Microlearning’s Vast Impact on Corporate Training

As millennials continue to grow in the workplace (33% of workforce in 2015) the learning material must adapt. Craig Weiss CEO of eLearning 24/7 believes we will see more 90-120 second courses being pushed to consumers. Yes, millennials are well known for their short attention span, but this trend has more to do with our workforce becoming more tech savvy. Regardless of the attention span, our current workforce is becoming more adept to understand what they want to know and how to find it. Most of the time through Google. Let's adapt to our users behaviors.

Karl Kapp labeled microlearning as one of the five learning trends to look out for in 2017. With the ability to push small portions of specific learning as opposed to broad videos, learning becomes more engaged.

Would an individual rather watch a 5-minute video explaining 5 objectives, or watch 5 short, specific videos? What if they do not need the other 4 objectives, what if they just need to know one specific task? Microlearning puts all learning topics in front of the user to select what they need.

An example of eliminating the redundancy would be cutting down the introduction and review stages of the learning. Based on the title of the video and the description, the user should have a good idea whether this video will answer their needs. Therefore, minimizing the video content's introduction. Here is a great blog from eLearning Industry laying out 7 tips for creating microlearning.

Beyond just making it shorter for the end user, it helps keep your training fresh and on topic.
We live in a world of constant change. Learning content must keep up with these changes and while also being readily accessible. Learning is not confined to our desk anymore. Learning is being everywhere. Whether on a train, bus, Uber or on your lunch break, microlearning is designed to be consumed on any device, at any time.

To be more agile in the market, employees need the most up to date training, tips and tricks that are available. It is much easier to release a 90 second ‘How To’ or ‘What’s New’ video than a revamp of a 25-minute eLearning.

Macrolearning had its run for several decades and it has done us all a great service. But it is time for microlearning to step up in a big way and become the main focus of training moving forward.