While adopting elearning, enterprises train, upskill and reskill employees by delivering digital content in multiple formats. But microlearning makes enterprises keep learning units short and plan short-term learning activities while implementing elearning. The hottest trend in elearning and corporate training emphasizes enabling learners to acquire knowledge by accessing small learning units or short pieces of content.
According to the Association for Talent Development,
“Microlearning enhances learning and performance in the most efficient and effective manner possible through short pieces of content. Assets can usually be accessed on-demand when the learner needs them. Many people find microlearning valuable because it can be consumed quickly while the learner is performing their job.”
Every organization can leverage the benefits of microlearning simply by focusing on the development and deployment of micro-content. Every piece of micro-content must enable the learner to understand a concept or gather relevant information in less than 10 minutes. The shorter pieces of content will help the learner to retain and transfer the knowledge, along with keeping her engaged and motivated.
The new-age elearning solutions make it easier for enterprises to implement microlearning concepts while implementing employee learning and development (EL&D) programs. They further make it easier for trainers to create micro-content in multiple digital formats. But the decision-makers must keep in mind the key microlearning benefits while selecting and comparing widely used elearning solutions like learning management systems (LMS) and virtual classroom software.
Discovering 9 Important Benefits of Microlearning for Corporate Training
1) Raise Learner Engagement
The outcome and success of EL&D activities directly depend on learner engagement. No organization can encourage employees to learn and make them retain knowledge without keeping them engaged. Most learners these days love courses that are divided into shorter lessons. They find it easier to acquire knowledge by gathering short bursts of information at a time. That is why; microlearning is considered to be more effective in raising learner engagement by more than 50% than conventional elearning models.
2) Boost Learner Satisfaction
In addition to accessing content on mobile devices, modern learners expect educational content that can be accessed quickly and effortlessly. Unlike conventional courses, microlearning courses can be accessed on smartphones and tablets seamlessly. At the same time, a learner can get relevant and up-to-date information in 5 to 10 minutes by complementing a microlearning course. That is why; microlearning courses make corporate training more impactful by keeping employees satisfied and engaged.
3) Foster Knowledge Retention
In addition to improving corporate training delivery, EL&D programs must focus extensively on fostering knowledge retention and transfer. The EL&D managers must explore ways to make employees retain concepts and transfer the concepts to their jobs. Employees often find it easier to retain a concept by understanding and memorizing information in small bits. Microlearning makes it easier for employees to retain concepts by minimizing mental stress and fatigue. At the same time, the elearning concept allows every learner to absorb concepts by accessing a variety of digital content.
4) Allow Learning Path Personalization
Learning path personalization is one of the major microlearning benefits. While creating microlearning courses, trainers can enable students to customize and personalize learning paths according to their preferred learning styles. For instance, they can allow every student to acquire knowledge in multiple ways – watching a video clip, hearing an audiobook, or reading an ebook. The educator can allow every employee to choose the desire learning style and personalize the learning path simply by creating multi-format educational content.
5) Speed up Employee Learning Activities
A large percentage of employees acquire knowledge after working hours. That is why; they explore ways to complete courses and absorb knowledge without putting in extra time and effort. Unlike conventional courses, microlearning courses help employees to gather relevant information in less than 10 minutes. A learner simply needs to complete a specific microlearning course at a time to gather relevant information or understand a concept. Hence, she can complete multiple microlearning courses every week.
6) Optimize Courses for Mobile Devices
The employees can access new-age elearning solutions using a variety of devices – desktop, laptop, smartphone, and tablet. But most employees these days prefer mobile devices to computers while accessing elearning solutions. While creating courses, trainers and content creators need to ensure that the learners can access the educational content seamlessly on smartphones and tablets. Learners find it easier to access microlearning courses on mobile devices than conventional courses.
7) Develop, Deploy, and Update Courses Quickly
Often businesses need to train sales and marketing executives in a short amount of time before launching a new product or service. Likewise, they need to convey information to many employees quickly each time a new feature is added to a product. The trainers and content creators need additional time to create and modify conventional courses. But they can create, update, and deploy microlearning courses in a short amount of time. Also, every employee can get the required information or data by completing the microlearning course shortly.
8) Facilitate Elearning Gamification
Both microlearning and gamification are the hottest trends in corporate training. Both elearning approaches foster knowledge retention and transfer by keeping learners engaged. The small learning units make it easier for educators and creators to embed game designs and elements into every lesson. Leading enterprises these days adopt gamified microlearning to make corporate training programs more effective in making every employee absorb and retain knowledge without putting in extra time and effort.
9) Curtail EL&D Cost
Microlearning enables educators to develop, update, and deploy courses without putting in extra time and effort. At the same time, it helps learners to absorb and retain knowledge by completing courses quickly. Hence, every organization can curtain both EL&D time and cost by adopting microlearning. They can further leverage the benefits of microlearning without increasing infrastructural costs by investing in the right cloud-based learning management system or virtual classroom software.
Microlearning is currently one of the hottest trends in corporate training and EL&D. Every enterprise can easily leverage the benefits of microlearning by choosing the appropriate elearning solutions. Many enterprises these days opt for the cloud-based learning management system and virtual classroom software launched by Mintbook to adopt and implement microlearning effectively and effortlessly.
