Microlearning can be regarded as a contemporary approach to learning which aims at providing the learners with relatively short, concise yet information-rich lessons. A lesson curated with this approach lasts anywhere between three to ten minutes. Micro-learning can be mobile-based or computer-based. It is already popular among the employers for providing quick and relevant learning content to the employees. But with time, the education sector is also recognizing its benefits and implementing microlearning at various levels. This article gives 10 good reasons why microlearning should be incorporated in today’s classrooms.
Source: Pixabay.com
1. Better Retention
Microlearning involves delivering of bite-sized content which is easier to absorb than those long-from contents. This is because the long-form content includes relatively large amounts of information that every learner might not be able to handle altogether. Large chunks of information may also overwhelm the learners. Microlearning prevents any such issues by providing relevant as well as short chunks of information. This means that the learner would get only what they need to learn.
2. Fits Into Everyone’s Schedule
Students often say that they find it difficult to concentrate for straight forty minutes in the classrooms. But it is generally easy for our brains to concentrate on something for about 3 – 7 minutes. And, if one gets a chance to learn the course content in that timeframe, it is absolutely beneficial not only for the students but as well as the educators. Even if you want to learn some extra skills after school or college it is easy to take out 10 minutes a day and learn something new without feeling overburdened.
3. Easy Customization
Personalization comes in handy with microlearning. Considering the format of the higher education system, students are expected to learn the same information irrespective of their educational backgrounds. Hence, there might be some students who already know some of the topics. With microlearning, they can save their time and simply start off with the topics that are new to them.
4. Better Learner Engagement
We have already discussed that the microlearning content is appropriate as per the attention spans of the learners. Another important aspect of microlearning is the inclusion of rich multimedia elements. You can expect a lesson to have some visual elements, text portion, diagrams, flowcharts or infographics. This increases learner engagement to a great extent. Moreover, if aspects such as gamification are included in such courses then learning can be more interactive for the students.
5. Courses can be Produced Faster
Designing, planning and organizing a forty minute lecture can be a little time taking for the teachers. But, on the other hand, developing a 10-minute lesson plan would be comparatively easier. The instructors can use learning management systems and incorporate their microlearning courses over them. There are a number of things one can do with an LMS such as linking additional resources, showing learner’s progress, answering their queries then and there and providing a better learning environment to the students.
Source: Pixabay.com
6. Students May Feel More Accomplished
Since microlearning courses are modular the whole content can be divided into a series of courses. As students will complete more courses in less amount of time they will feel more accomplished. This is, in fact, a lot better than continuing with a long-term online course. Moreover, if learners can see their own progress throughout the courses they will feel much closer to their goals and thus it will motivate them to learn further.
7. Easy to Revisit Concepts
Many times the topics in a curriculum are interconnected with each other. This means that a topic that you are learning today might still be useful for a topic that you will learn a month later in your course. With microlearning, it can be easier for a student to bounce back and look over a concept once again. In the case of long-term courses, it might not be easy for a student to locate a certain topic or revisit the whole course content once again.
8. Micro-Lessons are Easy to Assess
We all know that the lessons of a microlearning course are bite-sized which makes it easier for the instructors to assess the students on each lesson. The instructors can analyze their content or with the help of student feedback they can identify what elements of the course worked and what not. Moreover, teachers can vary their content delivery methods in each lesson and make out what suits the learners more.
9. Delivering Only Relevant Content
Microlearning cuts out the irrelevant content and aims at providing what the learners exactly want. Thus, students can learn some niche skills that will be helpful to them in their academic as well as professional careers. For an instance, if a student needs marketing dissertation help on social media advertising then an online course with bite-sized modules of content related to social media and brand promotion will be suitable for that student. They would not have to learn any other marketing topics that are not related to their assignment.
10. No Overburden
We already talked about how microlearning provides with relevant, personalized and easy to absorb information to the learners. With these advantages, it can be the ideal learning environment for today’s students as it will allow them to have more time to practice and apply their knowledge. With microlearning, the students can easily pursue some short-term courses and gain extra knowledge along with their traditional college degrees.
Getting Over the Limitations
The journey to micro-learning has already begun but there can be certain obstacles. Many instructors would have to face a challenge of converting every subject and topic into the microlearning format. The students might also need some time to get used to such a learning environment. They might require to do more amount of self-study before diving into a microlearning course. Not every delivery method would suit every student. Hence, the instructors need to keep assessing the students and their course content and delivery methods to ensure the success of both the learners and themselves.
Microlearning no doubt is a perfect training solution for the professionals. But it holds a great potential in the education system as well and the above 10 points support the same. Today the increased usage of the internet is already removing the geographical barriers and is providing with the flexibility to learn anything from anywhere. Microlearning can further enhance this autonomy by fulfilling the learning requirements of every learner.
