7 Amazing benefits of incorporating microlearning in your employee training prog...

Tuesday, 19 April 2022 10:25

7 Amazing benefits of incorporating microlearning in your employee training program

By eidesign

GUEST OPINION: Are you thinking of incorporating microlearning into your employee training program? Well, if you are, we would like to assure you that not only your employees will absolutely love it but they will also largely benefit from it. Lately, microlearning has become one of the favourite methods of learning for business leaders and their employees. But what is microlearning, exactly? Microlearning is a very popular concept of learning where the learners are provided with bite-sized learning modules which consist of minimal text-based material, quizzes, videos, infographics, case studies, flashcards, and much more. 

Here are the seven amazing benefits of incorporating microlearning in your employee training program; 

Microlearning can boost engagement significantly

One of the biggest reasons why employee training programs fail is because of the lack of learner engagement. If you are facing similar situations in your training programs, one of the easiest and the most effective ways to solve it is by incorporating microlearning into the training. 

Microlearning modules often include stimulating elements such as photos, infographics, videos, and case studies that can be very investing for the learners. The modules are also snackable and usually can be studied in under 5 minutes or even less. The smaller size of the portion helps the learners focus better on the material that they are studying and can even lead to ‘binge learning’. 

Microlearning also allows gamification of the material easily. Thus, you can add simple quizzes and rewards to the courses and add some healthy competition to the course to keep your employees going. 

Microlearning makes the learning process faster 

Unlike lengthy course material, microlearning modules are more ‘to-the-point’. Usually, the traditional long-form material comes with a lot of additional information for the context of the topic. While this is beneficial when you are training your employees on some very complex concepts, it can be a bit harmful when it comes to the topics that are based on a certain skill or an already known subject. 

This extra fluff also becomes unnecessary during compliance training programs. Microlearning solves this problem easily with its short-duration material. The smaller modules can be consumed by the learners easily and quickly. As they learn exactly what they need to, a lot of time gets saved and your employees don’t end up too tired to work either. 

Microlearning helps in knowledge retention 

It has been scientifically proven that microlearning can help learners retain their knowledge better than long-form content. Retaining knowledge is very important since if you don’t remember what you have learned, the chances are that you will not be able to apply it to required situations. This can basically kill the purpose of the employee training and waste a lot of resources and time. 

Microlearning modules are short and can be consumed quickly and easily. The quickness helps the learners focus better and thus, they also understand the concepts much more clearly. Not learning for the sake of learning and actually understanding the concepts can help the learners retain the knowledge for a long time. 

Microlearning modules can also be used easily for spaced repetition; a technique where the learner revises the course material again after some days to recall what they had learned initially. This technique has been proven to be one of the most effective ways for knowledge retention. 

Microlearning helps in skill development and application 

Most employees in a thriving company usually have to learn new skills at a point in time for the purpose of applying them in their daily job responsibilities and ensuring efficiency. 

However, the managers and supervisors do not always have the time to train the employees. They might help them with the initial instructions but the later stages of actually practicing a certain skill completely depend on the employees. This can be a concern as everyone has a different pace of learning a new skill and they might even need some extra guidance. 

Microlearning modules on the other hand can be a great way to train and teach your employees new skills that they can actually start applying to their jobs. Making ‘how-to’ videos in micro-learning formats can help your employees learn a specific skill easily, without much support from your side. As the modules also help them retain the knowledge, it also enables them to start using these skills in their jobs in no time.

Microlearning makes learning more flexible 

The modern corporate learners make better use of their time as they constantly try to strike the perfect balance between their lives, their daily job responsibilities, and learning. Thus, they tend to opt for learning in short bursts throughout the day rather than sitting in front of their computers for long stretches. 

To accommodate such learning habits, your employee training program needs to be more flexible. This might not be possible for long-form course material since they demand a longer attention span from the learner. Especially, if the material is text-heavy, learning on the go becomes nearly impossible for your employees. 

Microlearning on the other hand makes things more flexible. As the bite-sized modules consist of stimulating formats and can be finished in less than 5 minutes, they are perfect for on-the-go learning, especially on a mobile device like a smartphone or an iPad. 

Microlearning material is great for referencing 

Your employees might face a certain problem during their job for which they would want to go through their course material. If the course material is made up of lengthy texts, finding a solution to the material becomes nearly impossible. 

For example, let’s say one of your employees is struggling with the new HR software that has been deployed. But the course material that they have been provided with is lengthy and fluffy. As a result, it will become devastatingly time-consuming for the employee to find the exact process that they are struggling with. 

Meanwhile, if the material is distributed as smaller, to-the-point modules, it will become very easy for the employee to refer to these modules and figure out the process. 

Microlearning can also work wonders for employees who have a certain skill or knowledge gaps that need to be filled. They can simply opt for learning the modules that cover the topics that they are seeking to learn to close the gap. 

Conclusion

Microlearning as a technique is very beneficial when it comes to employee training since it helps them learn without getting deviated from their usual workflow. The micro modules fit into their schedules easily and thus the learning process becomes more flexible for the learners. Microlearning has also been known for better knowledge retention and promoting skill application in little to no time. All-in-all, incorporating microlearning into the employee training program is a decision that business leaders and L&D teams hardly ever regret. 

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