Microlearning is the future of workplace training. As it currently stands, workplace training is challenging, and employees are only given 24 minutes per week for learning on average. Many employees get little training, and nearly 60% receive no training for their position.
Even when training is offered, there are often barriers to joining. This lack of opportunity to learn leaves many employees unsatisfied and unfulfilled.
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Almost 75% of workers feel that they aren't reaching their true potential due to a lack of learning opportunities. In fact, 70% of workers would even consider leaving for another job that invests more in employee learning.
Even where training is present, traditional training models have been found to be ineffective. Traditional tools create a poor experience for learners, and many are not satisfied with the current systems in place. Because of this, many organizations waste resources creating ineffective courses. A small, one-time, in-person training event can cost $40,000.
More specifically, to create a one hour program, it takes 87 minutes for a basic course, 197 for advanced, and nearly 500 minutes for an advanced learning course. Despite this effort put into these programs, standalone training events do not create lasting learning. Adult attention span has decreased to an alarming 20 minutes, signaling the need for change.
How Microlearning Works
Microlearning is the new solution to these problems. It works by using small and manageable activities and modules to teach a skill. These sessions can be in the form of videos, questions, nudges, small objectives, or game-like activities.
Learning in this way can help in several ways. Microlearning can easily fit into a busy schedule, and is efficient enough that it targets certain skills and wastes none of the user’s time. It is more personalizable and generates results faster and more effectively than traditional methods. Users have found that their behavior and outlook on tasks during the workday has been altered for the better because of their microlearning training.
The benefits of microlearning are clearly abundant, as experts have found that they are 17% more effective than traditional training. Bite-sized content is easily and readily accessible, does away with irrelevant information, and addresses a single objective at a time.
Microlearning not only benefits employees, but also reduces costs and improves the productiveness of an entire company. These techniques are now used by 15% of Fortune 500 companies and many leading nonprofits, and these numbers are only going to increase in the coming years.
Infographic Source: Arist
