What is microlearning?

In today's lesson, we'll talk about what microlearning is, along with its theories and applications.

Microlearning is short-form educational content that a learner can use in any setting, such as at home or at work. It can be used to learn new skills or reinforce existing knowledge.

Microlearning is the process of creating small lessons designed to be completed in under 10 minutes. These lessons are designed to be taken at the learner's convenience instead of following a schedule. That allows more flexibility in learning and lets learners learn at their own pace.

The theories behind microlearning are that it helps learners retain information longer than traditional classes or lectures, thanks to the shorter time span, and because it is more interactive than passive learning methods such as watching videos or reading articles.

Microlearning has become an important part of education because it lets teachers and learners adapt their knowledge base to suit their learning style better than traditional methods.

It gives learners control over the pace of their learning. It also helps them visualize how they'll use their new knowledge in real life, which makes the learning experience more memorable and effective.

Microlearning lets you tailor your instruction to each learner based on their needs and interests, which helps improve retention rates by keeping learners engaged throughout the course.

It also allows more efficient use of time, since not as much time is wasted on lectures or class time spent reviewing material that has already been covered before moving on to new concepts and topics (this can also lead to greater efficiency among instructors). Finally, it helps reduce stress levels by giving learners more control over when they want to learn.

Now let's look at some examples of microlearning applied in online courses

The most common example is the "lunchtime lesson" or "snack content." These are small lessons that can be consumed during lunch breaks or coffee breaks throughout the day. They usually last 5 to 10 minutes and focus on a specific topic or set of skills.

You can use short lectures for pre-course content. These are short videos you give before learners start the course. They're usually used to provide basic information about the course or to explain how to access assignments or resources.

You can use quizzes at the end of each module. These are quizzes of 5 to 10 questions that test what learners learned in each module or lesson. They usually include multiple-choice and short-answer questions (similar to what you see on standardized tests).

Create assignments to reinforce key concepts. Ask your learners to write short essays about where to apply what they learned in class or read in their textbooks to real-life situations (for example, "tell me about a time you overcame an obstacle").

Recap denser concepts or modules at the end. Simply record a brief review of important concepts before exams or at the end of a module, which helps learners remember the key points from class discussions and readings.

A leading online course provider uses microlearning techniques to create small lessons for its learners that include quizzes and interactive exercises, so they can practice what they learned in each lesson before moving on to the next. This helps learners retain information better because they can apply it immediately instead of memorizing something without knowing how it works first.

A training company created a series of videos showing how different software programs work together so employees can learn how these tools fit together, quickly and easily, without having to read long manuals or spend hours watching long videos.

Cool, right?

To recap:

Microlearning consists of creating short content that breaks a large piece of content into smaller units, which are easily digested by your learners. It is not a methodology or a pedagogical orientation. It is a technique for making certain types of content easier to consume and absorb. So there are cases where microlearning can get in the way of results on those fronts.

Next, we'll look at the three theories that explain why microlearning is powerful for your learning strategy.