Blended learning; 70:20:10; mobile learning; micro-learning. Buzzwords and trends abound in our industry – some fizzle out, others gain traction and stay. The latest trend is to develop micro-learning: small snippets of information that can be digested in just 2-5 minutes.
But is there any merit in learnings that are so brief? What about the detail? What can the learner possibly consume that will make a difference in 2-5 minutes? By using high-impact formats such as multimedia, information can be accessed and used at the point of need. Micro-learning is real just-in-time learning, as learners access only the information they need to perform a specific task at a specific time.
Why micro-learning? The Hermann Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve tells us that newly gained knowledge is halved in a matter of days unless learners consciously review material. So, for information on how to complete a task, I need information delivered now in short, specific bursts. I can’t rely on something I learned just-in-case three weeks ago.
How do we produce micro-learning? Create a discovery zone or a learning ecosystem on your LMS. Make your learnlets available for learners to ‘snack’ on as they need to. You can even crowd source information that is then vetted by an expert before making it live.
Ceed Learning is currently working on a number of projects in which we are collaborating with clients and co-creating content suitable for micro-learning. We have just had our new recording studio furbished so we are creating multimedia learning in our own offices!
