There’s a reason Twitter, Yammer, and TED Talks are powerful forces on the web: these bite-sized platforms are engaging, digestible, and memorable.
You can harness this same power in your e-classroom by incorporating micro-learning, a new trend in education and training that’s spiked over the last few months.
Google Trends shows that “micro-learning” has been a frequent search in recent months
What is Micro-learning?
Micro-learning involves small, well-planned activities that focus on just one objective and take between 1 and 15 minutes.
Micro-learning activities can be as traditional as a one-question quiz, as interactive as a short simulation, or as unexpected as a quick game. These “learning nuggets,” as they’re often called, can function well at any point in your course, depending on your goals. However you choose to use it, micro-learning can enrich your course in a number of ways.
Bite-sized lessons lend themselves to mobile learning. A recent study reveals that mobile learning increases student motivation.
Advantages of Micro-learning
- Increased flexibility: Micro-learning activities are bite-sized, so they’re easy to complete on the go. Instead of having to carve out time to sit for a 45-minute lecture, students can listen to a 5-minute podcast while they wait in line or catch the bus.
- Focused performance: Targeted objectives make knowledge stick, especially in our info-rich online environment. With micro-learning activities, students will avoid information-overload and instead focus on what matters. Reading a microblog and responding with a one-sentence summary, for instance, keeps students on point and ready for the next stage of your course.
- Efficient assessment: Quick knowledge checks, like a one-question quiz, let you ensure students are on point without losing their attention before the next task.
- Appealing variety: Incorporating micro-learning activities keeps students from getting lulled into knowing what to expect. In addition, quick switches between highly focused tasks mimics the pace of many corporate environments. Micro-learning not only keeps students on their toes, but also primes them for later careers.
- Constructive fun: Because micro-learning activities cater to a short attention span, they feel less like work and more like play. And who couldn’t use more of that?
Learn More
If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you incorporate micro-learning in your online course or training modules, contact us.
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