Microlearning can be implemented in many ways. It can be in the form of emails, SMS, small videos, etc., that send learning nuggets to recipients over a shorter or longer period of time.
As with all other forms of learning, it is typically not the medium but the content that determines whether it will be successful. An email with well-considered, thought-provoking, relevant text can be more effective than a video or a “smart” learning game with poor content.
I have previously worked a lot with microlearning as situated learning . Situated learning means that learning is integrated into daily activities, as opposed to actual teaching. As I have written about elsewhere , I was involved in a company where we developed a mobile app for retail employees and sent them tasks every day that they had to complete during the day. The tasks were practical tasks that had to be completed out in the “real world”, after which the employees could share their experiences of completing the task inside the app. The tasks were typically aimed at teaching employees to provide better service or become better at selling. Employees often had to complete the same tasks and had the opportunity to 'like' and comment on their colleagues' task solutions. In this way, we also integrated a social element into the learning. Finally, we also made sure to have a management track, also implemented as microlearning, which ensured that store managers could support the employees' learning.
Microlearning is often combined with gamification elements. An example of this can be seen in a mobile app like DuoLingo. DuoLingo can be used to learn languages by solving small language tasks on your mobile phone. The app gives you reminders to remember to do tasks every day.
I don't know if you've tried DuoLingo or similar apps?
I've tried DuoLingo. I did it primarily to see if it worked, and secondarily because I thought it might be fun to learn to speak Italian.
What was the result?
Let's just say that my Italian skills are still not very well developed.
What happened in practice for me was that even though the tasks were good and fun enough, I wasn't sufficiently motivated to learn Italian to make the necessary effort.
Well, maybe at first, but when the app reminded me after a week to do Italian - perhaps at a time when I was in the middle of something else - I put it off. Eventually I felt guilty about the reminders and ended up turning them off. I've tried a number of other apps that worked a bit the same way, but where what you had to learn was other things, such as meditating, exercising, brain training, etc. My experiences with these apps are similar to my experiences with DuoLingo.
You can't learn anything just because the material is presented in small doses or wrapped in a game, without being sufficiently motivated to - and having the opportunity to - make an effort when you are reminded of it. Exactly as is the case with all other forms of learning.
But if the recipient is motivated and the content is designed with practical circumstances in mind, microlearning can be a great method to maintain the recipient's engagement in a subject area, preferably as a supplement to other forms of learning.
Do you want to? learn more?
If you want to know more about digital learning and e-learning, you can start with our E-learning FAQ
Here are some articles about different types of digital learning that you might find interesting.
- What is elearning and digital learning?
- What programs should you use to create elearning?
- What is adaptive learning and does it work?
- Does gamification work?
If you are interested in reading more about motivation and learning, these articles may interest you.
- Self-determination theory. The most important theory you need to know about learning.
- Coercive design – how not to design e-learning .
- Which learning methods best support motivation for learning?
- Your brain is NOT a computer - Predictive Coding
- Flick 2 learn. Why Interactive elearning is NOT always exciting elearning
Are you looking for help with developing e-learning , or would you like a course on e-learning where you learn how to create e-learning yourself - we can also help you.