Do you ever feel like the constant flood of information overloads your brain, and you can’t take anything in anymore? Then you’re experiencing infobesity — otherwise known as information overload — which is caused by the overwhelming amount of data we create, compile, consume, and store every day.
Just think of all the emails, notifications, reports, guidelines, and training materials you need to process daily, along with your regular activities. This cognitive overload can lead to decision fatigue, reduced focus, and difficulty processing, retaining, and applying relevant information. Ultimately, it affects our learning, productivity, and performance.
But there is a solution.
How Microlearning Combats Infobestiy
In the world of EdTech and online learning, the solution to infobesity is microlearning. Also known as bite-size or nano learning, it is an educational strategy that provides short bursts of information to help learners reach specific, actionable goals. It’s hugely popular as a learning method on social media — think instructional videos on YouTube or quick tutorials on Instagram. Now, it has become an essential part of learning management systems (LMSs) and course and instructional design.
There are two main drivers of the microlearning trend. One, according to a new study from Microsoft Corp., is that modern attention spans have been reduced to a mere eight seconds. This weaker concentration span is caused by the effect of an increasingly digitalised lifestyle on the brain, necessitating our brain to change itself over time to adapt to a mobile internet.
Another driver is the lack of time employees have to devote to learning. Research indicates that most employees only have 24 minutes a week to dedicate to training. So, a modern learning experience that could integrate, manage, curate, and organise text, videos, podcasts, and any other form of eLearning content into nuggets of rich media content is an obvious solution.
These smaller training opportunities, which are an integral part of adaptable learning, have three things in common. These opportunities are:
- typically only two to three minutes long (a maximum of five)
- tied to one specific learning objective or concept
- a flexible learning format that can be accessed by learners when and how they choose.
Microlearning overlaps with other instructional methods, such as “just-in-time learning”, which accommodates the need for point-of-issue training. It also fits in perfectly with the concept of “spaced learning”, which is based on the idea that repeated exposure to information, with intervals between each exposure, reinforces memory and enhances long-term learning retention. Finally, it’s made for mLearning, which refers to training on a mobile phone and is where microlearning increasingly takes place.
Let’s look at why learning in short bursts is so revolutionary and how it benefits learners.
Benefits of Microlearning
- Increased Engagement With Bite-Sized Learning Solutions
Microlearning is known to promote engagement primarily because it is readily available and fun to interact with. Being available on any device, including mobile devices, makes it practical and easy to refer to on the go. A survey done by the eLearning Industry illustrates the popularity of this learning method: they found mobile learners study an extra 40 minutes per week, on their own time, due to the engaging nature of microlearning.
You can enhance employee engagement in microlearning through various types of microlearning that bridge gaps and build an emotional connection. For example, through animations with a dose of humour, engaging task tutorials in either video or photo format, interactive video demos, serious games that covertly convey knowledge and skills your employees need in the real world, and bite-size skills simulations.
Creating bite-sized learning solutions is relatively cost-effective and quick to develop. Here are some content examples that are commonly used to increase engagement in microlearning:
- Text presented in phrases or short paragraphs
- Simple facts, concepts, or ideas designed to intrigue students
- Digital flashcards
- Images, including photos, infographics and illustrations
- Short videos, e.g. explainer and animated videos
- Audio that contains short snippets of speech
- Interactive parallax-based scrolling where learners scroll through a scenario, and interactive quizzes and questions pop up to check their understanding
- Gamification in the form of single-screen challenges.
- Flexible Learning Formats for Busy Learners
Microlearning is a flexible learning format that enables learners to access content anytime, anywhere, making it easier to fit learning into their busy schedules. It is especially suited for mobile learning, as it allows learners to build on their skills in the flow of work. Because they are often in a situation where they need to use the information right away, they’re more likely to remember it.
An example of microlearning in action is when healthcare professionals refer to short, focused videos on specific medical procedures, patient care guidelines or new treatment methods. They can view these videos during breaks or between patient appointments, allowing continuous learning without disrupting their daily schedules.
- Improved Retention With Microlearning
One of microlearning’s most significant benefits is its ability to combat the “forgetting curve.” This curve is our natural tendency to forget information over time, especially when it’s not reinforced through practice and repetition and when it is not connected to prior knowledge.
Research on the forgetting curve shows that within one hour, people will have forgotten an average of 50% of new information; within 24 hours, an average of 70%; and within a week, an average of 90% of what they supposedly learnt.
According to the eLearning Industry, microlearning and spaced repetition can vastly increase the amount of new information employees actually remember. Because our brains have a “use it or lose it” policy, spacing and reinforcing information through repetition and testing improves the retention rate. Learning and recalling the same information in different ways over a period of time tells the brain that the information is important and should not be forgotten.
For example, a medical sales rep who has received training on a new drug can access microlearning lessons about the product just before they meet with a client or when they prepare their pitch. Every time they refer back to that information, they increase their likelihood of remembering it.
Training Only Works When It’s Retained
Microlearning supports a variety of training purposes, whether it’s a standalone asset, a component of a larger training initiative, or a solution to finish a task. In the near future, improving retention with microlearning will be standard practice worldwide, including in the developing world.
At New Leaf Technologies, we believe training only works when it’s retained, and we curate our solutions to support that. Get in touch for customised training solutions for your healthcare professionals today.
