Following are the five things that must be kept in mind when designing a microlearning solution.
1. Address a Single Objective
Deepa Katambur is of the opinion that just as in a full-fledged eLearning course, microlearning design too needs careful thought and planning. Her top tip in this aspect is to address a single, performance-based objective.
When you use traditional eLearning or classroom training to train employees, it is possible to cover a number of topics and a couple of learning objectives over a period of time. But that’s not possible when you are considering microlearning design, simply because you are looking at a short training time that may probably go up to a maximum of fifteen minutes.
If you need to develop an effective microlearning solution, then you must address only one performance-based objective per microlearning module. By doing so, you ensure that your microlearning module is designed to deliver targeted and focused information. You can also ensure that your module will avoid an overload of information and fight the forgetting curve.
2. Enable Mobile Access
Microlearning modules are used for those employees who are mostly on the move. One of the reasons micro modules are popular is that learners can access it when they need it. So, these modules should be easily accessible on mobile devices. Your employees should be able to access the learning anytime, and anywhere that they want to. It will be even better if you can enable offline access as it is not safe to assume that your workforce will always have access to the Internet.
3. Leverage Existing Content
Deepa Katambur says that designing microlearning content doesn’t mean creating content from scratch. This means less and smart work. For example, if the training content in powerpoint presentations used for classroom training, manuals, etc are relevant to your learners’ needs, use that already-existing information in your microlearning modules. Even a short video recording of an instructor in a classroom or virtual classroom training can be converted into a microlearning module.
Questions answered during classroom training can be put together as a quick reference tool for frequently asked questions that learners might have. Give your existing training a new look by splitting an hour-long training program into short nuggets of learning.
4. Use relevant Media
No one likes to read huge chunks of text. These are also more difficult to remember. This is why it is important that you design the information with the help of other elements like visuals and media. These elements help learners to process and retain information better and faster. Focus on the big idea and devise a way in which you can represent it with the help of images and text. Placing appropriate visuals make the screen engaging.
But, remember that the visuals should have relevance. Do not insert images, audio or video that take away the learner’s attention without adding any value.
5. Lean and Clean
Andrew Hughes and Deepa Katambur both agree on one fact: the microlearning module should be lean and clean. In Deepa’s words, “When it comes to microlearning design, less is more. Minimalism in designing microlearning is about using only the most essential elements (crisp content and visuals). Unnecessary content or visuals that do nothing to help learners achieve the learning objective are avoided.”
Conclusion
Microlearning is an indispendable part of modern education. If you keep the five points in mind, you can create effective and engaging content.
