Which microlearning development tools do you need?
If you have a professional interest in learning and development then you need to know about microlearning. Microlearning is the breaking down of lessons into targeted, topical chunks that are easy to remember. It’s proving to be dramatically more effective than traditional eLearning courses which are long, unengaging and ineffective: typical microlearning completion rates are five times higher. But where do you begin? Which microlearning development tools do you need to implement it?
Microlearning development tool requirements
– Rapid authoring tool
The primary requirement for any courseware creation is authoring tool software. This is typically expensive and requires serious training to operate. However, microlearning development is much easier to manage. Learning content might involve short videos which can be easily uploaded or filmed directly on a phone. However, the easiest way to create learning content is by adding existing information, questions and answers to microlearning templates. By doing this anyone can quickly create (or update) a course with minimal skills (or assistance).
– Mobile learning
Mobile is a great tool for microlearning development. Small lessons can easily be distributed to mobile apps – anywhere in the world via the cloud – with notifications of new courses, deadlines and prizes delivered to the home screen. Everybody has a smartphone nowadays and they’re comfortable using them – more comfortable than using work computers which are regarded as work tools. With mobile learning, learners can access lessons whenever and wherever they want and at their own pace too.
– Interactivity and gamification
Even grannies can interact with apps and play mobile games nowadays, so you needn’t worry about confusing people by adding gamification and interactivity to lessons. This doesn’t require serious development as many game templates exist which create the games automatically. At the end of the day, they’re simply more-elaborate and engaging ways to present questions and answers. Features like leaderboards and prizing means gaming can be competitive too – which further improves engagement.
– Spaced repetition
Also known as distributed practice, this is an incredibly effective form of learning which automatically utilises a revision schedule to embed knowledge. By repeating learning at increasing intervals, less is forgotten. A decent microlearning development tool should have this feature built in as it can remember which answers a learner got wrong (and focus on those) and automatically create the most effective schedule for repetition.
-Peer Learning
Another potential feature of a microlearning development tool is peer learning. This enables workers to train their colleagues and it’s much more effective than having a third-party do so – in many instances. The teacher and context will be much more relatable to learners and the first-hand knowledge of a product or practice will be second to none.
If you’d like to know more about implementing microlearning development tools, get in touch at enquiries@edapp.com. You can also try EdApp’s Mobile LMS and authoring tool for free by signing up here.
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Author
Guest Author Daniel Brown
Daniel Brown is a senior technical editor and writer that has worked in the education and technology sectors for two decades. Their background experience includes curriculum development and course book creation.