One of my favorite television shows at the moment is “Tiny House Hunters”. The show features buyers shopping for homes between 100 and 400 square feet in size. They are choosing to downsize their living space in exchange for an increase in free time, freedom from worries, and a chance at more life experiences.
Just as in the tiny living movement, trading lengthy learning solutions for personalized experiences and learner freedom can bring benefits. For example, you can couple microlearning modules with on-the-job mentoring, brief reflection scenarios, or micro assessments. Microlearning can also provide learners with the freedom to access interactive content exactly when they need it from any device they are using.
Research shows that bite-sized really may be better when it comes to reaching today’s learner. Dr. Ayesha Habeeb Omer, Ph.D., author of “Is Bite Sized Learning The Future Of eLearning?,” attributes the growing demand for mobile learning to the increasing number of Generation Y workers in business and the constant pressure to develop courses quickly and economically.
We’ve experienced the increasing demand for tiny learning solutions: a great many of the projects we’ve completed at PT in the last six months contain microlearning components.
TheTinyLife.com claims that “55% of tiny house people have more savings than the average American…” In the same vein, organizations that adapt a microlearning approach may be able to rapidly plow through their project pipelines and gain return on investment faster.
What should microlearning look like? It isn’t taking a 60-minute course and breaking it into 12 five-minute chunks. It requires an analysis of how to structure each module as a stand-alone, reusable learning solution. Each one should focus on a single objective. Microlearning provides an opportunity to stretch those creative muscles. Try a micro module, create an interactive infographic, design a micro mobile app, start a discussion board, build a mini-game, or simply supply a shorter Storyline module. All of these could be effective microlearning solutions.
Generation Y’s preferences and the pressures of modern business are changing the structure of traditional e-learning. Microlearning is here to stay.
