concept can be viewed as a metaphor for the smallest parts of a variety of learning models, concepts, processes. It consists of bite-sized learning and goes along with traditional e-learning. Microlearning is a fresh approach to skill-based education. The microlearning process involves learning short modules in short intervals so that learners will be engaged, gain a deeper understanding of course material, and retain more information.
Microlearning videos, which combine visual and auditory stimulation to convey information, are one of the most easily recognizable forms. It also includes written, visual, and audio content as well as online tests and quizzes. This fast-growing sector also continues to introduce new trends every day. In 2021, we are able to create interactive microlearning experiences utilizing technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality.
One thing that Microlearning-based learning has in common is that it uses concise, small units of learning or short-term learning activities to enable the delivery of learning content quickly. Microlearning is about getting short bursts of knowledge at a fast pace so learners can study at their own pace and at a place of their choosing. Content can take many forms, from text to fully interactive multimedia, but it must always be concise.
Some Examples of Microlearning Content
- Short texts that contain phrases or brief paragraphs
- Images and illustrations
- Short videos
- Audio clips in the form of short snippets of speech or music
- Quizzes and tests
- Gamified elements
Remember a time when you zoned out in the classroom? Don’t worry, because now science has also said that the attention limit is bottoming out in humans. The real cause behind this is the ever-increasing role of technology in our lives. Research conducted by Microsoft shows that attention spans in humans are just 8 seconds. Now you know the reason behind your zoning out.
The good news is you have even been using microlearning techniques all your life unknowingly. The knowledge you learn gets broken down into bite-sized chunks in your mind when you study flashcards on the bus or recite important material before a quiz.
It is extremely useful for business training and onboarding, especially in industries that are constantly changing. Microlearning aims to deliver the most relevant knowledge and give students access to that knowledge quickly.
Although online learning and microlearning techniques have gained popularity, there is still a great deal of room for growth. Microlearning is an excellent methodology for companies of all sizes.
However, microlearning has not caught mainstream India yet. College or graduate degrees are still considered the ultimate means of preparing for a career.
Why Microlearning is the Future
Efficiency: Modules of microlearning are targeted to cover all the crucial points but not more, and they are designed to cover them in a highly condensed period of time. When extraneous details are removed, learners are more likely to retain the key points.
Reduces cost: As Benjamin Franklin said, “Time is money”, microlearning modules being short in nature helps you save on both. Because of its virtual nature, microlearning courses are a more cost-effective way of delivering the content. It can cut cost expenditures by 60%.
Device friendly: The whole idea of microlearning consists of a portion of on-the-go learning. This can only be possible when learning can be done on any device, including smartphones. In this regard, short bursts of audio content that can be absorbed very quickly, such as a podcast on the way to work, are working well. And, if you can incorporate gamification into your microlearning, it would be the cherry on top.
Edneed’s contribution to Microlearning
Talking about information in bite-size, it can be a small portion of a topic or any other query that needs to be resolved. As soon as you post those queries on the Edneed learning community, they can be answered by anyone available on the platform. Small chunks and instant information is the key part of microlearning, and Edneed with its digital tools like learning management system and community platform is acting as a bridge for the same.
Conclusion
Whatever you do, effective learning is key to your continued success. As technology continues to change and shape the way we work, new skills spring up and become outdated within a few years. To stay ahead of the competition, you’ll need to adopt a constant learning model.
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The upcoming future of digital learning system.