Let Moments of Learning Need Guide When to Use Microlearning

Microlearning is not the answer.

Like any tool, microlearning is an answer; itexcels at some tasks and is a poor fit for others. The skill, then, lies in decidingwhen to use microlearning and when a different approach is appropriate.

First though, it’s a good idea to define microlearning. Thisis not such a simple task: In a Guild Research report, TheState of Microlearning, a group of eight eLearning experts struggledto describe microlearning. There was consensus that it is “learning thatfits”—fits the learner, fits the goal, fits the delivery method, fits the taskat hand. Above all, like any eLearning, microlearning has to be useful.

The experts also agreed that there is a time element in theconcept of microlearning, but no hard-and-fast length limit. “We’re talkingabout small things that take small amounts of time,” said Tanya Seidel of Artisan E-Learning.

As such, there are times that microlearning is an ideal solution.In other scenarios, instructional designers should choose a macro—orlonger-form—approach.

Micro or macro?

Various models posit five, or as many as nine, “momentsof learning need.” These moments, or stages, provide an excellentframework for choosing when to use microlearning and when to provide morecomprehensive “macro” eLearning.

• Prior to learning: Before learners evenknow they need to learn or as they are preparing to learn, a microlessonis an ideal way to introduce the topic and provide the all-important answer to“what’s in it for me?” Letting learners know why they are doing training canmotivate them to engage with the impending training—whether micro or macro—andretain more of what they learn.
• Learning something new: When teaching anew topic or skill, particularly one with any complexity, going deep might benecessary. Microlearning is likely to be a poor fit here, unless it’s possibleto break the new topic down into small, discrete lessons, as somelanguage-learning programs have done.
• Expanding knowledge: Adding to a body ofknowledge could go micro or macro; again, this depends on the complexity of thetopic and the necessary levelof mastery.
• Reviewing material already learned: Thisis a place where microlearning truly shines. Microlearning can take the form ofdrills, text chats, short games, or refresher text-based or video lessons—thepossibilities are endless. These micro-reviews should be narrowly focused andeasy to find and access.
• When learners apply new knowledge: Themoment of applying newly acquired skills or information is another moment wheremicrolearning excels. The learner neither wants nor needs to dig back throughthe entire long-form course or review a 30- or even a five-minute video. Sheneeds a microlearning tool that enables her to easily find the single fact orprocess she’s struggling to recall so that she can minimize the disruption toher work.
• Problem-solving: Similar to reviewingtraining, problem-solving is likely to demand that a learner recall aseldom-used skill, process, or piece of information. Easy-to-searchmicrolessons shine here, too.
• Changing processes or information: Akinto studying a new topic or skill, learning a new way of doing something islikely to require more than a short lesson. IDs can go micro here if they canbreak down the new material into focused, discrete lessons, but this isprobably a moment that calls for a deeper treatment, supported by microlearningreminders and refreshers. That review is especially important if learners needto swap an ingrained, familiar process for a new set of steps.
• Teaching others: Colleagues usemicrolearning to teach one another skills all the time. It’s usually not calledthat (or called anything), but any time your next-cubicle neighbor asks you“How do I …” and you answer him, you are providing microlearning. Microlearningcan capture institutional knowledge and facilitateknowledge transfer, too. It’s easier to get an expert to explain oneconcept or process than to document an entire department’s work. Creatingmicrolessons that transmit critical information and preserve it for futureemployees can boost performance across an entire company.

These “moments” describe most situations where eLearning,training, or performance support might be needed and offer insight as to whento use microlearning—and when not to. Once an ID decides that microlearning isa good fit for the moment, the learner, and the goal, the next mission is designinggood microlearning. To prepare for this challenge, register for the MicrolearningDesign Summit, a one-day workshop where participants will design andcreate a microlesson. The summit, on October 22, 2018, is co-located with DevLearn2018 Conference & Expo, October 24 – 26, 2018, in Las Vegas.