Microlearning: Just in time or Not Enough?

Microlearning can be thought of as using small units of information to teach a process or a skill. Imagine this: You are a new barista in a coffee shop. Which would be more useful for you: a two-day training session and a manual of all possible coffee recipes or being given a quick overview of coffee making, shadowing someone for a day or two, and then having an application installed on your phone or tablet that provides quick 30 second directions, both written and video, on how to make a specific coffee recipe? I believe most people would choose the second. YouTube has demonstrated that the short video is the preferred learning method of today. Are we feeding into a dependence on quick tempo and instant gratification initiated by the ubiquitous cell phone and video games?

Gamification

With the advent of gamification and software to build online modules, microlearning modules are available to any company or business. Employees can rely on these modules for accurate, ready information that is written to follow company-specific policies and procedures. Critics of microlearning say learners may lose the ability to memorize and process information.

Appropriate Use of Microlearning

According to Kapp and Defelice (2018), there are four uses for microlearning: performance, persuasive, post-instruction, and preparation. Most are probably familiar with the performance or just-in-time job aids, but microlearning can also be used in the affective domain. I recently heard of Dr. Phil advertising a virtual reality application that he has developed to allow recovering alcoholics the ability to adjust gradually to a bar setting and the stresses that precipitate the need to drink. This application is clearly in the affective domain. On a recent visit to Dayton Children’s Hospital, I saw that they have tablet screens outside of every patient’s room to give vital patient information, a perfect location for a 10-second powerful reminder to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. What a great opportunity for a business to document that they are training employees and tying performance goals to their business’s strategic objectives. Microlearning examples do not necessarily need to utilize technology, a small laminated card with crucial steps in a procedure meet the goals just fine in some cases.

From a brain-based perspective, microlearning makes sense. Short-term memory is designed to hold approximately seven bites of information. Rehearsal and recall of this information allow it to be transferred to long-term memory as described in Make it Stick. Microlearning devices serve as a substitute for short-term memory. Only one or two objectives can be taught in this way at any given time. To encourage the transfer of information with the use of microlearning, ask questions instead of statements? Use social media to promote competition to learn between employees. Use gamification if possible, no matter how boring the content everyone wants to beat their previous or their competitor’s high score. Frequently changing the order of the topics or providing new content to keep learners from getting bored.

Are job aids a crutch?

Those who oppose the use of microlearning say that not using short-term memory will cause workers to always needing job-aids and never attaining a level of competence or expertise in any given area. They say that information taught in this way can never be supplied in context, and that the developer or writer of the microlearning job aid is the only one doing any assimilation of the learning content. Will our workforce lose the ability to develop skills for deep learning or problem-solving? What about solving problems that do not fit in the usual mold?

Are you sold on the concept? Developing microlearning modules does not mean taking your training manual, dividing it into small sections, and then placing it online. The lack of context will be a stumbling block for learners, as will the inability to navigate the content or read it on a small device. The content needs to be reviewed entirely, and particular objectives developed. These specific objectives should distill out information that is difficult to remember but frequently used and presented in a way that is engaging, motivating, and facilitates learner retention.